IBJJF 2017 World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships

See The Future Now: AOJ Rising Star Mateus Rodrigues

We’ve discussed AOJ's team of killer blue belts before, but one athelte really stood out over the weekend at No-Gi Worlds: Mateus Rodrigues.

Dec 19, 2017 by Chase Smith

See The Future Now: AOJ Rising Star Mateus Rodrigues

We’ve discussed AOJ's team of killer blue belts before, but one athlete really stood out at No-Gi Worlds in Anaheim, CA, over the weekend: Mateus Rodrigues.

Rodrigues hails from Curitiba, Brazil, but trains full-time at Art of Jiu-Jitsu under Gui and Rafa Mendes. Rodrigues already racked up gold medals at Europeans, Pans, and World Pro earlier in 2017 and cemented the year with an outstanding performance and double gold at No-Gi Worlds.

Rodrigues in the driver's seat in the absolute final. Photo: Chase Smith

Don’t be misled by the fact he competes at "Juvenile 2." The kid is built like a college linebacker and has better jiu-jitsu than most people (probably 99 percent) twice his age.

Rodrigues took down some of the best young jiu-jitsu athletes at No-Gi Worlds such as rising TLI prospect Matheus Dimas Mendes and Caio Terra blue belt (and complete monster) Andy Murasaki in a nail-biting absolute final. With devastating passing and an agile guard (he's as comfortable inverting as a roosterweight), Rodrigues already seems to have few weakness for his opponents to exploit.

We’re looking forward to watch his continued growth in the coming year!