At the 2022 Pan No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships, Pedro Rocha of Alliance won the heavyweight division, his biggest title to date. In the final he faced Thiago Saldanha of Renzo Gracie Academy and finished the match with one of the best weapons in his arsenal, the guillotine. “This title was very important for me, showing me that I’m on the right path. I’ve been training a lot in the last few years. But now I’ve managed to adjust my diet, my BJJ training, and my bodybuilding training in a way that I can train smarter instead of just training a lot and getting tired.” The adjustments pushed Pedro’s game to a new level.

Pedro’s older brother, Joao Gabriel Rocha, is a 2X Pan Champion and has been instrumental in guiding Pedro throughout his jiu-jitsu career. “My brother always inspires me. I started training jiu-jitsu when I was five years old with his influence. He always helped me in training and always motivated me to fight. It’s always good to have people with his level by your side to help you,” explained Pedro. With his brother’s help, Pedro has developed an agressive style of jiu-jitsu, often utilizing takedowns, top pressure, and guillotine chokes.

An important factor in the development of Pedro’s game has also been his open mindedness and his willingness to explore different styles. These styles have been especially beneficial for Pedro’s no-gi game. “I love wrestling. I trained wrestling for ten years. I also trained a little judo, which helps me too. I traveled all over the world fighting wrestling which gave me a very good base and body awareness and a lot of experience for having fought in several different places in the world. The main thing, more than helping me with takedowns and pressure, was wrestling gave me a mindset of training at an Olympic level.”

The IBJJF World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships start on Thursday December 8th and run through Sunday the 11th. Prior to the 2022 Pan No-Gi, Pedro was mostly competing as a medium-heavyweight. He discussed his decision to move up in weight. “I decided to move up in the division, even though I had very good results in the medium-heavyweight division. The big reason I gained weight is because I’ve always trained with people heavier than me so I decided to do weight training and diet work to gain weight. Fighting in a heavier division also makes me want to get into some open class divisions.”

The heavyweight division at this year’s Worlds No-Gi includes Elder Cruz, Andre Porfirio, Vagner Rocha, and Devhonte Johnson. Although there are accomplished competitors in the division, Pedro is not one to be too concerned about who he’s fighting. “I honestly only see my bracket the day before my fight. I don’t usually see the names before I just think and train and get there the best way possible. All these opponents are very good with a very high level. But I feel very confident to fight anyone. I’m sure they’re going to be very tough fights.”

Pedro shared his final thoughts on his division and the event, stating “I think anyone who puts their name to fight has a chance to win. I really want to win against whoever I fight with and with that also raise the name of God.” Make sure you go to FloGrappling to watch every match of the IBJJF World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships. The event begins on Thursday December 8th and concludes with the black belt finals on Sunday December 11th.