Alliance remains the most decorated affiliation in the sport of jiu-jitsu with an astounding fifteen World Championship team titles. Notable champions over the past three decades have contributed to Alliance’s long-standing success on the Grand Slam circuit. The 2026 season has witnessed the affiliation dominate major competition with team trophies at European, Pan, and Brasileiro events. As the prestigious 30th anniversary of the World Championships approaches, Alliance sets their sights on a historic sixteenth World title and a Grand Slam sweep in 2026. For the most prolific team in the sport’s history, it is not just another title. It is an opportunity to again assert itself as the greatest academy in history.

The Alliance empire has maintained its monumental status in the jiu-jitsu landscape for over thirty years. Founded in 1993 by Master Romero ‘Jacare’ Cavalcanti and fellow celebrated professors, Fabio Gurgel and Alexandre ‘Gigi’ Paiva, the affiliation features 300+ affiliate academies in over twenty-nine countries around the world. The Alliance doctrine has touched more than 30,000 individuals globally, and continues to further the expansion of jiu-jitsu to all corners of the globe. Amidst the Alliance army is a collection of the finest competitive athletes in the world, who progress a remarkable lineage that boasts consistent success on the international competition scene.

Countless athletes have represented Alliance through competition at the sport’s biggest events. Legendary competitors earned their renowned status through consistent achievements under the brightest lights, leading their team to trophies and global acclaim. Marcelo Garcia, Fabio Gurgel, Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles, Bruno Malfacine, Lucas Lepri, Michael Langhi, Fernando ‘Terere’ Augusto, and Bernardo Faria represent a long list of iconic Alliance athletes who have represented their academies with triumphant victories. The foundation that was laid by former generational talent culminates in a wave of Alliance champions who now carry the affiliation’s torch. 

Alliance is in the midst of a dominant run on the Grand Slam circuit. Brasileiro represents the academy’s most recent international success, securing their fifth straight major team trophy. A trio of male black belts led the charge with Leo Ferreira, Ítalo Almeida, and Rerisson Gabriel each securing their respective weight division titles. Leo Ferreira headlines the collection of remarkable young talent that Alliance boasts, with the heavyweight earning European and Brasileiro titles this season. Fellow rising athletes who have showcased their promising skillset in major competition include Marcus ‘Scooby’ Ribeiro, Jalen Fonacier, Kennedy Maciel, Eduardo Alves, and Felipe Assis. With a horde of elite level black belts, Alliance remains the favorite to secure their Grand Slam sweep in 2026 with a World Championship title.

The acclaimed academy holds a commanding presence in both past and present competition at the highest level. Their reign projects to extend well into the future with promising young talent rising through the ranks. Athletes such as Rafael Gamba, Lucas Coruja, João Vitor, Mauro Lucas, Marcio ‘Crazy Dog’ Italo, and Vitor Crizel embody the team’s brown belt talent that appear poised to transition into the sport’s highest echelon with immediate championship aspirations. The next-generation wave of athletes in the blue and purple belt categories also provide an intriguing perspective to the future of Alliance. Kaike Righetti, Luis Henrique, Lincoln Santos, and Bruno Garcez underscore the depth of talent that Alliance maintains in the color belt divisions. With a heritage steeping in Grand Slam success, these world-class Alliance prospects await their moment on the premier stage.

Of the 300+ affiliate academies that Alliance boasts, a select number of locations hold a special place within the team. Although Alliance HQ remains in Atlanta, Georgia much of the affiliation’s top talent hails from Brazil. Specifically, Alliance São Paulo and Porto Alegre boast emerging black belt phenoms such as Leo Ferreira, Eduardo Alves, Danylo Wruck, and Guilherme Avelino. Cobrinha BJJ, which functions as the Alliance Los Angeles affiliate, highlights a formidable group of black belt competitors including Jalen Fonacier, Kennedy Maciel, and Cleber Sousa. The trifecta of tutelage from Michael Langhi, Mario Reis, and Cobrinha Maciel amongst a number of other influential Alliance professors has resulted in the most dominant competitive team in contemporary jiu-jitsu. 

Alliance has a proven ability to generate elite black belt champions from a number of academies. Their presence on the Grand Slam circuit is, was, and projects to be the most dominant that jiu-jitsu has ever seen. A long list of athletes have reached the summit of the sport, providing Alliance with a record number of World Championship titles. With European, Pan, and Brasileiro titles already secured in 2026, Alliance returns its focus to the most prestigious event in jiu-jitsu.