Nicknames are an integral part of all forms of combat sport and some of the best fighters on the planet have been known by another name, but the BJJ world is often lacking in that respect. Because there’s no striking involved in Jiu-Jitsu, that immediately takes a lot of the most intimidating or interesting nicknames out of the running. Instead grapplers have to be a little more inventive when deciding on what to call one another and as a result, many of them simply opt to forget about it altogether. Not having a nickname is better than having an unoriginal or boring one, but a good nickname can definitely add something to the legacy of a competitor.
20 Best BJJ Nicknames
Nicknames can be used for a variety of different purposes in combat sports but the very best nicknames in the BJJ world all have one thing in common: They’re memorable. Whether that’s because they strike fear into the heart of the opponent or because they make their training partners laugh, the best nicknames will always stick in your memory and forever be associated with that competitor. As a huge number of BJJ competitors come from Brazil, many of these nicknames are in Portuguese. Although they might lose something in the translation, it’s easy to see why they would be memorable even if the fans don’t all speak the same language.
Megaton – Wellington Dias
Wellington ‘Megaton’ Dias has an incredibly long career as he is not only the oldest competitor to ever step on the mats at the IBJJF World Championship, but he’s also the first coral belt to do so as well. Remarkable longevity isn’t all that he’s known for either, as he’s more often referred to by one of the best nicknames in BJJ as opposed to his real name. He was called ‘Megaton’ because of the phenomenal Judo he displayed early in his career, and the remark that the power of his throws was similar to that of a megaton bomb.
Toquinho – Rousimar Palhares
Rousimar Palhares is probably best known for disregarding his opponent’s taps and continuing to apply the submission after it. Although that tarnished his MMA career and caused him to be fired from both the UFC and PFL (then WSOF), he was a much more popular figure long before that. Palhares was a fearsome grappler who was known by the name ‘Toquinho’, or ‘Little Tree Stump’, which referenced the short and stocky build that made him practically impossible to take down.
Buchecha – Marcus Almeida
Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is one of the best grapplers on the planet and he currently holds the record for the most IBJJF World Championship gold medals of all time. Despite his success on the mats and incredible talent, his nickname actually references something a lot more comical. ‘Buchecha’ often refers to big or chubby cheeks and his coach, Rodrigo Cavaca, called Almeida this because he was overweight as a child and he felt the name fit.
The Pipelayer – Jeff Glover
Jeff Glover was one of the most popular grapplers in the US at one point thanks to his exciting and innovative style. His crowning achievements were winning an IBJJF no gi world championship and taking home a bronze medal at ADCC 2011, and his nickname was just as unique as some of his attacks. Unlike most of the best nicknames in BJJ, ‘The Pipelayer’ actually has nothing to do with the sportat all and it is instead a reference to Glover’s day-job as a plumber at the time.
The Raspberry Ape – Dan Strauss
Dan Strauss is one of the leading figures in the growth of competitive BJJ in the UK, and he won ADCC trials back when he was just a purple belt in the sport. At that time, there was still only a small number of black belts in the country and he was one of a handful of competitors who started the sport as a teenager. Strauss has one of the most unusual nicknames in BJJ and ‘The Raspberry Ape’ comes from a combination of his families history of raspberry-picking and an ancestor’s nickname.
Freakazoid – Geo Martinez
Geo Martinez is one of the most popular and most successful grapplers to ever come out of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, and he’s one of few people to win multiple EBI tournaments. ‘Freakazoid’ actually predates his BJJ career and was among the nicknames given out in the B-Boying group he was in with his older brother, Richie Martinez. It apparently came about because of his love of the TV show Freakazoid in his youth.
Hokage – Fabricio Andrey
Fabricio Andrey is part of a generation of elite grapplers that emerged from the tutelage of Melqui Galvao and broke through to the highest levels of the sport in around 2020. Andrey actually took his nickname from Naruto, the popular manga and anime series. The literal translation of ‘Hokage’ is ‘Fire Shadow’, and in the series it is a title that is given to the leader of a specific village.
Tanquinho – Augusto Mendes
Augusto ‘Tanquinho’ Mendes was an IBJJF world champion both in the gi and in no gi before eventually making his MMA debut and getting the results necessary to make his UFC debut. He didn’t compete there for long and retired from MMA soon after he was released from the promotion, but returned to grappling in order to win an ADCC world championship in 2019. His nickname, ‘Tanquinho’, means ‘Little Tank’ and is a reference to the fact that his older brother Bruno Mendes was called ‘Tank’ when they started training.
Ice Cream – Kron Gracie
Kron Gracie was one of the most promising talents in the BJJ world at one point and he reached the pinnacle of his grappling career in 2013 when he won an ADCC world championship. He moved to MMA after that and has fought for both RIZIN FF and the UFC, but an unusual nickname emerged shortly before that. ‘Ice Cream Kron’ started to be used for him as a reference to his calm and cold demeanor when competing, and it remains one of the most unusual nicknames in BJJ history.
Darth Rigatoni – Mikey Musumeci
Unlike most of the best BJJ nicknames, Mikey Musumeci actually earned his moniker very late in his career. It didn’t emerge as a result of coaches or training partners either, and was instead given to him by a fan at one of his superfights. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ works in two ways, firstly as a Star Wars reference but also as an homage to Musumeci’s Italian ancestry and love of pasta.
Giraffe – Haisam Rida
Haisam Rida has quietly been working his way into the highest level of BJJ competition and had one of the biggest breakthrough moments of his career when he submitted Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu at ADCC 2022. He earned the nickname ‘Giraffe’ long before that thanks to his tall and lanky frame, but he’s also really leaned into it by wearing giraffe-printed rashguards and even dying his hair.
The Snowman – Jeff Monson
Jeff Monson was an NCAA Division 1 wrestler in his youth before he turned to MMA and although he primarily competed in that sport, BJJ fans will also remember him fondly. Monson came in as a complete unknown at ADCC 1999 and used a combination of his wrestling and BJJ skills to blow through the under 99kg division. That sudden BJJ success earned Monson one of the best nicknames in the sport, as the Brazilian competitors called him ‘The Snowman’ due to his skin color and how he built momentum as the tournament went on.
Preguica – Felipe Pena
Felipe Pena has been one of the top BJJ competitors in his weight class for quite some time, and has won both ADCC and IBJJF world championships at different times. Like many of the best Brazilian nicknames, Pena was called ‘Preguica’ as a joking insult by his BJJ coach. It translates as ‘Sloth’ or ‘Lazy’ and it was given to Pena because he was seen as slow and lazy when he was overweight, although he used this as motivation to get in better shape.
Cobrinha – Rubens Charles
Rubens ‘Cobrinha’ Charles is one of the greatest grapplers to ever compete in the lighter weight classes but his nickname was given to him when he trained in a completely different martial art. Before starting BJJ he used to do Capoeira instead, and his instructor there came up with the name ‘Cobrinha’. It means ‘Little Snake’ and it came about because of the agility and flexibility that helped him to achieve so much in the BJJ world.
Vai Cavalo – Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio Werdum is undoubtedly more well-known as an MMA fighter than a BJJ competitor now, primarily thanks to his stint as the UFC heavyweight world champion. ‘Vai Cavalo’ is another of those nicknames that originated from a time before BJJ, as Werdum used to play football in his youth. Cavalo means horse and is a common nickname for larger people in Brazil, but his teammates used to cheer “Vai, Cavalo!” or “Go, Horse!” and the full phrase stuck.
The Hillbilly Hammer – Jacob Couch
Jacob Couch was a top prospect during his journey through the colored belt ranks and at some point, he earned one of the best BJJ nicknames around. He’s often referred to as ‘The Hillbilly Hammer’, an affectionate nickname that derives from a common term for people around his area and the fact that he’s a powerful and physically-imposing competitor.
Durinho – Gilbert Burns
Gilbert Burns is another BJJ competitor that has ended up garnering more attention for his career in MMA, as he’s established himself as one of the top competitors in the welterweight division. ‘Durinho’ stands out as one of the best nicknames in both BJJ and MMA, and it references his family. His older brother was called ‘Todo-Duro’ or roughly ‘Tough Guy’, so the ‘-inho’ was added for Burns in order to refer to him as the smaller version of that.
Baby Shark – Diogo Reis
Diogo Reis is another top competitor to rise through the ranks under Melqui Galvao and he is the ADCC 2022 under 66kg champion. Virtually all Brazilian BJJ competitors have nicknames in Portuguese, but Reis is one of the few to have an English nickname instead. He’s referred to as ‘Baby Shark’ and there’s no real story behind it, one of his friends started to call him that at a tournament in Abu Dhabi, and the name stuck with him from there.
Trator – Vinicius Ferreira
Vinicius ‘Trator’ Ferreira has actually had two nicknames during his BJJ career and that change is part of why his is one of the best. He was originally called ‘Motor’ or ‘Engine’ in reference to the impressive cardio that he was able to display in the training room. At one point a teammate at Alliance Jiu-Jitsu remarked “you’re not just an engine, you’re a tractor!” and so his nickname became ‘Trator’ or ‘Tractor’ instead.
The Butter Panther – PJ Barch
There are plenty of unique nicknames in BJJ but there aren’t many better than the one that PJ Barch uses. Paul Jacob Barch is actually already known by the nickname ‘PJ’ anyway, but ‘The Butter Panther’ is the one that everybody will remember. There’s no real explanation behind it, other than the fact that Barch is a very smooth grappler who moves in an incredible fashion once he hits the mats.
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