An athlete’s overall results during their brown belt run are a gauge that predicts how they will perform in the near future, at black belt. Eduardo Alves stacked up major wins in this phase leading up to the elite level. In the IBJJF Grand Slam, starting with the Pans, moving through the Brazilian Nationals and closing the cycle at Worlds, he fought his way to double gold. In fact, the top of the podium at those tournaments showcased excellent work by Alliance’s competition team, with Guilherme Avelino and Danilo Wruck completing the team’s close-outs at the top.
The skill that carried him through competitions of the highest difficulty made one thing clear: Eduardo Alves was ready for the next step. His black belt came at the Pyramid in California, with his blood still hot after double gold at Worlds, in a promotion led by Michael Langhi himself.
Eduardo Alves’ first event of 2026 is already behind him. He competed at the IBJJF Europeans in Portugal and proved he is still dangerous, now as a rookie. In an interview with The Mat Nation, the champion said long-term work helped him put together successful seasons in the colored belts, but one specific change to his camp at brown belt took him to a technical peak.
“This is years of work, going back to blue belt, when I arrived at Alliance. I’ve been working nonstop this whole time. I think that continuity brings evolution, paying the price every day. Last year, I had just come back from the U.S., and we started a camp with a different methodology, more training time. We’re repeating that in 2026. Not just me, all my training partners improved a lot, controlling several positions. I think that made me dominant in my brown belt matches. That’s what will bring me good results to reach the goal I want at black belt,” he explained.
THE SEASON STARTS WITH A VIEW FROM THE TOP: AT THE EUROPEANS IN LISBON, EDUARDO ALVES WAS THE BEST IN THE MEDIUM-HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
With a mature performance and a clear head, at the Pavilhão de Odivelas, the Alliance black belt advanced through the medium-heavyweight bracket to put his first IBJJF Grand Slam gold at the elite level on the shelf. Before that, he had competed in two local CBJJ events. In his debut, he won the São Paulo Open, and at the next tournament, the BJJ Pro, in the same state, he took second place after hurting his knee in the final against Windson Torres.
“The Europeans was the first pillar, but there are several other things I want to win. The main one is Worlds, and the first big step of the Grand Slam has been taken. Of course I’m happy, but I like to say I’ve already forgotten it and I’m thinking about the next one,” he said, determined.
The Europeans final was a brutal clash between Edu and Luiz Maxnuk, breakout talent against breakout talent, since his opponent, also a newly promoted black belt, is one of the most promising prospects from Márcio André’s school. A two-point sweep, with the score tied until then, decided the winner in the final minutes.
The situation was far from favorable for Eduardo, who was on the bottom in deep half guard. In a championship setting, especially a Europeans final, a cool head changes the game. Grip by grip, watching his opponent’s movement and waiting for the best moment to act, the Alliance athlete swept and took the lead.
“In the final I ended up in a bad spot because of a mistake I made, and I’ve already reviewed that. It was a real champion’s mindset, not accepting the position no matter how bad it was. I kept improving my grips, step by step, until I was in a ‘comfortable’ position. I also had a bit of luck, with him continuing to try to pass my guard. In the middle of his knee cut, I managed to bridge and roll, coming up on top. That was the strategy I used to get out of that bad situation,” he recalled.
ACCORDING TO EDUARDO, CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY INGREDIENT IN BUILDING A FUTURE WORLD CHAMPION
This season, Michael Langhi’s black belt will skip the Pans. The Brazilian Nationals, in Barueri, are his next stop. For him, the biggest achievement of his career would be another Worlds gold medal at the Pyramid, now among the sport’s stars. He has the preparation to reach that goal in his very first year at the rank. However, being willing to stick to a consistent routine, with no shortcuts, is, according to Edu, what makes the biggest difference in the whole process of building a world champion.
“Being a world champion is my dream, a life goal. I think the secret, what all the great champions did to keep winning and stay at the top among the best, is consistency. Training hard, training smart, with more and more technique, while keeping your conditioning up to date. Putting all of that together puts you among the best. It prepares your mind for the moment of battle,” he said with conviction.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
