Jonatas Gurgel

Background

Born April 11, 1986 in Goiânia, Brazil — now a U.S. citizen based in South Florida — Jonatas was nicknamed "Tagarela" by his first coach Cristiano Costa and started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 12. He moved to Brasília as a teenager to train full-time and was awarded his black belt in 2005, at age 19, by Professor João Roque.

Lineage

Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie → Carlson Gracie → André Pederneiras → João Roque → Jonatas Gurgel

Black belt awarded 2005 in Brasília, Brazil.

Career

Jonatas became a Brazilian National Champion at 16, a Pan American Champion at 16, and a back-to-back World Cup Champion in 2004 and 2005 — at the time, among the highest-level competition titles in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu outside the IBJJF World Championship itself. He took bronze at the IBJJF World Championship three years in a row (2006–2008) in the heavyweight division.

Alongside his grappling career, Jonatas competed professionally in mixed martial arts and retired undefeated with a 5-0 record. His style blends classical Jiu-Jitsu technique with the pressure testing and tactical thinking that competitive MMA demands.

Teaching

Jonatas has been coaching for more than 20 years. After joining American Top Team (ATT) and helping run their Aventura affiliate, he founded Winners Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Sunny Isles Beach in 2012. He is widely recognized for his hand in promoting Mikey Musumeci — now one of the most decorated American jiu-jitsu competitors of the modern era — to black belt in 2015, alongside Gilbert Burns.

His philosophy is that technique — not strength — wins exchanges; that children learn more from earned progress than from participation trophies; and that a healthy academy is as much about community as it is about competition. Under his direction, Winners students have consistently placed at IBJJF-sanctioned tournaments, and hundreds of kids and adults from Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura, Bal Harbour, and across Miami-Dade County have built confidence, fitness, discipline, and real self-defense skills over the past decade.

Verified profiles

• Wikidata entry (Q139865513)
• BJJ Heroes — Jonatas "Tagarela" Gurgel (biography, lineage, full title list)
• Sherdog — MMA record
• @jonatasgurgel on Instagram

Languages

Portuguese (native), English (fluent), Spanish (conversational).