Lucas Leite

Main Achievements

Black Belt Division:

• 3x 1st Place — IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2009 / 2011 / 2014)
• 4x 1st Place — IBJJF Pan Championship (2009 / 2012 / 2014 / 2015)
• 2x 1st Place — Grapplers Quest Pro Division (2007 / 2010)
• 3x 2nd Place — IBJJF World Championship (2011 / 2013 / 2015 Silver Medalist)
• 2nd Place — UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro Championship (2012)
• 2nd Place — IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2013)
• 3x 3rd Place — IBJJF World Championship (2009 / 2012 / 2014 Bronze Medalist)

Colored Belt Divisions:

• 2x 1st Place — IBJJF World Championship (2005 / 2007 Brown Belt)
• 1st Place — IBJJF Pan American Championship (2007 Brown Belt)
• 1st Place — IBJJF European Open (2006 Brown Belt)
• 1st Place — FPJJ São Paulo State Championship (2006 Brown Belt)

Overview

Lucas Jonas Gomes Leite, universally known by his nickname “Loucura” (meaning “Craziness” in Portuguese due to his wild and fun character), is an elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Leonardo Vieira. Highly regarded as one of the most technical half-guard players to ever step onto the mats, Leite established himself as a regular fixture on the sport’s biggest global podiums. He earned legendary status for his unique willingness to regularly jump up multiple weight divisions, utilizing his specialized mechanical structures to dismantle world-class heavyweights.

Early Life & Finding the Mats

Lucas was highly active in various sports growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, but his life trajectory changed entirely at age 12. He happened to watch a VHS tape of the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC 1). Witnessing Royce Gracie use flawless technique to effortlessly defeat massive opponents completely opened his eyes.

He immediately sought out local training and began learning under the late Ryan Gracie. At this stage, however, Jiu-Jitsu was strictly a hobby. As a teenager, Lucas temporarily lost his motivation and walked away from the sport entirely for a year.

The Turning Point

When Lucas decided to return to the mats at age 18, his family had relocated, making his old commute to Ryan Gracie’s gym impossible. Instead, he walked into Leonardo Vieira’s academy.

Training under “Leozinho” completely revitalized him. Vieira took Lucas under his wing, helped him heavily develop what would become his world-famous half guard system, and showed him that he could forge a successful professional career as an elite competitor and coach.

The Coyote Half Guard & Heavyweight Defiance

Lucas became a regular fixture on the sport’s biggest global podiums, widely regarded as one of the most technical half-guard players to ever step onto the mats.

He is uniquely famous for his willingness to regularly jump up two full weight classes. Despite naturally walking around the Light/Middleweight boundary (78 kg–82 kg), Lucas routinely signed up for the Heavyweight division (under 94 kg / 221 lbs) at major tournaments like the World Championship, dismantling much larger opponents using heavy torque and lower-body leverage. His tactical mastery became fundamentally centered on his invention and execution of the Coyote Half Guard.

Building Checkmat USA

In 2007, Lucas relocated to the United States to expand his career. He settled in Southern California and established the Checkmat La Habra academy. His gym rapidly grew into one of the most powerful headquarters for the Checkmat team in North America, frequently hosting elite, star-studded training camps for major international competitions with Lucas serving as the mastermind head coach.