Monir Salomao

Full Name: Monir Salomão

Born: Brazil (Passed away in the mid-1990s)

Nationality: Brazilian

Team / Association: Academia Monir de Jiu-Jitsu

Rank: 7th-Degree Coral Belt

Coach: Oswaldo Fadda & Deoclecio Paulo

Biography
Monir Salomão was a highly revered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master and instructor of a non-Gracie lineage. Raised in the working-class northern suburbs (Zona Norte) of Rio de Janeiro, Salomão’s initial introduction to Jiu-Jitsu came while serving in the Brazilian Army under the instruction of Grand Master Deoclecio Paulo. It was through Paulo that Monir was introduced to the legendary Oswaldo Fadda—the man who would become his sole formal instructor in the art.

Fadda’s academy was famous for bringing Jiu-Jitsu to the underprivileged suburbs of Rio and specializing in an exceptionally practical, submission-heavy style. Monir absorbed these teachings entirely, eventually founding the Academia Monir de Jiu-Jitsu in the Vila da Penha neighborhood during the 1970s.

Under his leadership, the academy flourished and became known for cultivating some of the toughest, most resilient competitors in the region. Master Monir reached the rank of 7th-degree coral belt before his passing in the mid-1990s. Following his death, his right-hand man and most accomplished student, Marcos “Juruna” Barreto, took over the gym to preserve his technical legacy.

Grappling Style & Influence
Master Monir was widely regarded by his contemporaries as a living encyclopedia of lower-body submissions. At a time when many traditional academies looked down upon leg attacks, Salomão’s lineage embraced them as equalizer techniques.

Favorite Position/Technique: Footlocks & Leglocks

Legacy & Elite Black Belts Produced
Though he rarely sought the competitive spotlight for himself, Monir Salomão’s impact on modern Jiu-Jitsu is massive through the elite students he developed, who went on to shape the global landscape of the sport:

Julio César Pereira: Former student who went on to co-found GF Team (Grappling Fight Team), one of the most successful academies in BJJ history.

Marcos Barreto (“Juruna”): World-class competitor, successor to Monir’s academy, and co-founder of Equipe Supreme.

Juarez Soares: Renowned regional competitor and instructor.