Murilo Amaral

Murilo Guimarães do Amaral, universally known as Murilo Amaral, is an elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt competitor. Known for his technical open guard and highly aggressive submission-hunting style, Amaral is a principal international representative of the Alliance team.  

Early Life & Tactical Training Roots
Born on June 4, 1993, in Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, Amaral grew up in the neighboring municipality of Santo Antônio da Patrulha.  

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Amaral was not heavily involved in sports as a child. His transition to martial arts happened during his teenage years after watching a group of close school friends join a local gym. Intrigued, Amaral stepped onto the mats for the first time in March 2009 at a local BJJ academy run by coach Jeferson Adam.  

Breakthrough & Black Belt Promotion
Adam, an accomplished student under legendary competitor and coach Mario Reis, quickly identified Amaral’s raw grappling talent. To fast-track his development, Adam began bringing him to Reis’ main Alliance headquarters in Porto Alegre.  

Under the combined mentorship of Adam and Reis, Amaral developed a highly kinetic open guard system, dominating the colored belt circuits with gold medal performances at the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro and the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals. Midway through 2018, following his exceptional brown belt campaign, Amaral was officially awarded his black belt.  

Performance on the International Circuit
As a black belt, Amaral successfully transitioned to the sport’s highest tier, cementing himself as a top lightweight and featherweight competitor. He also established a strong career as an instructor, a facet of the sport he first embraced as a blue belt and began doing full-time as a purple belt.  

Amaral achieved major career milestones by conquering the IBJJF South American Championship and securing multiple podium finishes at the IBJJF World Championships. Transitioning into the Master divisions, his dominance continued as he captured gold at the IBJJF World Master Championship, the European Championship, and the Pan Pacific Championship.  

Competitive Profile
Weight Division: Peso Leve (76.00 kg / 168.0 lbs) & Peso Pena  

Favorite Position: Open Guard (exceptional armbar and triangle setups)  

Team Association: Alliance Porto Alegre  

Main Achievements
1st Place — IBJJF World Master Championship (2025 Master 1)  

1st Place — IBJJF European Championship (2025 Master 1)  

1st Place — IBJJF Pan Pacific Championship (2025 Adult / 2022)  

1st Place — IBJJF South American Championship (2018)  

1st Place — IBJJF Sydney Open (2023 Weight & Absolute)

3rd Place — IBJJF World Championship (2021 / 2023)  

3rd Place — AJP Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, Sydney (2023)  

2nd Place — AJP South America Continental Pro (2021)  

1st Place — CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2018 Brown Belt)  

1st Place — UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2016 / 2017 Brown Belt)