Wendell Alexander

Wendell Alexander (born 1966 in Maranhão, Brazil), often affectionately called “Del,” is a monumental but frequently unsung figure in the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is best known as the co-founder of Nova União, one of the most successful and dominant fight camps in both BJJ and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) history. Over his multi-decade career, Alexander has coached and produced some of the sport’s greatest competitors, including Leonardo Santos, Rodrigo “Feijão,” and Bruno Bastos.

Early Life & A Deathbed Promise
Alexander’s martial arts path began at the exceptionally young age of four. He was heavily encouraged by his aunt, “Bartira,” who wanted a positive channel for the young boy’s energy and personally walked him to his Jiu-Jitsu classes. Tragically, Bartira passed away when Wendell was just 11 years old. On her deathbed, she left him with a defining message: “Never give in, and hold the name of our team high.” These words became the emotional cornerstone of his entire career.

Wendell’s early technical development was molded by his first instructor, Master Geraldo Flores, who guided him from white belt all the way through purple belt. When Flores relocated his academy to another town, making the commute impossible, Alexander transitioned to a gym run by Sebastião Ricardo directly across from his house. Under Ricardo, he earned his brown belt and was ultimately awarded his black belt in 1986 at the age of 20.

The Fadda Lineage & Navigating Politics
Alexander is part of the non-Gracie lineage, tracing back through Master Oswaldo Fadda. Coming from this specific background, his training heavily emphasized footlocks—a subsystem of grappling that was heavily frowned upon and dismissed as a “suburbia trend” by the traditional academies in the south of Rio de Janeiro.

At one point, the sport’s federation even banned footlocks from competition to curb their popularity. To adapt to these political and technical shifts, Alexander spent hours staring at tapes of black belt championships, meticulously dissecting the movements of his rivals and adapting them to his own body frame.

Moving to Campos & Forming a “New Union”
Shortly after awarding him his black belt, Sebastião Ricardo asked Alexander to take over the gym. Ricardo vanished shortly thereafter, never to be seen again. After leading the gym for a few years, Alexander accepted an offer to move to Campos dos Goytacazes, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, to teach. There, he built an exceptionally formidable junior competitive program.

During this time, he crossed paths with André Pederneiras. Both coaches possessed powerhouse junior squads, but independently, they struggled to match the sheer numbers and political might of powerhouse academies like Gracie Barra and Carlson Gracie. Realizing they were stronger together, they joined forces for a tournament under Pederneiras’s name and took 3rd place. In the next tournament, they registered under Alexander’s name and took 2nd. Recognizing their immediate synergy, they officially merged their teams for good, naming the coalition Nova União (“New Union”).

The 1999 World Championship Controversy
While known for his calm, family-oriented, and structured approach to martial arts, Alexander made international headlines for a rare emotional outburst at the 1999 IBJJF World Championships (Mundiais).

His student and surrogate son, Leonardo Santos, was facing BJJ icon Royler Gracie in the semifinals. Believing Santos had been blatantly robbed of a clear sweep victory by a referee who instead awarded an unearned advantage to Gracie, a devastated Alexander stormed the mat area shouting and crying. Though he was fined and suspended by the CBJJ for the incident, he famously stated he never regretted standing up for his student.

Legacy
While Alexander admits he “got lazy” regarding his own competitive career as an adult—preferring to focus on teaching as soon as he received his black belt—he did capture a Pan American Championship title in 1996. Following Pederneiras’s shift toward managing Nova União’s massive expansion into professional MMA, Alexander stepped up to oversee the traditional, gi-focused side of the academy, while consistently remaining heavily involved in local charity work to give back to his community.

Fighter & Coach Profile
Full Name: Wendell Alexander

Nickname: “Del”

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Luiz França > Oswaldo Fadda > Sebastião Ricardo > Wendell Alexander

Weight Division: Peso Leve (Lightweight – 76kg / 167.5 lbs)

Team Association: Nova União

Main Competitive Achievement:
🥇 1st Place IBJJF Pan American Champion (1996)