Vitor Oliveira is a veteran black belt who hails from the city of Teresópolis, located in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Oliveria originally started training BJJ in 1994 aged 8 years old, his entry into grappling is explained: “I started BJJ because, back in School the other kids used to bully me, so then my mom and dad decided that getting me into martial arts would help me learn how to protect myself.” Since then he’s come a long way, achieving his black belt aged 22 under Adilson Jorge de Lima, aka ‘Bita’. To this day he still sees Bita having a great influence on his game and style in BJJ.
In terms of positions, Oliveira plays De La Riva and half guard when on the bottom – and uses the John Wayne sweep or comes up to a single leg whilst in half guard. Once on top, he favours smash passes and focuses on the knee slice in particular due to the discomfort it causes opponents. After passing, Oliveira then opts for Guillotine chokes and armbars from the mount as his favourite submissions.
These days he can be found training GFTeam/Ronin Training Centre in Colombus, Ohio after joining the team back in 2009. Here he trains alongside Jake Mackenzie, Italo and his students who help him prepare for competitions. Whilst talking about competing he mentions his weight, adding “It depends which tournament I’m competing in. For the IBJJF Grand slam, I like to do Lightweight in Adult Division and Middle or Medium-heavy for masters. AJP Master I would do Lightweight”. His best competition achievements are Master Worlds 2019 and 2nd place in the Europeans, as well as Abu Dhabi and the London Grand Slam.
Now a masters competitor, he reflects on the difference between the adult and masters categories, claiming “Yes, in the adult division you have the young Bucks hungry coming after you non stop man, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them for 10 minutes haha. At Masters, it’s less time and most competitors do not train on the same level as adults unless these guys train in the major gyms.”
Similarly, he also acknowledges slowing down and says “Well, I already slowed down from competitions, most tournaments don’t pay enough and I don’t compete on it every month, so it’s not enough to pay the bills right?! So yes my main focus now is to grow my team and guide my students on the right path“. With this in mind he plans to compete less and focus on his gym in the future and has plans for expansion.
Looking at the gritty side of BJJ, Oliveira has also had his share of injuries and notes one from last year as a particularly bad one, claiming “I had a pretty big one which kept out for 6 months last year. I Tore 80% of my Latissimus dorsi tendon. Somehow I managed to recover a little and get back and compete at Masters Worlds.”. He also lists Otavio Souza and Calasans as his toughest opponents – stating their grips are almost impossible to break.
Away from competing, he has also taken to like America but also reflects on missing the food in his homeland, stating “I have been living in Columbus, Ohio since 2011. I definitely Prefer my Life in the US, here I can have the lifestyle that I didn’t have in Brazil, but yes I miss my family and friends back home and also the brigadeiro cake and all the delicious food”. This is a similar story to many of the Brazilians who now work and live away from their home country.
A humble character, Oliveira ends on a positive note and says “I would like to Thank you for taking the time to interview me. Also I would like to thank my sponsor Albino & Preto for always supporting me with the gear out there. Most importantly: Thanks to my whole family at Ronin Training Center. If anyone ever stops by Columbus Ohio, please don’t hesitate to stop by and get some rolls.” With that said, if ever you’re in the area you know where to train!
