Bruno Pucci is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and MMA fighter from Curitiba Brazil. He is a 2 x IBJJF No Gi world champion at purple belt and was awarded his black belt at 22 years old by professor Sebastian Lalli. Pucci is a regular fighter in ONE championship MMA alongside his family, including his wife Angela Lee and his brother in law Christian Lee. To complete the family tree, he is also trained by his father in law Ken Lee, who he credits significantly tightening up both his wrestling and BJJ in an MMA setting.
Pucci began training BJJ when he was 14 years old. He mentions as a child he had growth problems and was a lot shorter than other children of the same age. He had hormone replacement therapy to help with his growth. Due to the HRT he became overweight and was recommended to excercise and learn sports. He claims that he accidently found a BJJ gym one day after following his dad to work and hasn’t stopped training since.
The grapplers who have had the most influence on his style are Leo Vieira, Lucas Leite & Demian Maia. When training BJJ, Pucci likes half guard and prefers any sweep which can take him to the opponents back. This is because his favorite submission is the rear naked choke. His toughest ever opponent in BJJ is Paulo Miyao, which is a name we see quite often when asking this question. He currently trains out of his own gym United BJJ Hawaii and mentions that they will soon be on the competition scene.
Due to his full time MMA career, Pucci has not competed in BJJ competitions for a long time. It is MMA which has caused his worst injuries, which are 2 x orbital floor fractures. For those unaware, this is a fractured eye socket which is extremely painful. As he is now settled in Hawaii with his own gym, he does plan on returning to the BJJ competition scene in the near future.
Q & A
What is it like being in a BJJ/MMA power couple [with Angela Lee]? Do you have converations about BJJ or MMA all day, or does this stop when you’re at home?
“It’s great because we understand each other better! During hard training camps, exhausting days and very strict diets. We know what our other half is going through so it’s easier to support and appreciate [each other]. At home we are a normal couple. We lose to eat and watch movies, but of course the “martial arts” theme always comes up to the table and we give feedback to each other, plan classes together or talk technique. I guess it’s just our normal!
Is there a main reason why you switched from BJJ to MMA?
“I always liked to watch MMA (Vale-Tudo back in the day) and had in my mind that I’d at least try it once, to be a real BJJ fighter back to it’s roots. In the end my journey as a BJJ competitor led me to the biggest MMA gym in Asia (Evolve MMA). So the MMA path was in front of me to be followed – and I took that chance.
There are a few No-Gi specialists we see are switching from BJJ to MMA such as Ryan Hall & Garry Tonon, do you expect this trend to continue?
“Definitely, as I said I think MMA is inside BJJ roots. How many guys did you hear that started to train BJJ because of watching Royce Gracie compete in the UFC? And now MMA is at it’s peak, being accepted worldwide, big media companies behind it and doing well financially. SO i think we are going to see a lot of these transitions.”
Lastly, how did you end up at ONE in Singapore? I understand you’re living in Hawaii right now. Which is your favorite place to live so far?
“They needed a BJJ instructor who also had some MMA experience [in Singapore]. My good friend Ricardo “pantcho” Feliciano was teaching at Team Quest at the time and introduced me to Heath Sims who was Evolve MMA’s head coach. From there I did an interview and they hired me. When I was in Singapore I met Mr Chatri Sityoditong (ONE Championship CEO) and he gave the the opportunity to fight for the organization.“
“Singapore is amazing, uniquely clean and organized. It is really developed and has an incredible cosmopolitan culture. I learned a lot over there and I love the Lion City. As for Hawaii, it’s paradise, beautiful and you can’t deny the Aloha spirit over here. People are just so nice! The laid back vibes reminds me of home and so I love living here!
You can find Bruno here:
Gym Website: www.unitedbjjhawaii.com
Gym Instagram: www.instagram.com/unitedbjjhawaii
Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/bpucci
