Lucas Pinheiro is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who hails from Manaus, Amazon, Brazil. He began training at the age of 9 and states “My mother signed me up because I was too troublesome. I used to fight on the street with the other kids and had a lot of energy…so she thought it would help me.” Like many, it seems his entry into martial arts was based on giving him discipline and staying out of trouble. This may be the reason for his nickname, as he is often referred to as the ‘bad boy’. After training for 12 years, Pinheiro received his black belt in the art under Carlos Holanda but since moved to the West coast of America to continue his training with the legendary Andre Galvao at the ATOS HQ. Since then he has achieved his first degree on his black belt.
When asked about his game, he said that his favorite positions were de la riva and lasso guard. From here, his main sweep is using the lapel control combined with a de la riva hook. Even though he enjoys playing the lasso position, don’t be mistaken – Pinheiro has also won various competitions in no gi over the years as well. Whilst passing, his best pass is the knee cut and he also lists the brabo as his favorite submission.
An avid competitor, Pinheiro is a regular at the rooster and light-featherweight divisions and weighs roughly 56KG. When competing, he lists Bruno Malfacine as his toughest ever opponent and claims that winning the Pan Ams as a black belt as his biggest achievement.
When asked about his future goals, he said to “Compete as much as I can, thank you”. You can find more about him here and check out his Pressure Passing Mastery instructional too.
