Full Name
Diego Oliveira Batista
Nickname
“Pato” (Portuguese for “duck,” given by training partners due to his large feet relative to his body as a young athlete)
Date of Birth
October 2, 1998
Birthplace
Parintins, Amazonas, Brazil (later raised in Manaus)
Team / Academy
Art of Jiu-Jitsu (Costa Mesa, California), under Rafael and Guilherme Mendes. Previously represented Cicero Costha/PSLPB and, briefly, Dream Art; also trained extensively under Murilo Santana at Unity Jiu-Jitsu.
Belt
Black Belt (awarded June 2019 by Cicero Costha)
Belt Progression
Green belt under Arley Silva (2014); blue belt under Nabil Abdel Aziz (2016); moved to São Paulo to train under Cicero Costha, earning purple and brown belts before receiving his black belt from Costha in June 2019.
Weight Class
66 kg (Featherweight/Light-Featherweight)
Full Bio
Diego Oliveira was born in Parintins, in Brazil’s Amazonas state, and later moved to Manaus with his father as a child. Inspired by a cousin involved in MMA, he began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2012 at age 13, joining a community academy run by black belt Arley Silva. When that program folded after he reached green belt, Oliveira continued training at the Nabil JJ academy under Nabil Abdel Aziz, earning his blue belt at 16.
Seeking greater competitive opportunities, Oliveira traveled to Rio de Janeiro to compete at the IBJJF Rio Open, where he met coach Cicero Costha. Costha invited him to relocate to São Paulo and join his colored-belt program at Projeto Social Lutando Pelo Bem (PSLPB), providing housing, food, and training. Under Costha, Oliveira developed into one of the most feared light-featherweight competitors in the colored belts, winning multiple IBJJF World, Pan American, and Brazilian National titles before being promoted to black belt in June 2019.
Oliveira had a breakout 2021 season as a black belt, winning gold at the IBJJF gi and no-gi Pans as well as the gi and no-gi World Championships, establishing himself as one of the top pound-for-pound competitors in the sport. In early 2022 he left Cicero Costha to join the Dream Art team, while maintaining training ties to Unity Jiu-Jitsu under Murilo Santana. That year he competed at the ADCC World Championship, defeating Keith Krikorian, Kennedy Maciel, and Josh Cisneros to win bronze in the 66kg division, cornered by former Unity teammate Junny Ocasio.
Oliveira later joined Art of Jiu-Jitsu, the academy led by Rafael and Guilherme Mendes in Costa Mesa, California, joining a competitive roster that has included athletes such as Cole Abate, Tainan Dalpra, and Thalison Soares. He has continued to compete at a high level in both major grappling promotions and the IBJJF circuit, including an appearance in the WNO (Who’s Number One) series.
Achievements
- ADCC World Championship bronze medalist — 66kg division (2022)
- IBJJF World Champion — Gi and No-Gi (2021, black belt)
- IBJJF Pan American Champion — Gi and No-Gi (2021, black belt)
- Multiple IBJJF World, Pan, and Brazilian National titles (colored belts)
- ADCC South American Trials — runner-up (2022)
- IBJJF European Open — runner-up (2023)