Lucas Araújo is a black-belt who remains active in competitions. Image: @lucianaalvesfotografia
Lucas Araújo’s path in Jiu-Jitsu follows an interesting trajectory. His first contact with the sport happened in 2000, when his uncle, who at the time was a purple-belt, introduced him to the martial art. The intention was to teach him and his brother self-defense techniques and, at the same time, to start practicing physical activities. During this period, Jiu-Jitsu was a reality in Lucas’s life from the age of 10 to 12, until he had to take a break from the activity to focus on his studies. It was at the age of 16 that he got involved with sports again, but it wasn’t Jiu-Jitsu that made him develop a taste for the competitive side of that.
“As a competitor, I started Muay Thai when I was 16 years old and that’s when some friends of mine invited me to visit where they trained. Since I was already a fan of fighting, I loved it all and started practicing. After that first year of practicing, I entered Muay Thai championships and achieved good results. I was the local champion a few times and the Rudel Cup champion, at a national level. In the midst of all this, the UFC was in full swing. Brazilian athletes dominated the MMA scene worldwide and so I decided to return to Jiu-Jitsu, thinking about moving on to a career in MMA, which was all the rage at the time. Right when I entered my first Jiu-Jitsu championship, at the age of 17, at the Iate Clube Jardim Guanabara, I had 5 fights, was champion and fell in love with that atmosphere. Since then, I’ve never stopped.”.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, in the Ilha do Governador neighborhood, Lucas Araújo, now a black-belt, joined the Alliance team at the age of 21, in 2011, when he was introduced to the Alliance Institute at the invitation of Alexandre Paiva. It was at this space, located in Leblon, that Lucas earned his black-belt. Competing in the masters class, Lucas achieved admirable feats as a competitor.
“Today I am a two-time world champion, two-time Pans champion and first in the No Gi rankings. I believe that this way I can contribute to keeping our flag always at the top of the championships, but that’s not all. I can also contribute to keeping our methodology and our culture alive and strong in all of our students and athletes of the new generation of Alliance.”.
Lucas Araújo with the gold medal won at the IBJJF No Gi Worlds Image: @lucasaraujobjj
Today, Lucas has a strong presence at Alliance, Fábio Gurgel’s team. Early on, when he came into contact with the mindset of the leaders and the methodology applied within the academy, Lucas realized that Jiu-Jitsu could be much more than a passion.
“In 2011, as soon as I arrived at the Leblon academy, I realized that Jiu-Jitsu was treated differently there, as a business. Athletes had sponsors, private lessons, professors and athletes traveling the world to teach the sport. So, this was the best school I could have had at that important moment in my journey. Jiu-Jitsu gave me the opportunity to live a purpose, because I believe it is a tool for transforming people’s lives. I continue to spread this wherever I go.”.
With the opportunities that arose along the way, Lucas left Brazil and settled permanently in the United States. According to him, the faster development of the sport in the United States makes it possible to plan a career from an early age, even in childhood.
“In America, there are more resources than in Brazil, which allows for better improvement as an athlete. The academies are structurally better and you have more access to high-performance supplements. Nowadays, even young athletes start with sponsorships from an early age. This provides more security in financial planning and allows the athlete to focus 100% on training. All of this happened here because of the value that Jiu-Jitsu provides to American families. Here, they quickly recognized these values and invest so that their children can grow within the sport.”.