# Gianni Grippo

> Marcelo Garcia black belt, Alliance-Marcelo Garcia standout, and three-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion known for berimbolos, leg drags, and back attacks.

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- **Last updated:** 2026-07-18

## Identity

- **Name:** Gianni Grippo
- **Full name:** Gianni Paul Grippo
- **Belt:** black belt
- **Team:** Bodega Jiu-Jitsu / Alliance
- **Nationality:** United States
- **Born:** 1992-03-21
- **Birthplace:** New York, United States
- **Weight class:** Featherweight / Lightweight (66-70 kg; IBJJF pena / leve)
- **Height:** 5'9" (175 cm)

## Biography

Gianni Paul Grippo was born on March 21, 1992, and grew up in the New York area in a family that valued competitive sport. Before Brazilian jiu-jitsu became his focus, he was an accomplished junior swimmer who qualified for the Junior Olympics three straight years and made his high-school varsity team as a freshman; he also boxed as an amateur. His father introduced him to Renzo Gracie Academy in Manhattan, where his first class was led by Magno Gama, and the family began commuting daily so he could train in the strongest room available.

A 2004 trip to Brazil for the IBJJF World Championship helped turn jiu-jitsu from a hobby into a career goal after Grippo watched Ronaldo Souza defeat Roger Gracie in the absolute final. Competing under Renzo Gracie Academy, he became one of the defining American members of the early-2010s Berimbolo Generation, winning IBJJF world titles at blue, purple, and brown belt. By brown belt he had already built the open-guard, De La Riva/reverse De La Riva, berimbolo, leg-drag, and back-attack system that would follow him into elite black-belt competition.

In March 2012 Grippo moved from Renzo Gracie Academy to Marcelo Garcia Academy, part of the Alliance network. The move was controversial at the time because it was announced publicly before some RGA teammates knew about it, but competitively it became the central partnership of his career. Marcelo Garcia awarded him his black belt on October 1, 2013, and within months Grippo won the 2014 IBJJF Pan Championship as a new black belt. BJJ Heroes and FloGrappling continue to describe him through that Alliance-Marcelo Garcia lineage, while recent IBJJF and ONE Championship listings record him representing Bodega Jiu-Jitsu.

Grippo's black-belt resume spans the gi, no-gi, and professional superfight circuits. He won IBJJF Pan titles in the gi, five Pan No-Gi titles by the Wikipedia event tables, Kasai Pro 4, FIVE Super-League, and multiple Abu Dhabi Pro events. His No-Gi Worlds peak came with IBJJF black-belt gold in 2018, 2021, and 2022, making him one of the most decorated American lighter-weight competitors of his era. FloGrappling's match database also captures his frequent Miami activity, including the 2021 IBJJF Miami and Miami No-Gi Opens, and his 2025 WNO 29 appearance in Miami.

In recent seasons Grippo has stayed active across ONE Championship, WNO, Polaris, UFC BJJ, IBJJF, and ADCC qualifiers. ONE introduced him to its featherweight submission grappling division in 2025 against Gabriel Sousa and lists Bodega Jiu-Jitsu as his team. IBJJF records show continued podium form, including World No-Gi silver medals in 2023, 2024, and 2025 and a 2025 Jiu-Jitsu CON No-Gi title. Beyond competition, he is known as a precise technician and instructor, with a game built around guard entries, leg drags, back exposure, and chokes from the back rather than pure athletic scrambles.

## Lineage

Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Fabio Gurgel > Marcelo Garcia > Gianni Grippo

## Instructors

- Marcelo Garcia
- Magno Gama
- John Danaher

## Signature techniques / game

- Berimbolo
- De La Riva guard
- Reverse De La Riva guard
- Leg drag guard pass
- Back takes
- Chokes from the back
- Rear naked choke
- Katagatame / arm-triangle

## Major achievements

- 3x IBJJF World No-Gi Champion - black belt (2018, 2021, 2022)
- 5x IBJJF Pan No-Gi Champion - black belt (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, per Wikipedia event tables)
- 3x IBJJF Pan Champion - black belt gi (2014, 2015, 2018)
- 1st Place Kasai Pro 4 Grand Prix (2018)
- 1st Place FIVE Super-League (2017)
- 1st Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2015, 2017)
- 2nd Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2023, 2024, 2025)
- 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship - black belt gi (2017)
- 2nd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2018)
- ONE Championship submission grappler (debuted at ONE Fight Night 28 in 2025)
- IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu CON No-Gi Champion (2025)

## Colored belt highlights

- 1st Place IBJJF World Championship - brown belt (2012, 2013)
- 1st Place IBJJF World Championship - purple belt (2011)
- 1st Place IBJJF World Championship - blue belt (2009)
- 1st Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship - purple belt (2011)
- 1st Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship - blue belt (2007)
- 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship - brown belt (2012)
- 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship - purple belt (2011)
- 1st Place IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship - brown belt (2012, 2013)

## Official / social links

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giannigrippo/

## Sources

- [BJJ Heroes - Gianni Grippo](https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/gianni-grippo)
- [FloGrappling - Gianni Grippo](https://www.flograppling.com/people/5950222-gianni-grippo)
- [ONE Championship - Gianni Grippo](https://www.onefc.com/athletes/gianni-grippo/)
- [ONE Championship - 5 Things To Know About Gianni Grippo](https://www.onefc.com/features/5-things-to-know-about-ones-newest-submission-grappling-ace-gianni-grippo/)
- [IBJJF - Gianni Grippo athlete results](https://ibjjf.com/athletes/gianni-grippo)
- [Wikipedia - World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_IBJJF_Jiu-Jitsu_No-Gi_Championship)
- [Wikipedia - Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_IBJJF_Jiu-Jitsu_No-Gi_Championship)
- [Instagram - Gianni Grippo](https://www.instagram.com/giannigrippo/)

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