Nicholas Meregali

Nicholas de Barcellos Meregali was born on May 27, 1994, in Santo Antônio in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He started jiu-jitsu at 16 after watching his younger brother train, joining ACJJ in Santo Antônio da Patrulha under Jeferson Adan. His early promise was obvious at state level and then nationally: by blue belt he had won a CBJJ Brazilian Nationals title, and in September 2013 he relocated to Porto Alegre so he could train full-time with Mario Reis, one of southern Brazil’s most accomplished competitors and coaches.

Under Reis, while still maintaining a strong connection to Adan, Meregali became one of the dominant gi colored belts of his generation. He won major IBJJF and UAEJJF titles at purple and brown belt, including multiple double-gold runs at Worlds, Pans, Europeans, Brasileiro, and Abu Dhabi Pro. Reis and Adan promoted him to black belt in December 2016, after a colored-belt campaign that BJJ Heroes and later Wikipedia describe as among the strongest of the era.

Meregali’s black-belt impact was immediate. At the 2017 IBJJF World Championship, in his rookie black-belt season, he won super-heavyweight gold by defeating Leandro Lo 2-0 in the final. He followed with Brasileiro gold in 2018, Brasileiro double gold in 2019, and a second IBJJF Worlds weight-class title in 2019. His game in the gi became known for lasso and De La Riva / de la X guard, omoplata threats, loop chokes, back takes, and an unusually high finishing rate for the heavier divisions.

The early 2020s brought a turbulent but pivotal reset. After leaving Alliance for Dream Art, Meregali’s 2021 World Championship ended in a disqualification after he gestured at a spectator during his ultra-heavyweight semifinal. In 2022 he rebounded at Worlds with absolute gold and super-heavyweight silver, then moved decisively into elite no-gi after connecting with Gordon Ryan and John Danaher during BJJ Fanatics filming. Training with New Wave, he made his no-gi debut at Who’s Number One, won by armbar, and at ADCC 2022 took bronze at −99 kg and silver in the absolute division.

Meregali’s 2023 season was one of the best of his career: FloGrappling named him Male Grappler of the Year after a perfect 14-0 year with 10 submissions, including IBJJF Pan double gold, the IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix, and high-profile no-gi wins over Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu, Kaynan Duarte, and Felipe Pena. In 2024 he submitted Vagner Rocha at WNO 23 but left ADCC 2024 after Michael Pixley submitted him in the −99 kg quarterfinals during a sequence that dislocated Meregali’s shoulder and required surgery. After a long layoff, he returned at UFC BJJ 5 in February 2026 and defeated Nicholas Maglicic by unanimous decision.