# Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles

> Five-time IBJJF black-belt world champion, three-time ADCC champion, and the first jiu-jitsu Super Grand Slam winner.

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

## Identity

- **Name:** Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles
- **Full name:** Rubens Charles Maciel
- **Nickname:** Cobrinha
- **Belt:** black belt
- **Team:** Alliance / Cobrinha BJJ
- **Nationality:** Brazil
- **Born:** 1979-12-24
- **Birthplace:** Londrina, Parana, Brazil
- **Weight class:** Peso Pena / Featherweight (70 kg / 154.5 lbs); ADCC -66 kg
- **Height:** 5'4" (1.63 m)

## Biography

Rubens Charles Maciel, known worldwide as "Cobrinha" ("Little Snake"), was born on December 24, 1979, in Londrina, Parana, Brazil, and moved to Sao Carlos as a child. Before jiu-jitsu he spent roughly 14 years in capoeira, training with Grupo dos Jangadeiros under Mestre Antonio Zacaria and developing the agility and body control that later shaped his guard. The nickname came from that capoeira period, a reference to his flexibility and quickness rather than a jiu-jitsu persona invented later.

Cobrinha began Brazilian jiu-jitsu around 2000 as a 20- or 21-year-old, first training under Mauro Pacifico after being outclassed by a purple belt in one of his earliest classes. His competitive break came at a Sao Paulo state championship: after losing a final to a Fernando Terere student, he was invited to Sao Paulo to train with Terere's TT team. For months he lived inside the academy, trained multiple times a day, and took daily private lessons from Terere while sharing the room with athletes such as Eduardo Telles, Andre Galvao, Lucas Lepri, and Leandro Martins. Terere awarded him his black belt in 2005, roughly five years after he first stepped onto the mats.

After TT dissolved and Terere stepped away from the sport, Cobrinha followed Terere's advice and connected with the Alliance lineage around Fabio Gurgel and Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti. A 2007 seminar at Jacare's Atlanta academy turned into a teaching role at Alliance headquarters, where Cobrinha continued his competition run while becoming an influential instructor. He later opened Cobrinha BJJ in Los Angeles in 2011, remaining tied to Alliance while coaching elite grapplers and mixed martial artists, including his son Kennedy Maciel and MMA champions such as Fabricio Werdum.

Cobrinha's black-belt peak made him one of the defining featherweights in jiu-jitsu history. He won IBJJF World Championship gold at featherweight in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2017, added four IBJJF World No-Gi titles, and repeatedly medaled at Worlds across a decade in which his rivalry with Rafael Mendes helped drive the modern featherweight meta. His game mixed aggressive passing and relentless back takes with one of the era's most respected guards; BJJ Heroes lists De La Riva guard as his favorite technique and records more than half of his wins by submission, led by back chokes, armbars, rear naked chokes, and bow-and-arrow finishes.

No-gi cemented the second half of his legacy. After ADCC silver medals in 2009 and 2011, both against Rafael Mendes, Cobrinha won the -66 kg ADCC World Championship in 2013, 2015, and 2017. His 2017 season became historic: at age 37 he won the IBJJF Europeans, Pans, Brazilian Nationals, Worlds, and ADCC in the same calendar year, becoming the first athlete to complete what FloGrappling called the Super Grand Slam. He was part of the IBJJF Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 2014 and was announced as the tenth member of the ADCC Hall of Fame in January 2022.

## Lineage

Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti > Alexandre Paiva > Fernando "Terere" Augusto > Rubens Charles

## Instructors

- Fernando "Terere" Augusto
- Mauro Pacifico
- Fabio Gurgel
- Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti

## Signature techniques / game

- De La Riva guard
- Back takes and choke from the back
- Bow-and-arrow choke
- Rear naked choke
- Armbar
- Kimura trap
- Triangle choke
- Toe hold

## Major achievements

- First jiu-jitsu Super Grand Slam winner (2017) — IBJJF European, Pan, Brazilian Nationals, World + ADCC World Championship in one calendar year
- ADCC World Championship gold — -66 kg (2013, 2015, 2017)
- ADCC World Championship silver — -66 kg (2009, 2011)
- IBJJF World Championship gold — black belt featherweight (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017)
- IBJJF World Championship silver — black belt featherweight (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015)
- IBJJF World Championship bronze — black belt featherweight (2011, 2013, 2016)
- IBJJF World No-Gi Championship gold — black belt (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012)
- IBJJF Pan Championship gold — black belt featherweight (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2017)
- IBJJF European Open gold — black belt featherweight (2013, 2017)
- CBJJ Brazilian Nationals gold — black belt featherweight (2017)
- CBJJO World Cup champion (2005)
- IBJJF Hall of Fame inaugural class inductee (2014)
- ADCC Hall of Fame inductee (announced 2022)

## Colored belt highlights

- Reached a Sao Paulo state championship final under Mauro Pacifico before being invited to train with Fernando Terere's TT team
- Promoted from first BJJ class to black belt in roughly five years; black belt awarded by Fernando "Terere" Augusto in 2005
- Developed a capoeira base through roughly 14 years of training before committing fully to Brazilian jiu-jitsu

## Official / social links

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cobrinhacharles/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Cobrinhabjj
- Website: https://www.cobrinhabjj.com/
- BJJ Fanatics: https://bjjfanatics.com/blogs/fighters/rubens-cobrinha-charles

## Sources

- [BJJ Heroes — Rubens Charles Cobrinha](https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/rubens-charles-cobrinha-bjj-fighter-wiki)
- [Wikipedia — Rubens Charles Maciel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubens_Charles_Maciel)
- [FloGrappling — Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles](https://www.flograppling.com/people/5950143-rubens-cobrinha-charles)
- [FloGrappling — Cobrinha's Super Grand Slam run](https://www.flograppling.com/articles/6014645-watch-every-final-from-cobrinhas-impeccable-super-grand-slam-run)
- [Cobrinha BJJ — Instructors](https://www.cobrinhabjj.com/instructors)
- [Cobrinha BJJ — Who We Are](https://www.cobrinhabjj.com/new-page-1)
- [FloGrappling — IBJJF Hall of Fame inaugural class](https://www.flograppling.com/rankings/12004428-ibjjf-hall-of-fame/48766-the-ibjjf-hall-of-fame-inaugural-class-inducted-in-2014)
- [Jits Magazine — ADCC Hall of Fame induction](https://jitsmagazine.com/rubens-cobrinha-charles-becomes-tenth-inductee-in-adcc-hall-of-fame/)
- [Cobrinha BJJ — Official site photo source](https://www.cobrinhabjj.com/)

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