# Vagner Rocha

> UFC veteran, Vagner Rocha Martial Arts founder, and four-time ADCC World Championship medalist.

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

## Identity

- **Name:** Vagner Rocha
- **Full name:** Vagner Rocha
- **Nickname:** Ceará
- **Belt:** black belt
- **Team:** Vagner Rocha Martial Arts
- **Nationality:** Brazil
- **Born:** 1982-06-06
- **Birthplace:** Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- **Weight class:** Middleweight / ADCC -77 kg and -88 kg
- **Height:** 5'11" (1.80 m)

## Biography

Vagner Rocha is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Pablo Popovitch, a former UFC mixed martial artist, and the founder of Vagner Rocha Martial Arts in South Florida. Born on June 6, 1982, in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, he moved with his family to Fort Lauderdale at age five. Martial arts entered his life through taekwondo at age seven, but jiu-jitsu became his path after a humbling holiday roll in Brazil with a cousin who had started training. Rocha finally joined the mats in 2001 under Jorge Popovitch, then balanced training with night school, construction work, and early family responsibilities before committing fully to grappling.

The Popovitch family shaped Rocha's technical foundation and rank progression. Jorge Popovitch and Pablo Popovitch awarded him his belts, including his black belt in December 2007, and Rocha later coached at the Popovitch academy before opening Vagner Rocha Martial Arts in 2011. BJJ Heroes lists his lineage as Carlos Gracie > Crolin Gracie > Jorge Popovitch > Pablo Popovitch > Vagner Rocha. Rocha has also been closely associated with Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu and the wider South Florida no-gi scene, including the Avengers training alliance that helped define a generation of Florida grapplers.

Rocha built an unusual dual resume: a professional MMA career that included Bellator, Strikeforce, and UFC appearances, plus a long elite no-gi run deep into his forties. In MMA he went 14-4, debuted in the UFC against Donald Cerrone in 2011, and submitted Cody McKenzie by rear naked choke at UFC Fight Night 25. In grappling he became known for punishing pace, collar ties, top pressure, arm entanglements, rear naked chokes, armbars, and the "50/50 of the arms" position noted by BJJ Heroes. His tournament record includes ADCC Trials wins, EBI Combat Jiu-Jitsu success, and IBJJF No-Gi Worlds silver at black belt.

His ADCC career is the centerpiece of his legacy. Rocha took bronze at -77 kg in 2017, silver at -77 kg in 2019, bronze at -88 kg in 2022, and silver again at -77 kg in 2024 after wins over Jeremy Skinner, Jonnatas Gracie, and Elijah Dorsey before losing the final to Mica Galvao. He also remained active in professional grappling with WNO, Fight 2 Win, UFC Fight Pass Invitational, Pit Submission Series, BJJ Stars, and CJI. In 2023 USADA announced a three-year IBJJF-related sanction after Rocha refused an out-of-competition sample collection tied to the 2022 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds testing program, so IBJJF results from that period should be read with that context. In January 2025 he publicly shared that he had been hospitalized with heart failure; by July 2025 he returned at WNO 29 in Miami and defeated Kit Dale by decision.

## Lineage

Carlos Gracie > Crolin Gracie > Jorge Popovitch > Pablo Popovitch > Vagner Rocha

## Instructors

- Pablo Popovitch
- Jorge Popovitch

## Signature techniques / game

- 50/50 of the arms
- Rear naked choke
- Armbar
- Short choke
- Triangle choke
- Inside heel hook
- Toe hold
- Heavy collar ties and top pressure

## Major achievements

- 2nd Place ADCC World Championship (-77 kg, 2019 / 2024)
- 3rd Place ADCC World Championship (-77 kg, 2017; -88 kg, 2022)
- 1st Place ADCC US East Trials (2010 / 2015)
- 1st Place ADCC US West Trials (2017)
- 1st Place ADCC Atlantic City Open (-91 kg, 2024)
- 1st Place EBI Combat Invitational / Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds Lightweight (2017)
- 2nd Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship — black belt (2021)
- 2nd Place 3CG Kumite III Grand Prix (2020)
- 2nd Place Eddie Bravo Invitational 11 and 13 (2017)
- WNO main-event win over Kit Dale by decision (2025)
- Professional MMA record: 14-4, including UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and Fight Time appearances

## Colored belt highlights

- 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2007, brown belt)

## Official / social links

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vagnerrochabjj/
- Website: https://vagnerrochamartialarts.com/

## Sources

- [BJJ Heroes — Vagner Rocha](https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/vagner-rocha)
- [FloGrappling — Vagner Rocha](https://www.flograppling.com/people/5950392-vagner-rocha/article)
- [Wikipedia — Vagner Rocha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagner_Rocha)
- [FloGrappling — 2024 ADCC Finals Results](https://www.flograppling.com/articles/12785567-2024-adcc-world-championship-finals-results)
- [USADA — Five Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes Accept Doping Sanctions](https://www.usada.org/sanction/five-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-athletes-accept-doping-sanctions/)
- [Instagram — Vagner Rocha](https://www.instagram.com/vagnerrochabjj/)
- [Vagner Rocha Martial Arts — Official site](https://vagnerrochamartialarts.com/)

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