Marcelo Fausto de Abreu Montanagna, commonly known as Marcelo Fausto, is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Thiago Abreu (Baiano), who was developed in The House FC in São Paulo, Brazil, an affiliate of Team Checkmat that is widely recognized as one of the utmost grappling academies in the jiu-jitsu world. Marcelo made a name for himself as a big player in the BJJ world during his colored belt career, a status he cemented in his first year competing in the pro-division (black belt) with wins over big names such as Ashley Williams, AJ Agazarm, and Igor Feliz.

Full Name: Marcelo Fausto de Abreu Montanagna

Nickname: Often referred to as “Faustinho”, an amicable way of saying the family name Fausto in Portuguese jargon.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Élcio Figueiredo > Rodrigo Cavaca > Thiago Abreu > Marcelo Fausto

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place ADCJJ World Championship (2021)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Open (2022)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2018 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2018 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2019 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2019 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pans Championship (2019 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF South American Championship (2018 purple)

Main Achievements (Juvenile):

• 1st Place IBJJF Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2017)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2017)

Favorite Position/Technique: Botinha (Collar-Grip Straight Ankle Lock)

Weight Division: Peso Leve (76,00 kg / 168.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Checkmat

Marcelo Fausto Biography

Marcelo Fausto was born on November 20, 2000, in São Vicente, on the coastal line of the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

An active and sporty kid growing up, Marcelo was first introduced to martial arts through judo, a sport his father admired greatly and practiced diligently. Despite his dad’s love for the Japanese art of throwing, Fasto did not share the sentiment, and instead would often cause trouble in class. So much so that he abandoned the sport shortly after starting, making two more (unsuccessful) returns at the age of 7, and 9.

The gym where Marcelo Fausto practiced judo also ran a jiu-jitsu kids program, which started every day just after judo practice. Fausto would often interact with the BJJ children in between classes and eventually decided to try his luck on the BJJ mats.

Starting out jiu-jitsu around the age of 10-to-11 years old at the local Checkmat BJJ team affiliate (led by coach “Tio Chico”) Marcelo quickly discovered he was more in tune with the scrappiness and freedom of movement allowed on the BJJ mats opposed to the more rigid system taught in judo. Characteristics that led the São Vicente native to pursue jiu-jitsu more seriously than any other sport until then.

Guided by Tio Chico (Valdir Canuto), Fausto was promoted from white to orange belt. After that, for convenience/location purposes, Marcelo joined his cousin Marcel Ribeiro at another Checkmat affiliate where he was promoted to blue belt.

As a blue belt, Marcelo started studying in the neighboring city of Santos and, as a consequence, he joined The House – one of the sport’s most revered academies where many of Checkmat’s main stars spawned from. While at The House, Fausto trained under the guidance of Thiago Abreu and Gabriel Rollo.

It was also while training at The House that Marcelo started taking jiu-jitsu more seriously, making his first attempts at training and competing under a full-time regime – despite his parents’ vehement opposition at the start. During this process, juvenile Marcelo Fausto would often compete in the adult division (when there was prize money) and win. It was also then that he made his first trip to the IBJJF World Championships in 2017, suffering a disappointing loss in the second round of the tournament. Unhappy with his performance, Marcelo came back for more the following year and was able to conquer a gold medal, submitting 6 out of his 7 opponents.

This gradual growth of Marcelo Fausto’s career saw him earn promotions all the way up to black belt by The House head coach, Thiago Abreu. His black belt promotion taking place on February 26, 2021.