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Celso Vinicius His Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!

By Benjamin Strusnik, March 16, 2022

Who is Celso Vinicius?

Celso Vinicius Alves Pinho Junior, more commonly known as “Celsinho”, is a three-time IBJJF Black Belt World Champion and professional mixed martial arts fighter. He has also claimed bronze medals at the World Championships and multiple golds at the Pan American games. He continued to surprise in late 2010, when he made the switch to professional MMA where he retired with a solid 5-1 record.

Who is Celso Vinicius?

The Effective Pressure Passing System by Celso Venicius

Vinicius was born in the early 1980s in the epicenter of Jiu Jitsu’s modern development, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s a story we’ve heard many times before: a young Brazilian is inspired by the noble pursuits of fighters and, by geographical luck, starts training with some of the absolute best practitioners in the world.

At only fifteen years old, in 1998, he witnessed a grappler controlling an entire MMA fight on the ground with what looked to a young Vinicius as technicality and skill rather than brute force. As a smaller athlete, the idea of being able to control larger opponents appealed to him and he sought out a place to begin his training.

As a natural athlete, Celso Vinicius took to the sport extremely quickly. BJJ is, obviously, very popular in Brazil and after just two years his skills were already garnering attention. The Brazilian news outlets picked up stories about a young star named Celsinho, “Little Celso”, who was already making himself known in the expert division with adults before turning 17. His rise to prominence is comparable to the fast-fame of the young Ruotolo brothers in today’s BJJ circuit.

The tournament that caught the media’s attention saw Vinicius face off against a local powerhouse named Thiago Fernandes from the well-respected and still active Nova Uniao organization. Although Vinicius was only 17 at the time, he managed to string the match out for twenty minutes before it was declared a draw and both competitors were awarded first place for their efforts.

As time wore on, Celsinho became more and more deadly. Only six years after he started training, in 2004, Vinicius won his first IBJJF World Championship title at the mundials as a brown belt. As a reward, he received both a gold medal and a black belt from his teacher and mentor, Roberto Correa.

Although six years may seem fast for a promotion to black belt, it’s been done before by other talented competitors. If there were any doubts about the legitimacy of Celsinho’s belt, he put them to rest by showing back up to the IBJJF world championships as a black belt for the next four years. He left with gold three times, proving to all that his skills and training are world class.

When the legendary Ryan Gracie died in 2009, the four-time world champ was given the opportunity to step up and take over head coaching duties for one of the largest and most successful Jiu Jitsu organizations around. Celso had already been in talks to join the team as an assistant coach prior to Gracie’s death, but was propelled into a challenging and rewarding position by the tragedy.

It was here in Sao Paulo, the location of Ryan Gracie’s headquarters, that Vinicius began to focus himself on mixed martial arts. After some time training as an amateur, he took his first professional MMA fight in December of 2010. Ironically, his first opponent tapped to strikes instead of a submission hold to give Celso his first professional victory.

He would continue to fight MMA while also competing in grappling tournaments until his last mixed martial arts fight in 2015. He was active in grappling tournaments at the international level through 2019 and will likely continue to compete post-pandemic.

The Effective Half Guard Manual by Celso Venicius

How Old is Celso Vinicius?

Celso Vinicius was born on December 27th of 1983 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is 38 years old as of 2022.

Celso Vinicius Family

Not much has been published about Celso Vinicius’ family. He maintains a private life, preferring to focus on the sport when interviewed.

How Much is Celso Vinicius Worth?

Celso Vinicius’s net worth is not public information. He earns a living as the head coach of one of Brazil’s largest Jiu Jitsu organizations.

How Tall is Celso Vinicius?

As is often the case with grapplers, who record only their weight for competition, Celso Vinicius’s height is not published.

How Much Does Celso Vinicius Weigh?

Celso Vinicius competed as a grappler most often as a lightweight at 168 pounds, or about 76 kg. When he began his MMA career around 2010, he started cutting weight to make lightweight in the octagon, which has a significantly lighter limit of 155 pounds, or about 70 kg.

Celso Vinicius Fight List

As a grappler, Celso Vinicius has had far too many bouts to list them all here. To get an idea of his prowess on the mat, we can take a look at some of his proudest accomplishments as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

2005 IBJJF World Championship - Gold
2006 IBJJF World Championship - Gold

2007 IBJJF World Championship - Bronze

2008 IBJJF World Championship - Gold

2008 IBJJF Pan American Championship - Gold

2008 IBJJF Pan American Championship -Gold
2009 IBJJF South American Championship - Gold
2011 Ultimate Absolute NYC 2 - Gold

Celso Vinicius's Best Fight of All Time

For a fighter like Celso Vinicius, it’s hard to pin down one amazing moment in a career full of highlights. If we had to pick out one bright spot for Vinicius, it would be his flawless run at the 2008 IBJJF World Championships.

Celsinho stomped his way through the first two rounds with a combined score of 35-0 against his opponents. As he entered the third round of the tournament, Vinicius continued to dominate, defeating his third opponent in the quarterfinals easily via triangle armbar.

The semifinals pitted Vinicius against another competitor who was on a wild run that day in Michael Langhi. For the first time in the tournament, Celso was pushed to his limit and had to play a slower paced game. In the end, he managed to edge out a narrow victory by points, setting up his match in the finals.

After a successful 4-0 run that day, Vinicius stood across from another well-known competitor, Lucas Lepri. The two had met in previous matches but each one had been cautiously fought and resulted in low scores. This day was no different: Vinicius was able to hang on to a narrow 2-0 lead and win his third IBJJF World Champion title in four years.

Who Did Celso Vinicius Lose To?

Any grappler is going to have several losses on their record, as undefeated records are basically unheard of. Celsinho has an 0-2 rivalry going with one of the sport's very best athletes, Vagner Rocha.

The two first met in Florida under the KASAI banner, where they faced off at 77 kg. The match was not slow moving but it was low scoring, with Rocha managing to edge out a 4-2 win by points over the frustrated Vinicius.

Celso would have his chance for revenge later that year in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) tournament. Again, the two weighed in at 77 kg and this time things were more evenly matched than before. With neither athlete scoring a point, the match ended in a referee’s decision that put Rocha up 2-0 against Vinicius. No doubt this rivalry has provided motivation for Vinicius as he continues to pursue gold.

Celso Vinicius Record

Celso Vinicius has an overall professional grappling record of 57-26. Notably, he has only been submitted twice as a professional grappler.

As an MMA Fighter, Celso Vinicius’s record is also very impressive. He boasts a 5-1 mark fighting for some professional Brazilian organizations, including Thunder Fight, Moema Fight, and Talent MMA.

Celso Vinicius Injuries

Although grappling injuries are quite normal, Celso Vinicius has not been public with any major problems that have cost him time on the mat.

Is Celso Vinicius Retired?

Celso Vinicius is certainly retired from MMA, having fought his last fight in the middle part of 2015 almost seven years ago. When it comes to grappling, however, it’s likely that Celso will be competing for many years to come. Even when he’s done terrorizing the adult divisions, the safe bet is that Vinicius will find his way to the Master’s circuit as well.

In addition to his work as a coach and professional grappler, Celso Vinicius also works hard to translate his considerable grappling skill into video format so that others can benefit from the time he’s spent learning the art. Check out either one of his excellent products, “The Effective Pressure Passing System” and “The Effective Half Guard Manual” which are available on BJJ Fanatics now. Inside, you’ll find small details from a technical-minded world champion who has tested these systems in battle and broken them down into easy-to-understand passes and setups.

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