Denilson Pimenta: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!

By Benjamin Strusnik, December 10, 2021

Who is Denilson Pimenta?

Denilson de Carvalho Pimenta is a 4th-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the esteemed master Julio Ceasar Pereira who has competed regularly as a member of the Grappling Fight Team, known as GF Team. He is considered by many to be one of the best featherweight competitors of all time, and has a stack of gold medals in IBJJF and Pan American competition to back up that claim.

Who is Denilson Pimenta?

Effective Closed Guard Combinations: Sweeps & Submissions by Denilson Pimenta

Pimenta was born in the impoverished favelas of Rio de Janeiro in 1980. He began his career with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1991, at the age of 11, as a way to fill some spare time and keep his focus positive. He and his family wanted the young Denilson to avoid the common trap of the favelas, and avoid being either a victim or a criminal.

After ten years of hard training with some of the best instructors on the planet, Denilson was finally awarded his black belt from Pereira in 2001. After it’s creation in 2007, Pimenta left his current affiliation with Universidade Gama Filho (UGF) and continued to compete and train with the newly-minted GF Team. Eventually, the vicious competitor would add teaching to his resume as he shared his love of the sport with a new generation.

Several years after achieving black belt, Pimenta went on a run that was, by comparison to many athletes, rather late in life. His prime competition years stretched from From age 28 in 2008 until his present age of 41 in 2021, where he sought out and defeated the toughest masters-level competitors from around the world to win a pile of titles.

Today, he continues to compete in IBJJF and Pan Championships at the masters level, but also in exhibition matches through promotions like Seth Daniels’ Fight 2 Win Pro. Pimenta is also a Jiu-Jitsu instructor in Florida, at Orlando BJJ, where he shares co-head duties with another black belt, Fabio Caram.

The Effective Closed Guard Sweeps by Marcos Tinoco

How Old is Denilson Pimenta?

Denilson Pimenta is 41 years old as of November 2021.

Denilson Pimenta Family

Details about Pimenta’s family have not been made public.

How Much is Denilson Pimenta Worth?

Denilson Pimenta’s net worth has not been estimated at this time.

How Tall is Denilson Pimenta?

Pimenta’s exact height is not published. As a featherweight fighter, he is likely shorter than average.

How Much Does Denilson Pimenta Weigh?

Denilson Pimenta weighs around 150 pounds. He has competed at many weights from bantamweight to featherweight. The limit for bantamweight competitors is 135 pounds, or 61 kg, and about 154 pounds, or 70 kg, for a featherweight fighter.

Denilson Pimenta Fight List

Denilson Pimenta has competed at the highest levels for nearly two decades now. He is considered one of the best featherweights of all time, and he has too many matches to list here. His incredibly impressive resume as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player is below:

2020 IBJJF World Master Champion
2020 IBJJF Pan Master Champion
2019 Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Champion
2018 Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Champion
2017 IBJJF Brazilian National Champion
2016 IBJJF World Master Champion
2016 IBJJF Brazilian National Champion
2015 IBJJF World Master Champion
2014 IBJJF World Master Champion
2013 IBJJF World Master Champion
2009 IBJJF Rio Open Champion
2009 IBJJF Brazilian National - Bronze
2009 IBJJF European Champion
2009 Jiu-Jitsu World Cup - Bronze
2008 IBJJF World No-Gi - Silver

Denilson Pimenta's Best Fight of All Time

On his way to claiming the 2020 World Masters title in his featherweight black-belt master 2 division, Pimenta was matched up with Power MMA’s Javier Torres for the eliminator match. Denilson dominated early, taking top position and playing a smothering game before attempting a belly down armbar in transition. Although Torres moved to block the finish, he was still forced to tap. This cleared the way for Pimenta to take the gold.

Who Did Denilson Pimenta Lose To?

At the 2010 IBJJF World Championship, Pimenta made waves in the early rounds, easily fighting his way to the semifinals of the Adult black-belt featherweight division. There, he faced another master of the sport in Rafael Mendes, of Atos BJJ. The match was fairly long, with Denilson giving up his back about 6 minutes in. Soon after, Mendes was able to secure a collar choke from the back for a trip to the finals.

Denilson Pimenta Record

Pimenta began Jiu-Jitsu in 1991, long before the internet kept crystal-clear records. As such, his overall record as a grappler has not been compiled. He is a verified, multiple-time world champion.

Denilson Pimenta Injuries

Pimenta has not been public with any details about major injuries.

Is Denilson Pimenta Retired?

Denilson Pimenta is far from retired, and still actively competes in major Jiu-Jitsu tournaments around the world. Most recently, he competed in the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships in September of 2021 against Jadyson Andre da Costa.

Pimenta is also an prolific instructor, having worked with some of the very best BJJ players around through his work on GF Team. He’s taken some time recently to coordinate with BJJ Fanatics in order to release his series on guard work, “Effective Closed Guard Combinations: Sweeps & Submissions”. In it, you’ll find all sorts of tiny details to boost your bottom game from one of the most respected featherweights of our time.

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