Vinícius Ferreira

Vinícius Ferreira Gazola is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Michael Langhi and Fabio Gurgel. Vinicius is most commonly known as “Trator” -- a Portuguese word that means “tractor.” The nickname was given to Ferreira when he joined the Alliance BJJ team in Sao Paulo, Brazil after one of his teammates jokingly said, “you’re not just an engine, you are a tractor!” implying that Vinicius’ grappling style had the unstoppable force and torquing power of a tractor. Trator is considered to be one of the top representatives of the Alliance Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team and is regarded as one of the top competitors of his generation. Vinicius has medaled on the world stage in important tournaments such as the Pan American, World No Gi Championship, and the World Championship.

Achievements

CBJJ Brasileiro No Gi Champion (2018)
IBJJF São Paulo Open Champion (2018)
IBJJF World Champion (2017 brown, 2016 purple)
IBJJF World No Gi Champion (2018, 2017 brown, 2016, 2015 purple)
IBJJF Pans Champion (2016 purple)
CBJJ Brasileiro Champion (2018 brown, 2016 purple)
IBJJF Rome Open Champion (2018 brown)
IBJJF South American Champion (2016 purple)
IBJJF São Paulo BJJ Pro Champion (2017 brown)
IBJJF Pans Championship 2nd Place (2017 brown)
ADCC São Paulo Brazilian Trials 2nd Place (2017)
ACBJJ South American Championship 2nd Place (2018 brown)
IBJJF World Championship 3rd Place (2018 brown)
IBJJF Pans No Gi Championship 3rd Place (2017 brown)

Vinícius Ferreira Biography

Vinícius Ferreira was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 21, 1997. At the young age of 12 Ferreira joined a boxing gym and continued to practice the sport for nearly four years. He initially joined the gym because he was over weight, however 2 years into his boxing career Vinicius added jiu jitsu to his weekly activity in order to speed up his weight loss. He took his first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class in March, 2010 under the supervision of his coach Paulo “Indio.” After 4 months of training Vinicius got his first experience in competition and reached a respectable 2nd place while competing at a local tournament. This got Ferreira immediately hooked on competition and started a routine that involve him competing once a weekend, every weekend for the next several years.

After 6 months of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Vinícius Ferreira opted to join coach Edson Ferreira’s gym. It was here that Vinícius found higher level competitors to grapple with. Ferreira remained with Edson for the next few years, receiving his orange, green, blue and purple belts. When Vinícius Ferreira was age 17 he had already won over 160 gold medals. However, Vinícius was frustrated and wanted to quit jiu jitsu, as he was unable to see any way do continue doing what he loved as a profession and make an honest living. In a last ditch effort to find a way, Trator and his coach sent a resume to Fabio Gurgel, the leader of the prestigious Alliance BJJ team in Sao Paulo. Ferreira was hoping he could convince Fabio to take him on as part of the team. Vinícius Ferreira was given an opportunity to join a small project that was aimed at helping rising Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors make it into the professional scene.

Vinicius was accepted onto the team in December, 2015. He was given a scholarship that included food, shelter, and high level training. After training with the Alliance team for nearly 3 years, Vinícius Ferreira was promoted to black belt by his two coaches Fabio Gurgel and Michael Langhi.