How did we decide who should be the number one black belt under 25 years of age in the world? We considered many things, but the principal factors were their skill, their accomplishments as a black belt (with lesser weight given to their success at brown belt), and their potential for the future.

Felipe ‘Preguica’ Pena of Gracie Barra, born October 19, 1991 and hailing from Belo Horizonte in Brazil, scored top marks across the board.

In terms of skill, he’s one of the best-rounded and most complete grapplers in the world.

• He has an amazing guard with a preference for X-guard style attacks, getting under his opponents and off-balancing them with his hooks.
• His guard passing is dazzling; at times acrobatic and others just flawless in it’s technical execution.
• His ability to take people’s backs borders on the damn-near magical.
• And his submissions? They speak for themselves.

Pena’s list of accomplishments are considerable given his mere 23 years of age. A three-time Copa Podio Grand Prix champion, 2014 Brazilian national champion both in weight and absolute.

At ADCC, he moved from his natural weight category of 88kg (195lb) to fight at 99kg (218lb). The result of going up a division? A silver medal, losing only to Rodolfo Vieira in an epic 40-minute war.


The only mark on Pena’s record was being stripped of his 2014 IBJJF black belt world championship title when he tested for elevated testosterone, prescribed to him by a doctor yet.

‘Preguica’ impresses every time he steps onto the mat. His near-flawless performances at Copa Podio deserve to stand as a benchmark for what he’s capable of, mowing through up to five opponents in one go.

Pena has lost only a handful of times in the last three years since getting his black belt, consistently mixing it up with the best in the world in the biggest and most prestigious tournaments.



Whether he's wrestling with world class heavyweights such as Rodolfo, or beating Andre Galvao at his own game in the gi, Preguica's skills rank him among the most technical in the game.

Gi or no-gi, Pena can beat almost anybody in the world on any given day, making him our choice for the number one black belt under 25 years of age in the world.

Agree or disagree? Have your say in the comments!