André Pederneiras

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Pederneiras and the second or paternal family name is Castro.
André Pederneiras
BornCarlos André Pederneiras de Castro[1]
(1967-03-22) 22 March 1967 (age 57)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Other namesDedé
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
DivisionLightweight
TeamNova União
Academia Upper
Rank
Years active1998–2000 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total4
Wins1
By knockout1
Losses1
By knockout1
Draws2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Carlos André Pederneiras de Castro (born 22 March 1967) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA) coach and promoter. A former BJJ competitor, holding today a Red and Black 7th Degree Coral belt, Pederneiras is a six-time Brazilian National jiu-jitsu champion. During his short career as an MMA fighter, he challenged Pat Miletich for the UFC Welterweight Championship in 1999,[5] and fought at the Shooto-run Vale Tudo Japan events.[2]

Pederneiras is the co-founder of Nova União, one of the top BJJ/MMA academy and team, acting as its leader and MMA head coach until stepping down in 2018 after 21 years.[6] He is widely regarded as one of the best BJJ and MMA coaches in the world.[2][7][8][9]

Among the numerous champions he produced, Pederneiras is best known for training José Aldo, B.J. Penn and Renan Barão who all became UFC champions.[6][10] Pederneiras is also the President of Shooto Brasil, the Brazilian branch of Japanese MMA promotion Shooto.[6][11][12]

Background[edit]

Carlos André Pederneiras de Castro was born on 22 March 1967, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[2][13] When he was 17 years old he joined a gym, originally to train with weight for fitness. However the gym offered Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) classes as well so he decided to try it out. He trained with Rodrigo Vieira, a student of Rickson Gracie until he received his Brown Belt.[2][14] After Vieira left to join another gym, Carlson Gracie became Pederneiras' coach and also offered him a position of instructors of the juniors at the gym.[2][14] In 1989, Pederneiras received his Black Belt from Gracie when he was 22 years old.[2][14] In 2018, Pederneiras became owner of the gym he originally trained and renamed it to Academia Upper.[6]

During Pederneiras' BJJ career under the Carlson Gracie team, he was a six-time Brazilian National Champion.[2][13] In 2019, the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) promoted Pederneiras to 7th degree Coral (Red and Black) Belt.[13]

Pederneiras' nickname is Dedé which is a friendly way of saying André, in Portuguese.[2]

Mixed martial arts career[edit]

Pederneiras had a brief career in MMA that lasted from 1998 to 2000.[14][12]

In 1998, Pederneiras had his debut fight at Vale Tudo Japan where defeated Rumina Sato in the first round via knockout.[5][2][12]

In 1999, Pederneiras challenged Pat Miletich for UFC Welterweight Title at UFC 21 where he lost in the second round via technical knockout.[5][2][12]

In the same year, Pederneiras fought Caol Uno at Vale Tudo Japan where the match ended in a draw.[5][2][12]

In 2000, Pederneiras fought Genki Sudo at C2K: Colosseum 2000 where the match ended in a draw again.[5][2][12] This was Pederneiras' last fight in his MMA career and he retired from MMA to become a full time coach.[5][12]

Coaching career[edit]

After obtaining his Black Belt, Pederneiras established his own BJJ team called Dedé Pederneiras Jiu Jitsu.[2][15] Although is reached success quite fast, it was unable to compete with much larger team like Gracie Barra and the Carlson Gracie Team that won most of the tournaments due to the number of athletes they could field.[2] Pederneiras met Wendell Alexander at a BJJ tournament.[2] Alexander was also had his own BJJ team called Mello Tenis Clube and like Pederneiras, had trouble competing with much larger teams.[2][15]

In 1995, the two of them eventually joined forces to create the gym, Nova União which translates to New Union.[2][14][15][12] Nova União would become one of the leading teams in BJJ where it would win many medals in tournaments such as the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.[2][14][15]

In the late 1990s, Pederneiras became one of the first Brazilians to open the doors of his gym to foreigners with the most famous initial ones being B.J. Penn and John Lewis.[2][14] This attracted controversy and his old master, Carlson called him a Creonte (meaning traitor) although anti foreign sentiment eventually faded away as time passed.[2] Penn earned his Black Belt under Pederneiras in 2000 in just three years and then a few months later he became champion at the Black Belt level in the featherweight division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.[14][16] He was the first American to achieve this feat.[14][16]

In 2002, Pederneiras decided to pull Nova União out of all tournaments organized by the IBJJF.[2] This was due to opposition of IBJJF's policy of not paying their competitors.[2] Pederneiras created the Olympic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (CBJJO) which would create its own tournaments such as the Copa Del Mundo.[2] Eventually after several years of disputes, Pederneiras allowed Nova União to return to IBJJF tournaments and CBJJO was dissolved.[2] CBJJO would be re-instituted later under new management[2] and IBJJF tournaments are now offering cash rewards.[17]

Later on, Pederneiras decided make Nova União branch out more into MMA because he saw it as a viable way for many of its gym members who had poor backgrounds to earn a living.[15] Pederneiras himself was previously an MMA fighter from 1998 to 2000.[14][12] Pederneiras through his connections became President of Shooto Brasil, the Brazilian branch of Shooto, a Japanese MMA promotion.[6][11][12] Pederneiras has organized many MMA events in Brazil as a way of providing its gym members as well as many other fighters a way of earning a living. Since then Pederneiras had focused mostly on the MMA part of the team and has left the BJJ part to Alexander and other trainers.[2]

In 2017, Pederneiras attracted some attention when he urged Brazilian fighters to move to the United States as it offered better opportunities for training and development.[18]

In 2018, Pederneiras stepped down from his duties as leader and head trainer of Nova União to focus on building another gym called Academia Upper.[6] This was the gym he originally trained at.

Pederneiras has spent a lot of time helping the local community, many of whom at underprivileged.[2][14][15] Pederneiras has allowed the underprivileged to train and live at Nova União at no cost provided they help out at the gym.[2][14][15] The most notable example of these students is José Aldo.[14] Aldo grew up poor with little money but was allowed to train and live at Nova União provided he helped out at the gym. Eventually Aldo became the UFC Featherweight Champion with the highest number of title defenses at seven and is considered by Sherdog to be the greatest MMA featherweight fighter in history.[19] As of 2021, Pederneiras still remains as Aldo's coach.[11]

Instructor lineage[edit]

Kano Jigoro → Tomita Tsunejiro → Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie → Carlson Gracie → André Pederneiras

Notable students[edit]

Fighters[edit]

Grapplers[edit]

Awards and achievements[edit]

Mixed martial arts record[edit]

Professional record breakdown
4 matches 1 win 1 loss
By knockout 1 1
Draws 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Draw 1–1–2 Genki Sudo Draw C2K – Colosseum 2000 26 May 2000 1 15:00 Japan
Draw 1–1–1 Caol Uno Draw VTJ 1999 – Vale Tudo Japan 1999 11 December 1999 3 8:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 1–1 Pat Miletich TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 21 16 July 1999 2 2:20 Iowa, United States For the UFC Welterweight Championship
Win 1–0 Rumina Sato KO (soccer kick and punches) VTJ 1998 – Vale Tudo Japan 1998 25 October 1998 1 4:09 Tokyo, Japan

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mundo do MMA também dá adeus a "templo" do jiu-jítsu no Rio de Janeiro". sportv.globo.com/site/combate (in Portuguese). 26 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "Andre Pederneiras | BJJ Heroes". 24 January 2010.
  3. ^ "Certified Black Belts". Certified Black Belts.
  4. ^ Snowden, Jonathan (30 September 2010). "The Man Behind the Man: Jose Aldo's Coach, Andre Pederneiras, Is MMA Pioneer". Bloody Elbow.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "UFC 21: Hawkeye homecoming". news.yahoo.com. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Burke, Tim (1 July 2018). "Andre Pederneiras steps down as Nova Uniao leader after 21 years". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  7. ^ Canaria, Kitt (21 May 2015). "Andre Pederneiras Co-founder Of jiu-jitsu And MMA Team Nova Uniao Will Retire This Year As Head Coach". Jiu-Jitsu Times.
  8. ^ "The 10 Best Coaches In MMA Today". Evolve Daily. 16 May 2015.
  9. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (21 May 2015). "Pederneiras will retire as head coach, cornerman". MMA Fighting.
  10. ^ a b c d Holland, Jesse (29 November 2018). "BJ Penn training with Jose Aldo and Renan Barao in Brazil ahead of UFC 232 return". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Sherdog.com. "Nova Uniao Head Andre Pederneiras Expects Jose Aldo to Face Rob Font in December". Sherdog. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Teague: Nova Uniao academy more than just a team". ESPN.com. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d "André Pederneiras É Graduado A Faixa Coral (7º Grau) De Jiu Jitsu". bjjfanatics-br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "The Success of Nova União's Aldo and Barao". FOX Sports. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g "Nova Uniao Academy | BJJ Heroes". 13 August 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  16. ^ a b Chillingworth, Brandon. "UFC 137 Results: 5 Significant Achievements from BJ Penn's Career". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  17. ^ Legacy, Jiu Jitsu (8 January 2022). "Which BJJ Tournament Organizations Offer Cash Prizes | Jiu Jitsu Legacy". Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Jose Aldo's Coach Frustrated, Urges Fighters To Leave Brazil – FloCombat". www.flocombat.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  19. ^ Sherdog.com. "Sherdog.com's Pound-for-Pound Top 10". Sherdog. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  20. ^ a b Helwani, Ariel (14 December 2014). "Andre Pederneiras discusses training Junior dos Santos, Claudia Gadelha decision and Renan Barao's return". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  21. ^ Sherdog.com. "Leonardo Santos and Andre Pederneiras". Sherdog. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  22. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (23 July 2014). "Dantas vs. Warren title fight set for September". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Marcos "Lôro" Galvao | BJJ Heroes". 7 January 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  24. ^ "Robson Moura | BJJ Heroes". Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  25. ^ "Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro | BJJ Heroes". Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  26. ^ "Joao Roque | BJJ Heroes". 5 January 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
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