Roberto de Abreu Filho (commonly known as "Cyborg" Abreu) is a Brazilian
submission grappler
Submission wrestling, also known as submission grappling, submission fighting, or simply grappling, is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques. It is a hybrid discipline that incorporates element ...
and instructor. A seven-time World No-Gi Champion, Abreu is known for the "tornado guard" position which involves inverting underneath the opponent and elevating them into a sweep.
Grappling career
Roberto de Abreu Filho grew up in rural Brazil and was affiliated with Nova Geracao.
In 2000 Abreu was in a car accident and was left with 300 stitches on his left arm. He was told that he wouldn’t be able to move his arm again but four months later he won silver at the Brazilian Nationals. His coach told him that only a
cyborg
A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.
Abreu is a very active BJJ competitor and coach, with multiple titles including gold medals at the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019, and 2021 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships. He also won the ADCC Absolute title in 2013.
2023-2024
On March 8, 2023, Cyborg was handed a three-year ban by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (
USADA
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...
) after failing a December 20, 2022, drug test for using performance enhancing drugs at the 2022 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships. Abreu left the competition early and was tested off site. He tested positive for exogenous testosterone and metabolites (
steroids
A steroid is an organic compound with four fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration.
Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter mem ...
). His suspension began retroactively on January 25, 2023.
Abreu was invited to compete in the BJJ Stars 10 Absolute Grand prix on April 22, 2023. He lost to Mauricio Oliveira on points in the opening round. Abreu was scheduled to compete against
Nicholas Meregali
Nicholas Meregali (born 27 May 1994) is a Brazilian submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor. A multiple time world, Pan, European and Brazilian champion at colored belts, Meregali is a 3x IBJJF black belt World C ...
at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 on June 29, 2023. He lost the match by armbar in EBI overtime.
Abreu competed against Anton Minenko in the co-main event of ADXC 1 on October 20, 2023. He won the match by unanimous decision.
Abreu faced Henrique Cardoso in the co-main event of ADXC 3 on March 2, 2024. He lost the match by decision.
Abreu was then invited to compete in the under 99kg division of the
2024 ADCC World Championship
The 2024 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was an international submission grappling tournament held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in August 2024.
Background
The ADCC World Championship is a submission grappling tourna ...
on August 17 to 18, 2024. He beat both Daishi Goto and
Javier Zaruski
Javier Zaruski (born 23 August 1991) is a professional submission grappler from Uruguay. He holds the rank of black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under André Galvão. He is a multiple-time No-Gi World Champion and the current Super-Heavyweight ...
by decision to make it to the semi-finals, where he was submitted by
Kaynan Duarte
Kaynan Casemiro Duarte (born 24 January 1998) is a Brazilian submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor. Duarte is a four-time champion at the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship and two-time champion at th ...
. He defeated Michael Pixley by points to win a bronze medal. Abreu also entered the absolute division where he beat Luiz Paulo, Izaak Michell, and Giancarlo Bodoni on points before being submitted by
Kaynan Duarte
Kaynan Casemiro Duarte (born 24 January 1998) is a Brazilian submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor. Duarte is a four-time champion at the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship and two-time champion at th ...
in the final and winning a silver medal.
Abreu competed against Haisam Rida in the main event of ADXC 8 on December 6, 2024. He lost the match by decision.
Fight Sports
Abreu currently living in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
where he runs his academy Fight Sports coaching multiple high level BJJ athletes.
In 2020, a BJJ black belt under Abreu and instructor at Fight Sports Naples, Marcel Goncalves, was accused of sexual assault by a student of his who was 16 years old at the time of the incident. Initially, Abreu drew heavy criticism for his handling of the claims and how he chose to comment on them before he eventually put out a further statement that denounced Goncalves' actions. Since then, Abreu has also been named in a civil suit on the same matter, where he and Fight Sports LLC were accused of ''"failure to properly oversee its trainers and instructors and its failures to properly care for vulnerable minors training at Fight Sports’ gyms."'' On June 17, 2023, a summary judgement was issued in the case that ruled in favor of Abreu and Fight Sports.
In 2023, a second sexual assault lawsuit named both Abreu and Fight Sports LLC, stemming from an incident concerning another affiliated gym. Mandy Schneider was allegedly sexually assaulted by Rodrigo da Costa Oliveira, the coach of Rockstar Martial Arts Gym in Frisco, Texas, in a hotel room. The lawsuit stated that Schneider told the managers of the gym, but they did not inform her parents or the authorities and instead ordered her to stay quiet. The lawsuit claimed that ''"The repeated failures of Roberto Abreu and Fight Sports to ensure the safety of underage athletes have fostered an environment ripe for such abuse."''
Personal life
Abreu was cast as
Fábio Gurgel
Fábio Duca Gurgel do Amaral (born 18 January 1970 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a former Mixed martial arts fighter and Brazilian_jiu-jitsu_ranking_system#Red_/_Black_belt_(Coral_belt), 7th degree coral belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and ...
in
The Smashing Machine
Mark Kerr (born December 21, 1968) is an American former wrestler and mixed martial artist. During his MMA career, he was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a PRIDE FC competitor. I ...
.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu achievements
Main Achievements (Black Belt):
* ADCC World Champion (2013)
* IBJJF No-Gi World Champion (2021 / 2019 / 2017 / 2012 / 2011 / 2010)
* IBJJF Pan Championship (2008 / 2022)
* IBJJF European Open (2005)
* IBJJF Grand Prix (2019)
* IBJJF Masters World Championship (2018)
* Kasai Pro 264 lbs Grand Prix winner (2020)
* Grappling Pro Champion (2016)
* 2nd Place ADCC World Championship (2009)
* 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2010)
* 2nd Place No-Gi World Champion (2021 / 2019 / 2008)
* 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2009)
* 2nd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2007)
* 2nd Place AJP King of Mats (2018)
* 3rd Place ADCC World Championship (2017/2013/2011)
* Brazilian Wrestling National Champion (Brazilian National team member).
* No Gi Grappler of the Year at the JitsMagazine BJJ Awards 2020
* 2020 FloGrappling No-Gi Grappler of the Year
Main Achievements (Colored Belt):
* IBJJF Pan American Champion (2001 blue)
* 2nd place World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (2004 brown)
* 3rd place World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (2002 / 2003 purple)
* 2nd place Pan American Championship (2002 purple)