Marco Vilella, also known as “Gigante” is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Junior (Gracie Barra creator) with a fantastic competitive record, having won important trophies such as the Rio de Janeiro state championship, national tournament (“Brasileiro”) ,the Pan American Championship and even the Mundial in the “pesadissimo” weight division.

Full Name: Marco Antonio Medeiros Villela

Nickname: “Gigante” translates to Giant in english. The name was given on the mats of Gracie Barra and was awarded by Eduardo de Lima “Veio”. The reason for the nickname is obvious after one glance at Marco’s 6 foot 7 stature.

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Carlos Gracie Junior > Marco Vilella