David Vieira (fighter)

Background

Vieira was seventeen when he started practicing Jiu-Jitsu. His first instructor was Alexandre de Lima at the Infight Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rio de Janeiro, but a few months later he was invited to start training with Rogerio Poggio at the main Infight Academy.

After winning Gold in the -77 kg and Absolute divisions of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2002, Vieira went to São Paulo to train with the founder of the Infight Academy, 6th Degree BJJ Black Belt "Pitoco" Totila Jordan Neto.

In 2004, Vieira came to the United States for the second time to compete at the Pan American Championship and that is when he was introduced to Gracie Barra by Eduardo de Lima. When Vieira went back to Brazil, he decided to join Gracie Barra Academy where in 2005 he got his black belt.

Vieira currently teaches at his own Jiu-Jitsu Academy (DVBJJ) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; But he also continues his MMA training at Gordo Jiu-Jitsu and Team Nogueira.

Most of Vieira's friends and family call him just Davi or Magro (Portuguese for Skinny).

BJJ Black Belts

Vieira has awarded Black Belts to:

BJJ Submission Highlights

David's notable wins via submission were over;

Early career

Vieira became a professional MMA fighter in 2007, and that same year he was featured in the MMA Authority Magazine as the new up and coming fighter, and was described by the magazine as the "Brazilian Prodigy." After 4 successful MMA fights in the United States David went back to Brazil to improve his MMA game and become a more complete fighter. Even though Vieira continued his MMA training, he decided to take some time off from professional MMA fighting to focus on running his jiu-jitsu school in Brazil.

The Ultimate Fighter®: Brazil

David was chosen from an initial list of over 300 applicants at the TUF™ tryouts in Rio de Janeiro. Ranging from 18 to 35 years of age, these fighters came from all corners of Brazil, as well as countries such as Argentina and the United States. The fighters underwent interviews, medical exams and were tested on their striking and grappling skills until the final 28 emerged.

The group of 28 welterweights battled it out in elimination scraps in episodes one and two until only half of them remained. The 14 winners became the official cast members of The Ultimate Fighter house, where they were divided into two opposing teams.

Episode One: In March 2013, it was revealed that Vieira was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2.

Episode Two: Vieira won his elimination fight to get into the TUF house, defeating Leandro Silva (11-0) by unanimous decision and he was chosen to be a member of Team Nogueira.

Episode Three: In his second fight Vieira clashed with another undefeated fighter Yan Cabral (10-0) and lost by submission in the second round.

Episode Nine: With Luis Dutra’s withdrawal due to injury, David Vieira earned a new chance, and it was announced that he would face the experienced Viscardi Andrade in the quarterfinals.

Episode Ten: Vieira lost his quarterfinals match by unanimous decision to Andrade, ending his run at being the next Ultimate Fighter.

Reality Show

At the end of 2010 David was invited to be in a reality show in Brazil that aired nationwide at the Multishow channel in May 2011. The show is called Minha Praia (Portuguese for My Beach) and it's an original reality television adventure/reward game show in which teams of two people, man and women, compete with other teams. Contestants are isolated in a secluded beach in Brazil to compete for prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other rival team members. At the end of the show David and his teammate Mirella Vieira finished as runner up, after they lost in the final round of elimination in a kayak competition. Minha Praia/Multishow Website