FELIPE PENA

Felipe Pena, known by the nickname 'Preguica' (Sloth — for his deliberate pace and patient submission setups), is one of the most decorated heavyweight competitors of the 2010s and one of the few competitors with a definitive head-to-head victory over Gordon Ryan at black belt. Born in 1990 in Brazil and trained primarily under Andre Galvao at Atos before later moving to Gracie Barra, Pena's competitive resume includes two IBJJF World Championships at black belt and the 2017 ADCC World Championship in the under-99kg division.

Pena's competitive style is built on patient closed-guard submission hunting and the technical depth that Atos pedagogy produced through the 2010s. His matches against Gordon Ryan have been particularly significant in modern BJJ history — Pena's victory over Ryan at ADCC 2017 (via heel hook in overtime) remains one of the most-replayed matches of the era and produced the only major decisive loss on Ryan's competitive record at black belt. The Pena vs. Ryan rivalry has continued through superfights and exhibition matches across subsequent years.

Pena's broader competitive contribution has been to demonstrate that the classical IBJJF style of patient closed-guard work could still produce finishes against the modern leg-lock-and-no-gi focused competitive landscape. His pedagogical influence through instructional content and Gracie Barra coaching has also contributed to maintaining the gi-based competitive tradition at a moment when no-gi has commercially dominated. As of 2026 Pena continues to compete at the elite level and remains one of the few competitors with a strong claim to elite status across both IBJJF and ADCC formats.