João Roque (born July 22, 1971) is a former featherweight Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) black belt World Champion and a retired Angola mixed martial artist. He competed in the Featherweight division in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).
His first coaches of BJJ were Marcio Pinheiro and Gerson Velasco, and he stayed under their guidance until he was a purple belt. It was under prestigious Osvaldo Alves, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Red Belt and a legend in the sport of BJJ, that Joao Roque graduated to brown belt. When Master Oswaldo had to move to Manaus Roque joined André Pederneiras, right at the start of the Nova União.
Joao Roque began his MMA career in 1996 in the United States (Oklahoma) with a win by armbar. He retired in 2005 in the Japan (Tokyo) with a loss by decision.
Today he lives in Brasília, capital of Brazil. Roque went on to form one of the strongest teams in that state and his gym "Clube Vizinhança" still runs today.
BJJ lineage
Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Andre Pederneiras > Joao Roque
Notable BJJ black belts graduated
- Bernado Pitel
- Jonatas Gurgel "Tagarela"
- Mark Andrew Bocek
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | |
|---|
| 13 matches | 7 wins | 2 losses |
| By submission | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 2 |
| Draws | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|
| Loss | 7-2-4 | Alexandre Franca Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | G-Shooto: Special 01 | 000000002005-03-11-0000March 11, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo Korakuen Hall | |
| Draw | 7-1-4 | Hiroyuki Takaya | Draw | Shooto 2004: 1/24 in Korakuen Hall | 000000002004-01-24-0000January 24, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 7-1-3 | Hiroyuki Abe | Submission (armbar) | Shooto: Gig Central 4 | 000000002003-09-21-0000September 21, 2003 | 2 | 4:59 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 6-1-3 | Naoya Uematsu | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: 1/24 in Korakuen Hall | 000000002003-01-24-0000January 24, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 5-1-3 | Ryan Bow | Decision (majority) | Deep: 6th Impact | 000000002002-09-07-0000September 7, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 4-1-3 | Takehiro Murahama | Submission (armbar) | Deep: 4th Impact | 000000002002-03-30-0000March 30, 2002 | 1 | 2:13 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 3-1-3 | Stephen Palling | Submission (armbar) | World Fighting Alliance 1 | 000000002001-11-03-0000November 3, 2001 | 1 | 1:29 | Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 2-1-3 | Takehiro Murahama | Submission (armbar) | Deep: 2nd Impact | 000000002001-08-18-0000August 18, 2001 | 1 | 4:29 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 1-1-3 | Jens Pulver | Decision | UFC 26 | 000000002000-06-09-0000June 9, 2000 | 3 | 5:00 | Iowa, United States | |
| Draw | 1-0-3 | Hisao Ikeda | Draw | VTJ 1999: Vale Tudo Japan 1999 | 000000001999-12-11-0000December 11, 1999 | 3 | 8:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Draw | 1-0-2 | Noboru Asahi | Draw | VTJ 1998: Vale Tudo Japan 1998 | 000000001998-10-25-0000October 25, 1998 | 3 | 8:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Draw | 1-0-1 | Uchu Tatsumi | Draw | VTJ 1997: Vale Tudo Japan 1997 | 000000001997-11-29-0000November 29, 1997 | 3 | 8:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 1-0 | Abdelaziz Cherigui | Submission (armbar) | EF 3: Extreme Fighting 3 | 000000001996-10-18-0000October 18, 1996 | 1 | 4:02 | Oklahoma, United States | |
Submission grappling record
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
| Win |  Dennis Hall | Decision | The Contenders | 1997 | 5 | 5:00 | |
Dennis Hall