Gabriel started practicing BJJ at the age of 6 together with his cousins; Vinicius Marinho, Joao Alfredo and Felipe Tavares, whom are also black belts themselves. This type of sport was highly encouraged by their parents who believed in the benefits of sports in a child’s education.

Gabriel’s first coach was Master Laerte Barcelos, he also awarded Gabriel his blue belt. After gaining this knowledge under Master Laerte Barcelos, Gabriel expanded on his skills and knowledge at the Universidade Gama Filho academy, which later became GF Team. He received all of his further belts from Master Julio Cesar, including his black belt in 2003 when he was only 23 years old.

During this journey, Gabriel won a variety of titles across Brazil and Europe numerous times.

Gabriel has been living and training in Europe since 2011. On his first arrival, he taught BJJ and No Gi Grappling in London and Munich, with the addition of hosting seminars all over Europe for the past three years. Since October 2014, Gabriel has been based in Berlin teaching BJJ and No Gi Grappling, plus also being an active competitor.