# Fernando Pontes ("Margarida")

> Black Belt | Brazil

## Overview

**Name:** Fernando Pontes

**Nickname:** Margarida

**Belt Rank:** Black Belt

**Nationality:** Brazil

**Gender:** Male


## Bio

Fernando Pontes, better known as “Margarida,” emerged from the São Paulo suburbs with a reputation that preceded his black belt—a wealthy kid from a medical family who channeled his street-fighting edge into Jiu-Jitsu at thirteen under Fernando Yamasaki and Fabio Gurgel at Academia Formula. His early career was a nomadic blur of expulsions and fallouts: he trained with Mario Yamasaki in Washington, Fabio Santos in California (who gave him purple and brown), then returned to São Paulo only to be kicked out of Formula for fighting the doorman, and later asked to leave Nino Schembri’s group after another misunderstanding. He eventually found his footing under Roberto Godoi and Otavio de Almeida, who awarded his black belt in 2000. That same year he placed second in both weight and absolute at the Mundial, and in 2001 he won the Pan Americans by submitting Fabio Gurgel—Gurgel’s first competitive submission—then swept his weight and the absolute at the Mundial. His later ADCC and MMA ventures were solid but never recaptured that peak, and internet chatter blamed his wealthy background for dulling his competitive hunger.
## Lineage

- Rickson Gracie
- Marcelo Behring (Black Belt)
- Waldomiro Perez Jr (Black Belt)
- Roberto Godoi (Black Belt)

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**Last Updated:** September 08, 2026

**Data Source:** bjj.space (https://bjj.space/people/fernando-pontes)