Forca Method is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Bernardo Faria. They are featured here for educational and editorial purposes. Information is compiled from public sources including FloGrappling, BJJ Fanatics, Tapology, and official competition records.
Who They Are
Bernardo Faria is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, world champion (multiple times at adult black belt IBJJF Worlds), and a guy who’s been in the trenches. He’s not some social media phenom. He came up under Fabio Gurgel at Alliance, fighting his way through the hardest brackets of his era—heavyweight, super-heavyweight, open class, all of them stacked. Faria’s name is practically glued to “pressure passing” and “deep half guard.” One look at his cauliflower ears and beat-up old gi collars, and you know the guy has done a million live rounds with killers.
These days, he’s best known for his instructionals, his online academy, and his low-key, practical approach to BJJ technique. But serious competitors still study his matches and reverse-engineer the way he grinds through tough positions.
Why They Matter
Faria isn’t flashy. There are more athletic guys, more explosive guys, and guys with highlight-reel submissions. But nobody is better proof that you can win consistently at the highest levels with sound, repeatable basics applied with insane consistency.
He fought in divisions with monsters like Rodolfo Vieira, Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida, and Leandro Lo—guys who eat other competitors for breakfast. Faria didn’t try to out-athlete them. He forced his game plan on everyone. He made people tired. He got on top and flattened world-class guards that didn’t get flattened by anyone else. His approach works for older grapplers, big guys, smaller guys, and especially anyone sick of endless scrambles.
When you look at Faria, you see a blueprint for building a game around relentless pressure, patience, and a handful of high-percentage positions. His career is a clinic in trusting your A-game and getting to it without wasting grip strength and cardio.
Style And Strengths
Faria’s BJJ is all about pressure, structure, and grinding people down. He’s famous for two things: deep half guard (and the way he gets there, even when everyone knows it’s coming), and an old-school over-under pass that makes people feel like they’re carrying an anvil on their ribcage.
Deep Half Guard:
Faria’s deep half isn’t about slick hooks and fast sweeps. It’s about getting under the hips, locking your arms, and refusing to get flattened or kneecut. His entries are basic—shin shield, sit-up, or even just letting someone try to pass for a second before ducking under. But his detail on hiding his arms, blocking the crossface, and getting his head in the right spot are what let him sweep monsters who know what he’s up to. He isn’t afraid of being smashed in bottom half—he willingly eats pressure to stay connected and reverse.
Pressure Passing:
His over-under pass is the stuff purple belts dread. He keeps his head low, locks their hips between his knees, and drives forward with his shoulder. There's nothing fancy about it. It’s about patience, discipline, and enough pressure on the guy’s diaphragm that they start making faces. If you try to frame, he peels grips off and keeps inching forward. He doesn’t scramble—he crushes you one inch at a time.
Takedowns & Tactics:
Faria rarely played standup games with fast shots or big throws. He pulled guard when needed, sat to half, and started working. He was a master at not wasting energy. He didn’t need to force mistakes; eventually, people made them just trying to breathe.
Mental Fortitude:
He’s known for surviving in awful spots. Go watch his finals against Lo or Rodolfo—you’ll see minutes of pressure on each side. Faria doesn’t get rattled. He waits, he breathes, he sticks to the formula. Tournament pace doesn’t shake him.
What Grapplers Can Learn
Faria’s game is tailor-made for anyone tired of chasing the latest “move of the month.” There’s nothing random about what he does. A few lessons anyone can steal, regardless of size or rank:
1. Force Your Game, Don’t Chase Theirs.
You don’t need twenty guards. You need to get to your best position every single match, and trust it. Faria fought the best in the world and did the same thing every time. If you keep switching games every six months, you’ll never have this level of sharpness or confidence.
2. Pressure Wins When Athleticism Fades.
Explosive stuff is fun, but if you want to win late in the round, you’re going to need structure and weight. Pressure passing and solid half guard are keys to surviving hard rounds when your forearms are shot.
3. Deep Half Is For Everyone.
If you have bad knees, stiff hips, or just hate getting flattened in side control, deep half is a lifesaver. Faria’s details let you use it without needing flexibility or speed. His entries and sweeps work in gi and no-gi.
4. Breathe And Wait.
Watch how patient he is. Even when an opponent is making noise and going nuts, Faria keeps his pace. He doesn’t get baited into squeezing too hard or exploding for a scramble that isn’t there.
5. Grip Conservation.
Faria doesn’t fry his hands. His passing style uses his frame and weight, not endless clutching at sleeves and collars. It’s a lesson for anyone who has blown their grips out three rounds into open mat.
6. Tournament Simplicity.
In a bracket, simple wins. When adrenaline dumps and you’re sweating through your belt, you don’t want fifty options. Faria’s game is proof that a couple of A+ weapons, sharpened to a razor, beat a toolbox full of average tricks.
Final Takeaway
Bernardo Faria isn’t the most athletic or the fastest. He doesn’t win on flash. He wins because he trusts his positions and applies them so relentlessly that even world champions crack. If your idea of training is hard rounds, tournament prep, and feeling beat up on Monday morning, Faria’s style is worth studying. Strip your game down, double down on the stuff that works under pressure, and learn to grind. Faria proved that’s all you need to win at the highest level.
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