Thalison first caught fans attention after winning the 2016 Worlds as a juvenile blue belt. A roosterweight competitor coming from the same Cicero Costha team as the Miyao brothers, with a back-chasing berimbolo style, it was not long before these similarities led to the nickname of “Little Miyao”. 

2016 also saw Thalison win the Flograppling Awards prospect of the year. His performances over the following years always lived up to the hype, winning Worlds in both the gi and no-gi three years in a row.

Following the 2016 World title, Thalison kept the ball rolling and dominated the roosterweight division at purple for 2017 and 2018. He never lost in his weight category over the 16 months he spent at purple belt while competing in every major tournament on the globe. Incredibly he won Worlds, Pans, Brasileiros and the European Championship to complete the IBJJF Grand Slam in back-to-back years. During both of these years Thalison also won the Abu Dhabi World Pro.

Still representing the Sao Paulo based Cicero Costha team but traveling all over the world to train and compete, Thalison has visited over 20 countries through jiu-jitsu at the young age of 19. Along with many of his Cicero Costha teammates including the Miyao brothers, he now does his camps for major tournaments in New York at Unity Jiu Jitsu under the direction of Murilo Santana.

WATCH: Thalison Soares: The Path to Black Belt Part 1

WATCH: Thalison Soares: The Path to Black Belt Part 3

WATCH: Thalison Soares: The Path to Black Belt Part 4