Ary Farias

Ary "Aryzinho" Farias was born on October 22, 1989, in Manaus, Brazil. A naturally athletic child, Farias explored a variety of sports before finding his calling in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 11. His introduction to the art came at the ASLE Academy, a storied institution in Manaus that would prove instrumental in shaping his development as a martial artist.

From his earliest sessions on the mats, Farias trained under Ronaldo Jacaré, the renowned BJJ champion who led the academy's kids' classes. The relationship extended well beyond the training room — during his formative years, Farias shared living quarters with Jacaré at the ASLE training camp, absorbing the discipline and technical depth of a world-class competitor on a daily basis. By the age of 16, that investment had produced measurable results: Farias had claimed every significant regional tournament he entered, establishing himself as one of the most promising prospects the sport had seen emerge from the Amazon region.

Farias' transition into adult competition brought a change in instruction. At ASLE, the adult classes fell under head coach Henrique Machado, but a fundamental clash of personalities made the arrangement untenable, and Farias left the academy in search of a new environment in which to grow.

The path forward opened through a friendship forged on the tournament circuit. Farias had befriended Alain "Finfou" during one of many competitions, and when he found himself without a training home, Finfou intervened on his behalf with Ricardo Vieira, head coach at Fightzone Academy in Rio de Janeiro — the headquarters of Checkmat in Rio. Vieira agreed to take Farias in, and the move to Rio marked a turning point in his career.

Settled in Rio, Farias split his preparation between Fightzone, where Vieira directed his jiu-jitsu development, and the renowned X-Gym, where strength and conditioning coach Rogerio Camões oversaw his athletic training. The dual focus accelerated his progression, transforming him from a recognized regional talent into a legitimate worldwide prospect. This period also produced one of the most significant personal bonds of his life, as he forged a close friendship with teammate Yuri Simões — a relationship that grew so deep that Simões' family effectively adopted him.

The competition results from his Checkmat years validated the work. Farias claimed gold at the IBJJF World Championship at purple belt in 2008, then backed it up with back-to-back IBJJF World titles at brown belt in 2009 and 2010. He also secured IBJJF European Championship gold at brown belt in both 2009 and 2010, along with CBJJ Brazilian Nationals titles at purple belt, cementing his status as the dominant competitor at each belt level he passed through. Ricardo Vieira formally recognized his progression by awarding Farias his brown belt in 2009.

In March 2010, Farias made a decisive move, leaving Checkmat to join Atos alongside Yuri Simões. While Simões would eventually return to Checkmat, Farias remained with Atos, and in November 2010, at a ceremony held in Rio Claro, Ramon Lemos — the leader of the Atos team — awarded Farias his black belt, formally opening the next chapter of his competitive life.

The black belt era began with a landmark moment at the 2011 IBJJF World Championship. Farias and Atos teammate Guilherme Mendes met in the featherweight final, closing out the match between them as training partners. Editorial note: The outcome of this final is subject to conflicting information in the source material. The entity data lists Farias as the 2011 World Champion, while multiple reviewer corrections flag that Guilherme Mendes defeated Farias in that final. This result requires human verification before publication and should not be stated definitively as a Farias gold medal. Regardless of the final's precise outcome, Farias operated at the peak of the featherweight division in 2011, a fact reinforced by his gold medals at the IBJJF European Open and the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals that same year.

Farias continued to feature prominently at the sport's highest level in the years that followed. He reached the podium at the IBJJF World Championship in 2012, earning bronze, and returned in 2013 to claim silver — results that confirmed his consistent presence among the world's elite featherweights. He also finished as runner-up at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals in 2012.

The 2016 IBJJF World Championship represents another result requiring editorial care. The entity data lists a 2016 World title for Farias, but sources conflict on whether he won or lost the final, with one account indicating that Paulo Miyao defeated him in that match. This result is explicitly unverified and must not be stated as a confirmed gold medal without human confirmation prior to publication. A third-place finish at the 2017 IBJJF World Championship rounded out a black belt career defined by sustained elite-level performance at Peso Pluma (64 kg / 141 lbs).

Following his decorated career on the BJJ competition circuit, Farias turned his attention to professional mixed martial arts. The technical foundation built across years of training under Ronaldo Jacaré, Ricardo Vieira, and Ramon Lemos provided him with a grappling base of exceptional depth, and his reputation as one of the most accomplished featherweight grapplers of his generation carried with him into the cage. The nickname "Aryzinho," a constant throughout his jiu-jitsu years, continued to identify him as he pursued this new dimension of his combat sports career.