Everton Teixeira

Everton Celio de Souza Teixeira was born in January 2003 in Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas — a city long recognized as one of the most prolific grappling regions in the country. His path to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu began not through deliberate pursuit, but through a single moment of chance. In 2013, at around ten years old, an early school dismissal led Everton and his friends past a local academy mid-class. He stopped, peered through the window, and watched with genuine curiosity — it was the first time he had ever seen BJJ.

Alexandro Almeida, the coach inside, noticed the young boy's interest and extended an invitation to try a class. Everton stepped onto the mats that same day, beginning what would become a lifelong commitment to the sport. Almeida's generosity extended beyond the invitation — recognizing that Everton's family could not afford the monthly fees, he opened his gym to the young athlete at no cost, providing structured development during his most formative years.

The unwavering support of his mother, Meiry Janne Matias, proved equally vital. She worked relentlessly to cover tournament entry fees and travel costs, enabling Everton to test himself on the competition circuit from an early age and build the foundation for what would follow.

Everton Teixeira's rise to the elite level was shaped by a broad network of coaches, each contributing to a distinct phase of his growth. Alexandro Almeida served as his first instructor, providing both technical grounding and financial support during his early years in Manaus. After approximately three years of training — by which point Everton had reached orange belt — he sought a more competition-oriented environment and moved to the gym of Carlos Holanda, also based in Manaus.

Holanda stands as one of the pioneers of elite competitive grappling from the Amazonas region, and his influence on Everton proved both lasting and comprehensive. He guided the young athlete from orange belt through every subsequent rank, ultimately awarding him his black belt in June 2023 — completing nearly a decade of continuous development under Manaus-based coaching.

Beyond his home city, Everton sought training experiences to sharpen his competitive edge. In 2018, he traveled to Rio de Janeiro for a competition and used the trip to train with Douglas Rufino — widely known by his nickname "Trator" — at his workgroup in the Cantagalo community. Everton was a green belt at the time, but the experience left a lasting impression, and Rufino remained a continued presence in his development in the years that followed. Sandro Vieira and Adailton Chu also contributed at various stages, rounding out the coaching influences that shaped his technical game.

By the time he reached black belt, Everton had affiliated with Atos, one of the most decorated and internationally recognized teams in the sport — marking the next chapter in his competitive career.

From the earliest stages of his competitive journey, Everton Teixeira distinguished himself as one of the most promising prospects to emerge from the Amazonas region. His performances across multiple belt levels demonstrated not only raw talent but a consistency that set him apart from peers throughout the South American circuit.

His first significant mark on the international stage came in 2019, when he claimed gold at the IBJJF South American Championship as a blue belt. Two years later, competing at purple belt, he returned to the same event and won again — pairing that title with victory at the AJP Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro in 2021, confirming his dominance across different competitive formats and platforms.

The pattern continued at brown belt. In 2022, Everton secured a third consecutive South American Championship title — a remarkable display of sustained excellence across three straight belt promotions at the same event. He closed his colored belt career in emphatic fashion, claiming the Pan Championship in 2023, one of the most prestigious events on the IBJJF calendar outside of the World Championship. That victory served as a fitting final statement before Carlos Holanda promoted him to black belt in June 2023, completing a decade of structured development that had taken him from a curious ten-year-old peering through a gym window to one of the most decorated colored belt competitors in his division.

Everton Teixeira's transition to black belt competition produced immediate and emphatic results in the no-gi format. In 2023, his debut year as a black belt, he entered the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in the Peso Galo division (57.60 kg / 127 lbs) and claimed the title — an exceptional performance that announced his arrival at the sport's highest level.

He defended that No-Gi World title in 2024, becoming a back-to-back champion and cementing his status as the premier competitor in his weight class on the no-gi circuit. Alongside that title defense, Everton captured the IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship in 2024, further asserting his dominance across the lighter weight divisions on the international stage. A victory at the IBJJF American Nationals in 2024 continued to build his black belt résumé throughout that same year.

Everton also made his mark at JJ CON, winning the event in 2023 before placing third in the 2024 edition. Competing under the Atos banner, he has drawn on the resources and competitive infrastructure of one of the sport's most accomplished organizations to support his continued growth at the elite level. Back-to-back No-Gi World Championship titles in the opening years of his black belt career establish Everton Teixeira as one of the most accomplished young competitors in his division anywhere in the world.