Sousa's years at the DDR academy under Juarez Soares produced a string of results that established him as one of Brazil's most compelling young grappling prospects. He claimed CBJJ Brazilian National Championship titles at the juvenile blue belt level in both 2005 and 2006 — an early signal that his trajectory was pointed toward the elite.
His purple belt years brought further confirmation. Back-to-back IBJJF Rio International Open titles in 2008 and 2009, combined with a CBJJ Brazilian National Championship in 2008, demonstrated consistent dominance across major events. At the 2008 IBJJF Pan American Championship, Sousa reached the final at purple belt and earned a runner-up finish — a result that underscored how close he was to the very top of the division. He also finished runner-up in the Absolute division at that same event, showcasing his ability to compete effectively across weight classes.
Joining GF Team
A pivotal turning point arrived in 2009, when Sousa received an invitation to compete alongside GF Team — then known as Universidade Gama Filho (UGF) — at the Brazilian Team Nationals. The invitation came through friendships he had cultivated within the team. What struck him during the preparation process was the level of professionalism with which GF Team approached competition. That experience convinced him to formally join the Meier-based academy. The team tournament yielded a runner-up finish at purple belt, and Sousa moved into the brown belt division with serious momentum.
Brown Belt Ascent
At brown belt, Sousa continued to accumulate hardware on the international circuit. A runner-up finish at the 2010 CBJJ Brazilian National Championship and a third-place result at the IBJJF Rio International Open that same year kept him firmly in the conversation among the sport's top lightweights. The arc of his brown belt career reached its peak at the 2011 IBJJF World Championship, where he earned a runner-up finish on one of the sport's most competitive stages. Shortly after that performance, Julio César Pereira promoted Sousa to black belt in 2011 — a recognition of years of elite-level development that had culminated in a world-class result.