Tarcisio Santos

Tarcisio Damasceno Santos was born in September 2006 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, and raised in Senhor do Bonfim — a city in the interior of Bahia where sport formed the backbone of daily life. Like many Brazilian children, Santos grew up devoted to football, spending his formative years on the pitch before jiu-jitsu redirected his path. At age 9, a gym opened near his home, and the proximity proved transformative. Santos stepped onto the mats for the first time and quickly found a discipline that would come to define him.

His first instructor, Marcos Wolf, introduced him to the art under the Nova União banner, guiding him through his earliest competitive experiences in local kids' divisions. As Santos's skills sharpened, he began training under Vugner Silva, who recognized his potential and promoted him to blue belt — the first formal milestone in what would become a rapid ascent through the colored belt ranks.

The pivotal chapter in Santos's development began when, as a juvenile blue belt, he traveled to the United States to train with Marcio André. The experience ignited his ambition to pursue a professional BJJ career. André, himself affiliated with Nova União, took Santos under his wing and guided him through every remaining colored belt promotion — from blue through brown.

Lineage and Tradition

Santos's lineage traces through the distinguished Oswaldo Fadda branch of Brazilian jiu-jitsu: Luiz França > Oswaldo Fadda > Sebastião Ricardo > Wendell Alexander > Daniel Almeida > Fábio Andrade > Marcio André > Tarcisio Santos. This lineage connects him to one of the most historically significant lines in BJJ — the Fadda tradition that helped democratize jiu-jitsu beyond Rio de Janeiro's elite academies and spread it to communities across Brazil.

In December 2025, Santos received his black belt in one of the sport's most symbolic settings: on the podium of the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, moments after winning the brown belt world title. The promotion captured the trajectory of an athlete who had earned every step on the way up. Santos competes under the MAJJ Association (Marcio Andre Jiu-Jitsu) banner on the IBJJF circuit, while maintaining ties with early mentors Vugner Silva and Marcos Wolf, whose guidance laid the technical and competitive groundwork for his rise.

Juvenile Career

Before reaching the black belt, Santos established himself as one of the most decorated young competitors in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His juvenile career peaked in 2023 with a string of dominant performances across the major IBJJF and CBJJ calendars. At the 2023 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, he claimed double gold in the juvenile division — winning both the weight and absolute titles. He followed that with a gi world title at the 2023 IBJJF World Championship and a No-Gi pan title at the 2023 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship, cementing his status as the standout juvenile athlete of that competitive cycle. His CBJJ Brazilian Nationals record during the same period reflected the same dominance: gold in both weight and absolute in 2023, and an absolute title in 2022 alongside a runner-up finish at weight.

Colored Belt Progression

Transitioning into the colored belt divisions, Santos carried his momentum forward without missing a beat. He earned bronze at the IBJJF Worlds in the gi at purple belt and posted back-to-back podium finishes at the IBJJF Pan Championship in 2024 and 2025. The culmination of his colored belt career arrived at the 2025 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, where he captured the brown belt world title — a performance that earned him an immediate black belt promotion from Marcio André on the podium.

San Jose Winter Open: Testing the Waters

Santos entered the black belt ranks across the 2026 IBJJF Open season, quickly demonstrating that his colored belt dominance was no aberration. He opened the year at the 2026 IBJJF San Jose Winter Open in the middleweight division, showing flashes of his potential against more experienced black belts. He defeated Mateus Moraes by points in the round robin before falling to Pablo Lavaselli in the weight final, 4×2 — a narrow, competitive loss against an established competitor. In the absolute, he submitted Nick Greene with a choke from the back before dropping a tight advantage decision to Fran Papasidero in the quarterfinals.

Los Angeles Winter Open: First Major Statement

At the 2026 IBJJF Los Angeles Winter Open, Santos regrouped and delivered a commanding performance in the 76KG bracket, defeating Guilherme Fernandes by advantage, Daniel Sathler by points (6×2), and Eduardo Granzotto in the final (4×2) to claim gold. He pushed equally deep into the absolute, defeating Nick Greene by armbar, Thiago Saboia by points (4×2), and Jonnatas Gracie by points (4×0), before defeating Granzotto again in the absolute final (4×0) — a performance that underlined his competitiveness across weight classes.

Albuquerque Open: Double Gold and Complete Dominance

Santos saved his most complete performance of the early season for the Albuquerque Open, where he claimed double gold across the 76KG and absolute divisions. In the weight bracket, he defeated Israel Sousa by points (5×0). In the absolute, he submitted Oilson Alvim with a triangle before earning a referee decision victory over Francisco Papasidero in the final — a hard-fought result that showcased his ability to grind out wins against varied styles under pressure.

Orange County Winter Open and Season Summary

Santos continued his campaign at the 2026 IBJJF Orange County Winter Open, advancing through the 76KG bracket with an armbar finish over Joao Bastos and a points victory (2×0) over Mateo Cardona. Across the 2026 open season, Santos accumulated five gold medals, establishing himself as one of the most consistent lightweight threats on the IBJJF circuit. His overall black belt record through the period stood at 14 wins and 2 losses — both defeats coming by the slimmest of margins, one on points and one on an advantage.

Santos is a well-rounded competitor, and his results across positions and submission families bear that out. The majority of his black belt victories — 57% — come by points, reflecting a style built on positional control, structured scoring exchanges, and the ability to dictate both the tempo and direction of a match. Rather than relying on a single position or sweep sequence, his game operates through consistent pressure and a capacity to accumulate advantages over the full duration of a match.

At the same time, Santos carries a credible submission threat, finishing 29% of his black belt opponents — a rate that prevents rivals from conceding position passively and waiting out a decision. His most-used submission is the armbar, accounting for two of his four finishing victories, though his record also includes a choke from the back and a triangle. These finishes span different positional contexts — guard, back control, and top game — signaling comfort across the full competitive range and making him difficult to neutralize through anticipation alone.

His willingness to enter the absolute division at events where he already competes at lightweight speaks to physical durability and competitive confidence. The two losses on his early black belt record — both against senior competitors Pablo Lavaselli and Fran Papasidero at the San Jose Winter Open, and both decided by the slimmest margins — reflect the natural calibration of a young athlete stepping into the sport's most competitive division for the first time, rather than any systemic weakness in his game.