Thamires Aquino

Born on September 6, 1994, in São Paulo, Brazil, Thamires Aquino developed a connection to martial arts early in life that would define her path forward. At 11, she began training capoeira — the Afro-Brazilian art form that weaves fluid movement, rhythm, and combat into a single discipline — building the body awareness and competitive instincts that would later translate seamlessly to the jiu-jitsu mats.

At 14, she stepped into her mother's gym in São Paulo and began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the first time. Her first coach, André Ricardo da Silva, recognized her potential quickly and awarded her the blue belt, marking the formal beginning of what would become one of the most decorated careers in women's jiu-jitsu.

Building the Foundation

Thamires Aquino's rise through the belt ranks was driven by competitive excellence and a deliberate pursuit of elite training environments. After earning her blue belt under André Ricardo da Silva, she made her first significant move by joining Cia Paulista, where training under Max Trombini accelerated her development and earned her the purple belt.

From São Paulo to Rio — and to Black Belt

Seeking further growth, Thamires relocated from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro and joined GF Team under the guidance of Júlio César. The move proved transformative. Her technical evolution at GF Team was swift and decisive — she received her brown belt on June 3, 2015, and her black belt on June 6, 2016, both promotions coming within roughly twelve months at the same academy.

A Decorated Colored Belt Career

Long before reaching black belt, Thamires had already established herself as an exceptional competitor. As a blue belt, she won multiple IBJJF São Paulo Open titles and claimed gold at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals in 2013. At purple belt, she captured the 2015 IBJJF World Championship, the 2015 CBJJ South American Championship, and the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals. At brown belt, she added another IBJJF World Championship title and a second CBJJ Brazilian Nationals gold in 2016. She arrived at the black belt level as one of the most accomplished colored belt competitors of her era.

An Immediate Statement at Black Belt

Few athletes have made as immediate an impact upon receiving a black belt as Thamires Aquino. Within six months of her June 2016 promotion, she had already claimed two prestigious titles in the rooster weight division (Peso Galo, 48.50 kg / 107.0 lbs): the 2016 CBJJ South American Championship and the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro. The results announced her as an elite-level force at the highest tier of women's competition.

Sustained Excellence Across Circuits

Thamires carried that momentum through the seasons that followed. In 2017, she won the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals, the UAEJJF Bento Gonçalves Pro, and the IBJJF Rio Fall Open, while reaching the podium at both the IBJJF World Championship and the IBJJF European Open. Her consistency across IBJJF, CBJJ, and UAEJJF circuits against the deepest fields in women's rooster weight competition underscored the versatility and reliability of her game. In 2020, she added the UAEJJF Grand Slam Miami title to her record, demonstrating that her competitive drive remained sharp across different seasons and formats.

World Champion

Her career reached its defining moment when she was crowned IBJJF World Champion in 2024 — the most coveted title in sport jiu-jitsu — a culmination of more than a decade of dedication to the craft under the GF Team banner. Thamires Aquino's sustained excellence across multiple competitive eras firmly establishes her as one of the defining female competitors of her generation.