Thiago Sá Fortes Silva

Thiago Sá Fortes was born on March 5, 1990, in Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and grew up in the nearby town of Perdões. Before finding his calling on the mats, he built a broad athletic foundation through Karate, Capoeira, and football — a diverse sporting background that equipped him with the coordination, body awareness, and competitive instinct that competitive Jiu-Jitsu demands.

Thiago took his first steps in BJJ at 12, training under a purple belt named Cristiano. As his skills sharpened, he sought higher-level instruction, eventually moving on to train under Maximiliano Campos, who recognized his progress and awarded him his purple belt at 16. This pattern — actively pursuing better coaching at each stage of development — became a defining characteristic of his journey through the sport.

In 2012, with a brown belt and clear professional ambitions, Thiago made the pivotal decision to relocate to Rio de Janeiro. The move signaled a deliberate commitment to competing at the sport's highest levels and set the stage for the next chapter of his career.

Thiago's arrival in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 marked his entry into the Checkmat BJJ system, where he began training under Ricardo Vieira, one of Checkmat's key figures in the region. The transition to an elite competitive environment proved immediately productive, as Thiago's brown belt performances quickly established him among the sport's most promising talents.

His results at this level were championship-caliber. In 2012, he claimed gold in the absolute division at the IBJJF Rio Open, and in 2013 he won the IBJJF Brazilian Nationals at brown belt — a title that confirmed his readiness for the sport's highest division. These performances carried direct consequence: Ricardo Vieira awarded Thiago his black belt in January 2014, a promotion explicitly tied to the competitive excellence he had demonstrated throughout his brown belt career.

Entering the black belt ranks under the banner of Checkmat BJJ — one of the most decorated and internationally competitive teams in the sport — Thiago carried a track record that few competitors could match at the time of their promotion.

Immediate Impact at Black Belt

Thiago Sá Fortes wasted no time announcing himself at the black belt level. In 2014, his first year competing in the division, he won both the 2014 IBJJF European Open and the IBJJF Las Vegas Open — a remarkable double that demonstrated his ability to perform across multiple continents and competitive environments from the outset.

Building an Elite Résumé

He carried that momentum into 2015, adding the IBJJF Santa Cruz BJJ Pro and the IBJJF London Open to his record. That same year, he reached the final of the IBJJF World Championship No-Gi, finishing as runner-up and firmly establishing himself among the sport's elite no-gi competitors. The performance made clear that his success was not limited to any single format or geography.

Sustained Excellence Across Formats

Thiago continued to build his competitive résumé with a durability that separated him from many contemporaries. In 2017, he captured gold at the IBJJF European Open No-Gi. In 2018, he delivered arguably his most complete competitive season: winning the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi, earning third place in both the weight and absolute divisions at the World No-Gi Championship, and finishing as runner-up at the IBJJF Pan Championship No-Gi. Across gi and no-gi formats and multiple years at the top level, his international career reflects a sustained competitive quality that few athletes in his division have matched.

A Position Built for His Game

Thiago Sá Fortes identifies the Single Leg X-Guard as his favorite position, and the choice speaks directly to the technical identity he has built throughout his competitive career. The Single Leg X-Guard is a dynamic bottom position that generates powerful sweeping opportunities and direct entries into leg entanglements — a guard system that rewards mobility, timing, and spatial awareness over raw physicality.

Why It Works at the Highest Level

For a competitor in the Meio Pesado division (88kg/194lbs), the Single Leg X-Guard provides a particularly effective framework. It allows Thiago to off-balance and control larger opponents from the bottom while creating immediate offensive threats that demand a response. The position's capacity to transition fluidly into leg lock systems also reflects the broader evolution of high-level competition during his career — a period in which leg entanglement-based Jiu-Jitsu became central to the sport's top divisions.

The Foundation of His Success

His command of this guard system goes beyond stylistic preference — it represents the technical foundation upon which his international victories have been built. It also stands as one of the clearest expressions of the modern, position-oriented Jiu-Jitsu that Checkmat BJJ has long championed at the elite level.