Victor Hugo Costa Marques

Victor Hugo Costa Marques was born on May 1, 1997, in Fortaleza, the capital of the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará. As a child, he sampled a broad range of sports — football, basketball, swimming, and judo among them — yet never found a strong connection with any of them. Hugo attributed this disconnect to a perceived lack of natural athleticism, a feeling that led him to step away from organized sports altogether during his early teens.

The turning point came in July 2011, when Victor's father noticed a new jiu-jitsu gym had opened in the very location where Hugo had once trained judo. His father joined the class and encouraged Victor to come along, and the two signed up together at Day Bu Kan Academy (DBK) under coach Ricardo Costa. Though Hugo did not take to the sport immediately, training alongside his father — who consistently pushed him to keep showing up — proved to be the anchor that kept him on the mats long enough for jiu-jitsu to reveal itself to him.

In an interview given to BJJ Heroes in June 2019, Hugo reflected on what ultimately drew him in: "What made me fall in love with jiu-jitsu was that it didn't require any natural skills or athleticism. I saw that, by coming to class and putting in the time, I was evolving, a little bit at a time." That merit-based progression — the understanding that hard work rather than innate talent determines growth — gave Hugo the identity in sport he had never previously found.

Building a Domestic Foundation

Victor Hugo's development as a competitor was swift and consistent. Before reaching purple belt, he had already secured two Brazilian National titles, establishing himself as one of the most promising up-and-comers on the domestic scene. His international breakthrough arrived in 2016 at the IBJJF World Championship, where he traveled to the United States for the first time and won both the weight and absolute divisions at purple belt — a dominant performance that announced him on the global stage.

A New Home at Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

His success at the 2016 Worlds opened a consequential door. While in California, Hugo was introduced to brothers Alexandre Ribeiro and Saulo Ribeiro through a mutual friend, Gustavo Dias. The meeting led to an offer Hugo could not refuse: a full scholarship at the University of Jiu-Jitsu, the Ribeiro Brothers' project built around the principles of the Bushido way of life. At the time, Hugo was studying nutrition in Brazil, but he chose to follow his competitive ambitions, joining Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu as a professional athlete in September 2016.

Colored Belt Dominance and Black Belt Promotion

The years that followed under the Ribeiro banner were defined by relentless success. Hugo accumulated six IBJJF World titles across purple and brown belt — four in the gi and two in no-gi — while also claiming multiple gold medals at the IBJJF European Open, Pan Championship, and CBJJ Brazilian Nationals. His run at brown belt culminated in a World Championship title in 2019, after which Saulo Ribeiro and Alexandre Ribeiro awarded him his black belt in June of that year, formally closing one chapter and opening another.

Seamless Transition to the Elite Level

Victor Hugo's transition to black belt competition was seamless. Competing in the Pesadíssimo division — super-heavyweight, for athletes over 100.5 kg (222 lbs) — he quickly established himself as one of the elite heavyweights of his generation. In 2019, he captured the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, signaling that his decorated colored belt résumé was no aberration but a reliable preview of things to come.

A Historic Run at the Highest Level

The years 2020 and 2021 further cemented his reputation. In 2020, Hugo claimed victories at both the 3CG Kumite 3 and Kumite 6 challenges, demonstrating his ability to compete across multiple submission grappling formats. In 2021, he delivered one of the most complete competitive seasons in recent super-heavyweight history: IBJJF World Champion, IBJJF Pan Champion, and IBJJF Grand Prix winner, all within the same calendar year — while also finishing as runner-up at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship.

Three-Time World Champion

Hugo defended his IBJJF World gi title in 2022 and again in 2023, becoming a three-time IBJJF World Champion at black belt. The 2022 and 2023 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships also saw him reach the final, making him a two-time runner-up in that format and confirming his elite standing across both gi and no-gi competition. In 2023, competing under the banner of Six Blades Association, Hugo added a CBJJ Brazilian Nationals title, extending his record of success across all major IBJJF-sanctioned events.