Otávio Sousa and Furão, Gracie Barra legends, win gold again
The three-time world champion and the head instructor at GB’s Irvine headquarters took gold in the masters divisions at the IBJJF Orange County Fall Open
The IBJJF Orange County Fall Open in Costa Mesa, California, brought back two names that defined a generation at Gracie Barra on Saturday (Oct. 24). Three-time world champion Otávio Sousa and Philipe Della Monica, known as Furão, competed in the masters divisions and both left with gold.
Furão’s title got a spotlight on IBJJF’s own social media, which posted the video of his win. In the comments, fans who followed his career reacted the same way: “Classic!”
Furão wins three matches at master 3
Furão took the master 3 black belt lightweight title with three wins in one day. He got past Patrick Dooley of Carlson Gracie Team and Christopher Dolan of Unity Jiu-Jitsu, then beat Raul Aguilar of CSW in the final.
Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Furão earned his Gracie Barra black belt in 2005 and moved to California in 2007 without speaking English. He made his name on the U.S. circuit, took bronze at the No-Gi Worlds three times and, in 2011, beat Joel Tudor on his way to the American Nationals title. Today he is head instructor at Gracie Barra’s headquarters in Irvine, where he has worked with UFC champions such as Rafael dos Anjos and TJ Dillashaw.
Otávio Sousa keeps winning
Otávio won the master 2 black belt super-heavy division, beating Garrett Gunnar Jones of Carlson Gracie Team in the final. He is also entered in the division’s open class, which has not crowned a champion yet.
A three-time world champion at middleweight (2012, 2013 and 2016), Otávio also won the Pans four times and took silver at ADCC 2013. Since 2015 he has led Gracie Barra Huntington Beach, just a few miles from the Costa Mesa venue, and in 2024 he won the IBJJF Masters Worlds.
At the same event, Andy Murasaki won medium-heavy with two submissions, two weeks out from The Crown.
Do you remember a classic match from Otávio Sousa or Furão? Tell us in the comments.
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