Thamara Ferreira

Thamara Ferreira went a full year without competing and reappeared at the toughest tournament on the calendar. Three matches later she was a three-time medium-heavyweight world champion. The athlete from Suzano, Brazil, did it the way that has become her trademark in finals: a scoreless board, constant pressure and a win on advantages.

Her three black belt titles came in a row, all at medium-heavyweight, in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Before moving up a division she was already near the top at middleweight, with silver at the 2021 Worlds and bronze in 2022 and 2023. She also has a brown belt world title, from 2019.

Thamara Ferreira Silva was born in Suzano, in Greater São Paulo, Brazil, on November 26, 1995. She grew up in Itaquaquecetuba, did artistic gymnastics until age 12 and played soccer before finding Jiu-Jitsu, at 16, in free classes. Her first coach was Marco Barbosa. She later left law school to focus on the sport.

She got her black belt from Cícero Costha in June 2019, at age 23. That season, still a brown belt, she won Worlds, the World Pro and Europeans, the last one with gold in her weight class and the open class.

She has been with several teams since then. She joined Guigo JJ in August 2020 and Caio Terra Academy in 2023. By 2024 she was competing for Fratres, where she won her first two world titles. In 2026 she began representing UAE Jiu-Jitsu Team.

Her last two Worlds finals were against Ingridd Alves and ended the same way: 0-0 on the scoreboard and a win for Thamara on advantages. The most recent one was 3-1. To get there she beat Maria Malyjasiak 12-0 and Izadora Cristina 9-2. According to the IBJJF, she had not competed since the previous Worlds.