Thamires Aquino

Thamires Aquino reached the Worlds podium five times as a black belt before she got to the top. She took bronze in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 and silver in 2023. In 2024 the GF Team athlete from São Paulo beat teammate Amanda Monteiro in the light-featherweight final, by split referee decision, and finally won the title.

Born in São Paulo on September 6, 1994, Thamires has a twin sister, Jhenifer, who is also a black belt. She did capoeira from age 11 and found Jiu-Jitsu at 14, at her mother’s gym. She trained under André “Garapa” Ricardo at blue belt and Max Trombini, at Cia Paulista, at purple belt, before moving to GF Team in Rio de Janeiro under Júlio César Pereira.

With GF Team she was a purple belt world champion, in 2015, and the brown belt runner-up, in 2016. Her black belt came on June 6, 2016, at age 21, and her first Worlds medal at the new rank came the following year, a bronze at light-featherweight.

She has moved between roosterweight and light-featherweight. Her 2018 and 2019 bronzes came at roosterweight, and from 2022 on she settled at light-featherweight. In 2023 she reached her first Worlds final and lost to Jessa Khan 8-6.

Her title run in 2024 included an armbar on Sayuri Batista in the quarterfinals and a win on advantages over Emily Nicholson in the semifinal before the final against Amanda. Later that year she also took bronze at No-Gi Worlds.

Since then she has not been back on the podium at the biggest IBJJF tournaments. Thamires lives in Arkansas and teaches at Overcome Jiu Jitsu, in Bentonville.