Isaque Bahiense

Isaque Bahiense reached the 2018 middleweight world final after a run full of finishes: he choked Diego Ramalho with a north-south choke, submitted Pedro Palhares with a kneebar, beat Claudio Calasans by disqualification and edged Jaime Canuto on advantages after a 4-4. In the final he beat Tommy Langaker 2-0 and won the world title two years after getting his black belt.

He was born on December 10, 1995, in Bangu, in Rio’s west zone. Fábio Andrade gave him his first gi at around 10, and under him at Nova União in Bangu he won juvenile world titles in the gi and no-gi. In 2014 he spent a month at Alliance headquarters in São Paulo and later moved there with Andrade’s blessing. Under Fábio Gurgel and Michael Langhi he received his brown belt and, in December 2016, his black belt, the same year he won Worlds at brown.

After the title he won the 2019 Pans and Europeans and returned to the world final that year, losing to Gabriel Arges on advantages after a 2-2 and a late takedown by his opponent. From 2021 he competed for Dream Art, the project he leads, which includes talent such as Anna Rodrigues and has seen Erich Munis and Nicholas Meregali represent it at Worlds. He was world runner-up in 2021 at middleweight, losing the final 8-6 to Tainan Dalpra, and in 2022, now at medium-heavyweight, behind Leandro Lo.

In 2023 and 2024 he added two more medium-heavyweight bronzes at Worlds. In 2024 he beat Dory Aoun, Shane Fishman and Enderson Dias before Gustavo Batista submitted him with a kneebar in the semifinal. Since then he has focused on superfights and invitational events such as BJJ Stars, Majestic and Polaris, where he competed in 2026.