Thierry Felipe promises a war in his black belt debut at the Crown: “All the pressure is on them”
At 22, the Marcio André Jiu-Jitsu heavyweight will have his first match at his new rank on November 8 in Long Beach
At 22, Thierry Felipe will have his first match as a black belt at the IBJJF Crown 2026, set for November 8 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. The Marcio André Jiu-Jitsu heavyweight from Bahia, Brazil, is in the ultra-heavyweight bracket, and in an exclusive interview with VF Comunica he made it clear he has been waiting for this moment since his colored belt days.
“It will be a dream come true. I always believed this moment would come, and I will be ready to go to war. Since I was a purple belt, I already saw myself competing in the black belt division. I knew it was only a matter of time before I reached the elite,” he said.
“All the pressure is on them”
As a brand-new black belt, Thierry will face more experienced opponents in an invitation-only event. In his view, the pressure sits on the other side.
“That makes me want it even more. All the pressure is on them, because they’re going to see a new athlete showing up hungry,” he said.
Asked what fans can expect in Long Beach, the heavyweight kept it simple. “Fans can expect a lot of hunger and a real fight, no stalling. If I have to, I’ll be ready to go ten minutes nonstop.”
He also explained what the title would mean. “It would be life-changing and the crowning of everything I went through to get here.”
Twelve years from white to black belt
Thierry Felipe Alves Lima de Souza, known as Tche Tche, grew up in the São Gonçalo neighborhood of Salvador and started jiu-jitsu at age 10, in 2014. As a purple belt, already competing for Marcio André‘s team in Arizona, he won the European and World titles in 2025. As a brown belt, he won the 2026 Europeans, took silver at the Worlds and won both his weight class and the open class at the American Nationals.
Marcio André promoted him to black belt on September 8, 2026, twelve years after he first put on a white belt. A week later, the IBJJF announced him for the Crown. Known for a heavyweight game with fast guard passes, takedowns and submissions, Thierry moves like a much lighter athlete.
Do you think Thierry Felipe can pull off a surprise in his black belt debut? Let us know in the comments.
