Professor Otavio Sousa - 3rd Degree Black Belt of Gracie Barra

Otavio Sousa is a 3rd-Degree BJJ black belt under the legendary coach Carlson Gracie Jr. He made a name for himself as a highly-skilled middleweight player in the grappling art by having 6 world titles (3x black belt) and 4x Pan American titles, solidifying his place among the top-tier BJJ champions. The incredible breakdown of every move and technical skill of Otavio Sousa helped him in outperforming some of the elite competitors, including Matheus Luna, Matheus Diniz, and Gabriel Almeida. He is known as "The Steamroller" among his students due to his unique and aggressive style on the mat.

Otavio Sousa was born in a small rural town in Brazil called “Recife” in the summer of 1986.  

He was introduced to the world of Jiu-Jitsu at the tender age of thirteen in 1999 when one of his friends invited him to participate in grappling classes at Recife’s Gracie Barra Headquarters. At his first Jiu-Jitsu academy, Otavio Sousa got the chance to train under the legendary mentorship of Jose Olimpio, credited with producing standouts of Jiu-Jitsu including Victor Estima, Braulio Estima, and Bruno Elves.

Otavio Sousa was inspired by the Gracie grappling styles and teaching method that urged him to turn his way to America and train with the Gracie family. Under the coaching of Carlson Gracie Jr. he quickly established himself as a formidable grappler in the world of Jiu-Jitsu. 

Otavio Sousa's impressive fighting record made him an inspiration and rising grappler. He won the 2007 IBJJF World Championship and many other national and international championships. Carslon Gracie Jr. awarded him with black belt in recognition of his remarkable performance on the international ground.

Around 2008, Otavio Sousa was invited to join theGracie Barra Academy in Irvine, California as head instructor. He accepted the offer and under the leadership of the instructor Chris Pizzo, he trained top-level talent to perform in international competitions. This position increased his responsibilities for teaching classes but proved to further diversify his reputation as an outstanding coach and grappler.

After a controversy with the owner of Gracie Barra Irvine, Otavio decided to depart his way. He subsequently joined Gracie Barra Huntington Beach where he continued his coaching and played a pivotal role in nurturing top talent within the organization.

Otavio Sousa has an impressive record of 118-53 in his professional grappling career. Throughout his 15-year grappling career, he competed across five weight categories, showcasing his technical versatility and adaptability in Jiu-Jitsu. However, out of 117, he secured 57 submission victories which are the testaments of his excellency in the world of grappling. 

Otavio Sousa has consistently demonstrated his unwavering commitment and determination to achieve excellence in his professional career. His hard work and mastery approach earned him a place in the upper echelon of grappling art.

In the quarterfinal of the 2020 Pan American Champion, the highly acclaimed three-time world champion, Otavio Sousa, faced off against Joseph Watson. It is worth noting that Sousa, who has spent the majority of his illustrious professional career competing in the middleweight division, was competing in the medium heavyweight division in this particular bout.

The bout started with Watson assuming an aggressive posture, employing his prompt guard to control Sousa through an under-leg lock. Despite this, Sousa relied on his exceptional strategic prowess, which has become synonymous with his name in the griping sport. He executed sweep and passed the guard maneuvers with great precision. Through his methodical performance, Sousa was able to establish a dominant half guard position, which Watson struggled to escape. However, Sousa's strong grip and pressure on Joseph’s stomach nullified all Watson’s attempts to gain the dominant position.

As this interesting bout progressed, Sousa transitioned into an armbar that forced Joseph Watson to tap.

The eliminator round of the 2017 World Championship featured a highly anticipated matchup between Otavio Sousa, a former world champion who had claimed his first title in 2012, and Lachlan Giles.

At the outset of the bout, Otavio Sousa wasted no time in assuming a close guard position, demonstrating his technical acumen and tactical prowess. After that, Sousa made a seamless transition from guard to the mount position, where he began to apply immense relentless pressure to Lachlan Giles' torso. Despite valiant efforts to resist Sousa's onslaught, Giles eventually succumbed to the pressure, leading to a submission via mounted choke.

The eliminator round of the 2016 World Championship showcased a highly anticipated middleweight bout between Otavio Sousa and Santeri Lilius representing Gracie Barra. Both grapplers demonstrated a fierce determination to dominate their opponent making for an enthralling matchup.

At the start of the bout, Sousa established a strong close-guard grip around Santeri Lilius, but Lilius demonstrated impressive offensive and defensive skills to successfully pass Sousa's guard. However, after a while, Sousa persisted and secured full back control over Lilius. Sousa executed a back choke by displaying his elite grappling techniques, leading to a submission victory over Lilius.

Otavio Sousa v Pedro Thiago / Brazilian National 2017

Otavio Sousa v Anderson Lira / Brazilian National 2017

Otavio Sousa v Mansher Khera / World Championship 2017

Otavio Sousa v Matheus Diniz / World Championship 2021

Photo Credit: @otaviosousagbhb