Thalison Soares is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Photo: GRACIEMAG
The young Thalison Soares, 23 years old, has always stood out not only for his techniques, but also for the way he acts and thinks outside the box. His attitudes were contemplated with unprecedented feats right at the beginning of his career.
At blue, purple, and brown belt, the manauara was the only athlete in history to win the IBJJF Grand Slam, a feat reserved only for athletes who win the European, Pan-American, Brazilian, and World Championships in the same year.
Success led Thalison to undertake and, shortly after receiving his black belt in June 2019, he decided to set up his first Jiu-Jitsu school in Australia.
After three years working in the sport’s elite, with titles at the European, Pan, and No-Gi Worlds, Thalison decided to take another important step in his career. To fight his second World Championship, he packed his bags and traveled to Art of Jiu-Jitsu in California to learn from Guilherme and Rafael Mendes.
For Thalison, accumulating experiences to be a better athlete and a businessman requires dedication and new challenges.
“My biggest goal has always been evolution and that’s what I’m looking for. AOJ is a very professional team and they have everything they need to make good things happen. I’ve learned a lot since I got here. My academy in Australia is doing well, this exchange I’m doing at AOJ will also make my academy grow. I’m glad my students are supporting me. The Mendes do everything with excellence, and I’m here looking to learn and evolve”, highlights Thalison.
The champion also wants to learn new concepts to apply in his career not only as an athlete but as a person.
“I am here to learn not only how to win, but the behavior I need to deal with competitions and how to act, speak, walk… I want to excel at everything and I see that here at AOJ they are examples of this”, he says, before closing.
There, he has already won the IBJJF San Diego Open, the last tournament before the 2022 World Championship.
