Tiago Bravo

Tiago Bravo is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Muzio de Angelis, known not only for his work as a coach in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but also as one of the top featherweight competitors of his generation. This reputation was earned on the mats, through medals in important tournaments such as the Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship, the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals as well as the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam.

Tiago Bravo Biography

Full Name: Tiago Bravo dos Santos

Nickname: n/a

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Roberto Traven > Muzio Angelis > Tiago Bravo

Main Achievements:

• UAEJJF Dubai Pro Champion (2012)
• UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam London Champion (2016)
• UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship 2nd Place (2014)
• UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Abu Dhabi 2nd Place (2018)
• UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tokyo 2nd Place (2016)
• CBJJ Brazilian National No-Gi Championship 3rd Place (2011)
• UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship 3rd Place (2016)

Favorite Position/Technique: Armbar

Weight Division: Featherweight (70kg/154lbs)

Team/Association: Brasa Clube de Jiu Jitsu / UAEJJ Team – Al Ain

Tiago Bravo Biography

Tiago Bravo was born on September 30, 1986 in Petrópolis – Rio de Janeiro’s mountain region, not far from Itaípava the place where Helio Gracie settled in his old age.

Like many other children who grew up during the early 1990’s, Tiago became a fan of Jean Claude Van Damme’s action movies which sparked in him the interest for martial arts. Due to those same films, Bravo tried to pursue karate at the age of 10, but instead (fearing the punching and kicking) his parents opted to enrol Tiago in jiu jitsu, seeing in grappling the perfect combination of a workout with a self defence foundation.

Tiago’s first steps in jiu jitsu were guided by José Roberto, who promoted the young athlete up until his orange belt. Just before his blue belt, Bravo joined Adalberto de Souza, also known as “Buda” (Buddha in Portuguese). A well known coach who led Tiago Bravo to brown belt.

Always seeking the best environment for his evolution in a grappling context, Tiago added judo to his training activities, reaching the grade of purple belt in the Japanese art of throwing.

As a brown belt, Tiago joined the Brasa Clube de Jiu Jitsu, a prestigious academy, where his tuition was taken by the prestigious Muzio de Angelis. It was Muzio who eventually promoted Bravo to black belt on the 19th of December, 2009.

Tiago had always dreamt of making a living from jiu jitsu, and in 2012 that opportunity arose through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plan to introduce BJJ as a subject in the country’s school system. At the time Bravo was finishing his Physical Education degree and didn’t speak a word of english, but still decided to apply for the job. The job interview took place on a luxurious hotel in Copacabana, where Bravo’s skills shined well above the language barrier.

Once in the UAE, Tiago’s talent was proven as a coach and as a competitor, with several medals in the UAEJJF circuit.

Tiago Bravo @Asian Cup

Tiago Bravo vs “Mosquito” @Abu Dhabi cup