Jose Carlos Sousa is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Julio César Pereira, as well as a former student of Juarez Soares and a member of the GF Team. At the turn of the 2010 decade Jose Carlos was regarded as one of the top grappling prospects in the world, a career that came to a halt due to Sousa's inability to earn a living from the sport. Sousa returned to jiu jitsu's international spotlight in 2017, in time to reestablish himself as a key player in the lightweight division.