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Pablo Silva

Pablo Silva became light-featherweight world champion in 2010 without fighting the final, after he and teammate Samuel Braga agreed the gold would be his.

Biography

Pablo Silva, a black belt from the city of Mariana in Minas Gerais, Brazil, became world champion at light featherweight in 2010 without fighting the final. He and his Gracie Barra teammate Samuel Braga had both reached it and agreed that the gold should go to Silva. It was his second year at black belt. He now heads an academy in Bellaire, Texas, that bears his name. Mariana and Belo Horizonte He was born Pablo da Silva Santos on October 17, 1986, in Mariana. He took up jiu-jitsu at 14 because of his brother, who had started training but had nobody light enough to train with. Pablo signed up to support him and never stopped. His first coach, Hussen, held a brown belt in jiu-jitsu and a black belt in judo, and cared more about judo. By purple belt, BJJ Heroes writes, Silva felt he had little more to learn from him technically, and he changed academies. When he first trained at Gracie Barra in Belo Horizonte, the state capital, the distance meant he could train only twice a week, and with no money for a hotel he often spent the night at the bus station. Later he moved to the city for good. There he trained under Marcelo Azevedo, known as Uirapuru, in a competition group that included Samuel Braga and a teammate known as Caloquinha. Silva and Braga both counted Vinicius Magalhães, known as Draculino, as their teacher, and Azevedo had himself been trained at Draculino's Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte. By 2010 Draculino headed Gracie Barra Houston, and he described the arrangement himself: Azevedo directed the training in Brazil while he was in America. Azevedo promoted Silva to brown belt, and as a brown belt he won his division at the 2008 Brazilian Nationals. Azevedo also gave him his black belt, at 21, and in 2009 Silva won both the European Championship and the Brazilian Nationals in the new rank. The 2010 world title The 2009 World Championship ended for him in the quarterfinals, against Gui Mendes. He talked about that defeat in two Graciemag articles after the 2010 title. In the English-language one, he called the loss controversial and said it had made him eager to return and win. In the Portuguese-language one, published a day later, he said he had gone into the match overconfident without imposing his own game, and had learned that a World Championship has no favorite, only the athlete who is best prepared. After that loss he changed his plans. He skipped the Brazilian Nationals in May 2010 and trained every day with Braga instead. In a December 2010 interview he said the two had trained together in the US, at Rômulo Barral's academy, and that he owed Braga a large part of the title. That season he also took silver at the European Championship and bronze at the Pan Championship. At the 2010 World Championship, aged 23, he met Daniel Beleza of SAS in the semifinal. Both men pulled guard, and both were penalized for stalling. Silva ended up on top, earned two advantages for nearly passing the guard and won by 3 advantages to 1. In the last seconds he began to cry with happiness. Braga also reached the final, and the two teammates agreed not to fight it. Because Silva had never won a world title, the gold was his; Braga told Graciemag that taking silver was his pleasure. Afterward Silva called the title a reward for his hard work, said Braga had helped him enormously and that they had worked for it together, and thanked Draculino and Azevedo. Draculino said he would personally have liked to see the two fight but left the decision to them. He described Silva as someone who trained "like a mad man" and practically lived at Gracie Barra BH, and he contrasted the teammates' styles: Braga had great speed, while Silva was strong, had very good guard positions and, once he had swept an opponent, applied top pressure that Draculino likened to a tractor. BJJ Heroes gives open guard as his favorite position. In September 2010 Silva won his division at the Asian Open in Tokyo by submitting both opponents. He choked his first opponent. In the ten-minute final he opened the scoring with a sweep, and near the end he went from an omoplata, a shoulder lock applied with the legs, to an armbar that ended the match. Roberto Massao, a Gracie Barra teacher who acted as his guide in Japan, told Graciemag that Silva's opponent in the final never scored a point or an advantage. Afterward Silva taught seminars in several towns around Nagoya, and he said Gracie Barra Aichi had given him a warm welcome. He told the magazine he planned to spend 2011 in the United States with Rômulo Barral, who he felt had a lot to teach him, and that he was seeking sponsorship for the European Open. Texas and Belo Horizonte In October 2011 Graciemag announced a superfight in Houston between Silva, still representing Gracie Barra, and Gustavo Carpio of Marra Senki at an event called Battle of the H-Town. In February 2012 he met Guilherme Mendes of Atos in the featherweight semifinals of the Houston Open, a match the magazine billed as a meeting of world champions. In a 2013 interview Silva said he had gone to live in Texas with Draculino, whom he called his master, and had learned a lot there while training less. By then he had been back in Brazil for six months and was training hard again at Gracie Barra in Belo Horizonte. At the 2013 Brazilian Nationals in Barueri, São Paulo, he won the light-featherweight division again. By his account he took three of his four matches by submission. In the final he was ahead 2–0 against Carlos Holanda of CheckMat, known as Esquisito, and waited for him to make a mistake before closing a triangle, a choke applied with the legs, six minutes in. Later that year, at the Atlanta Open, he was still competing for Gracie Barra when he passed Gustavo Carpio's guard with a leg drag, a pass in which the opponent's legs are pulled to one side, and then choked him in the featherweight final. Pablo Silva BJJ By 2016 Silva was competing for Pablo Silva BJJ. Under that name he won the black-belt light-featherweight title in the master 1 age division at the 2016 Pan Championship and at the World Master Championship in both 2016 and 2017, and the master 1 featherweight title at the 2016 American Nationals. The academy of that name, in the Houston area, offers classes for children from age three and for teenagers, gi and no-gi classes for adults, and a competition group for children. It also describes a program for homeschooled athletes: those who are approved can train seven to eight hours a day, do their schoolwork at the academy and become coaches for the children.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Pablo Silva', athlete profile (undated).(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes says that when Silva first joined Gracie Barra in Belo Horizonte, the long journey limited him to two sessions a week and he often slept at the bus station because he could not pay for a hotel; he later moved to the state capital for good.

      Where in the source: Biography, second paragraph — 'sleep at the bus station'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes describes Pablo Silva as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Marcelo Azevedo, who awarded him both his brown belt and his black belt, the black belt at age 21.

      Where in the source: Opening line and biography, third paragraph — 'by the hands of Azevedo'

      Accessed:

    • According to BJJ Heroes, Pablo Silva was born on 17 October 1986 in Mariana, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, and his full name is Pablo da Silva Santos.

      Where in the source: Profile header 'Full Name' and biography, first paragraph

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says Silva began jiu-jitsu at 14: his brother had started training but had no light training partners at the gym, so Pablo enrolled to support him and kept training from then on.

      Where in the source: Biography, first paragraph — 'light people to roll with'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes names Silva's first coach as Hussen, a jiu-jitsu brown belt and judo black belt whose main interest was judo; by purple belt Silva felt the coach had little more to teach him technically and changed academies.

      Where in the source: Biography, second paragraph, first two sentences (the first coach, Hussen)

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says that at Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte Silva trained under Marcelo 'Uirapuru' Azevedo in a strong competition group that included 'Caloquinha' and Samuel Braga.

      Where in the source: Biography, third paragraph — names 'Caloquinha' and Samuel Braga

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says Silva reached the top of the light-featherweight (pluma, 64 kg) division in his second year as a black belt by winning the 2010 World Championship, and lists open guard as his favourite position.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph and profile header 'Weight Division' / 'Favorite Position'

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2010 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship list Pablo Silva of Gracie Barra first in Adult / Black / Male / Light Feather, with Samuel Braga, also Gracie Barra, second.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'ADULT / BLACK / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER': 1 Pablo Silva, 2 Samuel Braga, both 'Gracie Barra'

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2009', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2009 Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship list Pablo da Silva Santos of Gracie Barra first in the adult male black-belt pluma (light-featherweight) division.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'ADULTO / PRETA / MASCULINO / PLUMA': 1 PABLO DA SILVA SANTOS, Gracie Barra

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2009', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2009 European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship list 'Pablo Santos' of Gracie Barra BH first in Adult / Black / Male / Light Feather.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'ADULT / BLACK / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER': 1 Pablo Santos, Gracie Barra BH

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2010 European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship list Pablo Silva of Gracie Barra second in Adult / Black / Male / Light Feather, behind Laercio Fernandes of Atos.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'ADULT / BLACK / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER': 1 Laercio Fernandes (Atos), 2 Pablo Silva (Gracie Barra)

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship list Pablo Silva of Gracie Barra third in Adult / Black / Male / Light Feather, where Holanda Vieira won and Caio Terra was second.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'ADULT / BLACK / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER': 1 Holanda Vieira, 2 Caio Terra, 3 Pablo Silva

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2008', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2008 Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship list 'Pablo da Silva' of Gracie Barra BH first in Adult / Brown / Male / Light Feather.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'ADULT / BROWN / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER': 1 Pablo da Silva, Gracie Barra BH

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Pablo Silva and Samuel Braga comment on gold at Worlds', 10 June 2010.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that Silva and his Gracie Barra teammate and friend Samuel Braga, who both trained under Professor Vinicius Draculino, reached the 2010 World Championship light-featherweight final and agreed not to fight it; Silva took the gold because he had never won a world title, and Braga said it was his pleasure to take silver.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph and paragraph on the final — 'By gentlemen's agreement'

      Accessed:

    • In his 2010 World Championship semi-final against Daniel Beleza of SAS, both men pulled guard and were penalised for not moving; Silva came out on top, scored two advantages for nearly passing, won 3 advantages to 1, and began to cry with happiness as time ran out.

      Where in the source: Paragraph on the semi-final against Daniel Beleza — 'began to cry with happiness'

      Accessed:

    • After the 2010 world title Silva called the win a reward for his hard work, said Samuel Braga had helped him greatly and that they had worked together for it, and thanked Professor Draculino and his instructor, Uirapuru.

      Where in the source: Silva's quote after the flag celebration — 'my instructor, Uirapuru'

      Accessed:

    • Draculino told Graciemag that Silva, a newcomer who had won the Brazilian Nationals but never the Worlds, trained 'like a mad man' and, in Draculino's words, lived in the academy at Gracie Barra BH, and that Professor Marcelo Uirapuru Azevedo ran the training in Brazil while Draculino was in America.

      Where in the source: Draculino's three quotes at the end of the article — 'trains like a mad man'

      Accessed:

    • Graciemag reported that Silva had lost in the quarter-finals of the 2009 World Championship, a loss he called controversial and which left him determined to come back and win in 2010.

      Where in the source: Fourth paragraph (Silva's 2009 Worlds loss) — 'controversial'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Dracu festeja título de Pablo e Samuel: “Até eu gostaria de ver a luta dos dois”', 11 June 2010 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that after losing to Gui Mendes in the 2009 World Championship quarter-finals, Silva changed his plan, skipped the May 2010 Brazilian Nationals and trained every day with Samuel Braga; Silva said he had gone into the 2009 match over-confident without imposing his game, and learned that at a World Championship there is no favourite, only the best-prepared athlete.

      Where in the source: Second and third paragraphs — 'excesso de confiança'; 'não lutar o Brasileiro'

      Accessed:

    • Draculino, head of Gracie Barra Houston, said he would personally have liked to see Silva and Braga fight the 2010 final but left the decision to them, and contrasted their styles: Braga's great speed against Silva's strength, very good guard positions and heavy top pressure after a sweep.

      Where in the source: Draculino's two quotes after the title paragraph — 'pressão de trator'

      Accessed:

    • Graciemag wrote in 2010 that Silva came from the city of Mariana and was a student of Marcelo Uirapuru, who had himself been trained at Draculino's Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte, and that Silva and Braga had trained together for several weeks before the Worlds.

      Where in the source: First and second paragraphs — 'aluno de Marcelo Uirapuru'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Pablo, light featherweight king of 2010 Worlds, looking forward to tough new opponents', 23 December 2010.(opens in a new tab)

    • In a December 2010 Graciemag interview Silva said 2010 had brought many injuries and results he felt were set back by refereeing, but stood out as the year of his world title; to prepare for the Worlds he stayed out of the Brazilian Nationals, went to the USA and trained a great deal with Samuel Braga at Rômulo Barral's academy, and he credited Braga with a big part of the title.

      Where in the source: First and second answers of the interview (the 2010 season; winning the world title)

      Accessed:

    • Silva told Graciemag he had been well received at Gracie Barra Aichi, taught seminars in several towns around Nagoya after the 2010 Asian Open, and planned to spend 2011 with Rômulo Barral in the USA, from whom he felt he could learn a lot, while looking for sponsorship to reach the European Open.

      Where in the source: Answers on the seminar trip and on the focus for 2011

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Pablo Silva wows crowd in Tokyo and holds seminars', 14 September 2010.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that Silva won his division at the Asian Open in Tokyo on 11-12 September 2010 by submitting both opponents: a choke in the first match and, after opening the scoring with a sweep, an armbar from the omoplata late in the ten-minute final; Gracie Barra teacher Roberto Massao, his guide in Japan, said no point or advantage was scored against him in the final.

      Where in the source: First three paragraphs — Roberto Massao's quote; 'armbar from the omoplata'

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'Asian Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2010 Asian Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship list Pablo Silva of Gracie Barra first in Adult / Black / Male / Light Feather.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'ADULT / BLACK / MALE / LIGHT FEATHER': 1 Pablo Silva, Gracie Barra; 2 Rayfan Barbosa

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Gustavo Carpio vs. Pablo Silva, this weekend in Houston', 26 October 2011.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag announced in October 2011 that Silva, representing Gracie Barra, would face Gustavo Carpio of Marra Senki in the superfight at the Battle of the H-Town event in Houston, Texas.

      Where in the source: Article body, second and third lines — 'Battle of the H-Town'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Watched Guilherme Mendes against Pablo Santos at Houston Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship yet?', 13 February 2012.(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that Pablo da Silva Santos of Gracie Barra met Guilherme Mendes of Atos in the featherweight semi-finals of the Houston Open in February 2012, calling it a battle of world champions.

      Where in the source: Article body — 'Houston Open featherweight semifinals'

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Pablo Silva e o triângulo em Esquisito: “Esperei o erro dele”', 1 May 2013 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • In a May 2013 Graciemag interview Silva said he had gone to live with his master Vinicius 'Draculino' Magalhães in Texas, where he learned a lot but trained less, and that he had been back in Brazil for six months, training hard again at Gracie Barra in Belo Horizonte.

      Where in the source: First answer of the interview — 'fui morar com meu mestre'

      Accessed:

    • Graciemag reported that Silva won the pluma division of the 2013 Brazilian Nationals in Barueri, São Paulo, with a triangle in the final against Carlos 'Esquisito' Holanda of CheckMat; Silva said he won three of his four matches by submission, led the final 2-0 and waited for Esquisito's mistake to close the triangle at six minutes. The magazine noted his golds at the Brazilian Nationals, the European and Asian championships and the 2010 Worlds.

      Where in the source: Introduction and second answer — 'esperei o erro do Esquisito'

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2013', official results (page marked 'Partial result').(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2013 Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship list Pablo da Silva Santos of Gracie Barra first in Male / Adult / Black / Light Feather (61.5 kg), with Carlos Vieira Holanda of CheckMat second.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT FEATHER (61.50KG)': 1 Pablo da Silva Santos, 2 Carlos Vieira Holanda

      Accessed:

  • Graciemag, 'Estude o legdrag e o estrangulamento no Jiu-Jitsu, com Pablo Silva no Atlanta Open', 3 September 2013 (Portuguese).(opens in a new tab)

    • Graciemag reported that at the Atlanta Open, held the weekend before its 3 September 2013 article, Silva, representing Gracie Barra, used a leg drag to pass Gustavo Carpio's guard and then choked him in the featherweight final.

      Where in the source: Article body, second paragraph — 'legdrag'

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2016', official results (page marked 'Partial result').(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2016 Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship list Pablo da Silva Santos of Pablo Silva BJJ first in Male / Master 1 / Black / Light Feather.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / LIGHT FEATHER (136.00LB)': 1 Pablo da Silva Santos, Pablo Silva BJJ

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2016', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2016 World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship list Pablo da Silva Santos of Pablo Silva BJJ first in Male / Master 1 / Black / Light Feather.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / LIGHT FEATHER (136.00LB)': 1 Pablo da Silva Santos, Pablo Silva BJJ

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017', official results.(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2017 World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship list Pablo da Silva Santos of Pablo Silva BJJ first in Male / Master 1 / Black / Light Feather, with Daniel Beleza G. de Andrade of SAS Team USA second.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / LIGHT FEATHER (141.60LB)': 1 Pablo da Silva Santos, 2 Daniel Beleza G. de Andrade

      Accessed:

  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 'American National Gi & Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2016', official results (page marked 'Partial result').(opens in a new tab)

    • The official results of the 2016 American National IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship list Pablo da Silva Santos of Pablo Silva BJJ first in Male / Master 1 / Black / Feather, with Gustavo Carpio Caceres of CheckMat second.

      Where in the source: Athletes results by category, 'MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / FEATHER (149.00LB)': 1 Pablo da Silva Santos, 2 Gustavo Carpio Caceres

      Accessed:

  • Pablo Silva Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, official academy website (home page).(opens in a new tab)

    • The academy website presents Pablo Silva Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Pablo Silva BJJ) in Bellaire, Texas, in the Houston area, as led by 2010 IBJJF World Champion Pablo Silva, with classes for children from age three, teens and adults (the adult classes cover gi and no-gi) and a competition group for children.

      Where in the source: Hero section — 'Led by 2010 IBJJF World Champion Pablo Silva'; Instagram section uses the name 'Pablo Silva BJJ'

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    • The academy website describes a programme in which approved homeschooled athletes can train seven to eight hours a day, do their independent schoolwork at the academy and become children's coaches.

      Where in the source: Section 'TRAIN LIKE A PRO ATHLETE' — 'train 7–8 hours a day'

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2010IBJJF World ChampionshipSource: en.wikipedia.org-64 kgGiVerified1st place-64 kgGiVerified

Lineage

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