Thalison Vitorino Soares
“Little Miyao”
Source: flograppling.comBrazilian roosterweight with an IBJJF world title at every coloured rank, the 2022 Worlds, and a gym of his own in Australia.
Biography
Sources for this profile
FloGrappling, «'Little Miyao' Thalison Soares Will Fight IBJJF Pans At Purple Belt», av Hywel Teague, 14.03.2017.(opens in a new tab)
FloGrappling gives his date of birth as 21 May 1999.
Where in the source: Born on May 21, 1999 Soares won gold in the blue belt light featherweight division at the recent IBJJF European Championships.
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FloGrappling ran the nickname 'Little Miyao' in its 2017 headline about him.
Where in the source: 'Little Miyao' Thalison Soares Will Fight IBJJF Pans At Purple Belt - FloGrappling
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FloGrappling had named him its Prospect of the Year for 2016; in March 2017 he was about to enter his first event wearing a purple belt.
Where in the source: 2016 FloGrappling Prospect of the Year Thalison Soares will compete in his first tournament as a purple belt this week at the IBJJF Pans. Mar 14, 2017 by Hywel Teague
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Those Europeans were his first outing among adults; until then he had entered as a teenager, taking the juvenile 2 blue belt title at light featherweight in the 2016 Worlds.
Where in the source: The Euros were his first competition in the adult ranks, as he had competed until then as a juvenile (teen), winning the blue belt juvenile 2 light featherweight division at the IBJJF 2016 Worlds.
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Cícero Costha put him into the purple belt roosterweight bracket at the 2017 Pans at short notice; Soares said the call came while he was in New York and that the belt itself would follow once he was back in Brazil.
Where in the source: I was in New York and my teacher said to put me to fight at purple already, and he'll do the promotion when I get back to Brazil.
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TATAME, intervju av Yago Rédua, 11.01.2021; lest via Internet Archive-kopi 18.07.2024.(opens in a new tab)
A TATAME piece published on 11 January 2021 says he would turn 22 the following May, which places his birth in May 1999.
Where in the source: Ainda jovem – completará 22 anos em maio deste ano -, Thalison contou que um dos principais objetivos que tinha era empreender o quanto antes.
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By January 2021 he had been in Australia more than a year and had opened his gym jointly with a partner.
Where in the source: Há mais de um ano na Austrália, o amazonense fincou raízes no país da Oceania e abriu sua academia em parceria com um sócio.
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TATAME's headline has him opening the gym at twenty-one.
Where in the source: Thalison Soares finca raízes na Austrália e abre a própria academia aos 21 anos: 'Me considero um empreendedor de sucesso' - TATAME
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In January 2021 the gym had been open only a few months, and he had run it through the pandemic restrictions almost from the day it opened.
Where in the source: Com poucos meses de academia aberta, Thalison teve que enfrentar os problemas da crise sanitária do novo coronavírus.
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As a black belt he had by then won the Moscow Grand Slam and the No-Gi Worlds.
Where in the source: Já na faixa preta, o amazonense foi campeão do Grand Slam de Moscou e do Mundial No-Gi.
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ONE Championship, «BJJ World Champions Lucas Pinheiro, Thalison Soares Sign With ONE Championship», av Jay Furness, 13.07.2023.(opens in a new tab)
ONE Championship refers to him as Brazilian and dates his black belt, awarded by Cícero Costha, to 2019.
Where in the source: After earning his black belt from Cicero Costha in 2019, the Brazilian made an instant impact at the top level.
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ONE Championship records that he won IBJJF World titles at every coloured belt rank.
Where in the source: winning the IBJJF World Championships at every level, as well as many other accolades.
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He won the IBJJF Worlds in 2022 and lost the 2023 final to Lucas Pinheiro, in the 127-pound roosterweight class.
Where in the source: Then in 2022, he took the IBJJF World Championship and only came up short in defending it against Pinheiro in the 2023 final. That battle was fought at 127 pounds, IBJJF’s roosterweight division
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In July 2023 ONE Championship announced that he and Lucas Pinheiro had both signed to its submission grappling roster.
Where in the source: Lucas Pinheiro and Thalison Soares recently put pen to paper on new deals that will see them bring their elite skills to the world’s largest martial arts organization.
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ONE gives Manacapuru as his birthplace and puts him on the Mendes brothers' squad, Art of Jiu-Jitsu, coached by Rafael and Guilherme.
Where in the source: Soares, who was originally born in Manacapuru, represents the famous Art of Jiu-Jitsu team under Rafael and Guilherme Mendes.
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GracieMag, «Thalison Soares e a importância de empreender no Jiu-Jitsu», intervju, 09.06.2021 (foto Vitor Freitas).(opens in a new tab)
He has described a single-room house he shared with his mother and two sisters, on the bank of an igarapé.
Where in the source: Morava em uma casa de um cômodo só com a minha mãe e minhas duas irmãs, ao lado de um igarapé
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When it rained, he said, the water came up under the floor and they could not leave; he set that against the life he has now.
Where in the source: Quando chovia, a água subia até bater na parte inferior da casa, não podíamos sair. Hoje em dia tenho uma vida muito melhor.
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In his own telling he was living in Caviana, in the Amazonas interior, and went to live with his mother in Manaus at eleven, after his father died.
Where in the source: Eu morava em Caviana, no interior do Amazonas, mas fui morar com a minha mãe em Manaus aos 11 anos, por conta do falecimento do meu pai.
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In Manaus, friends who lived near him were already training through a social project.
Where in the source: Lá em Manaus, eu tinha uns amigos que moravam perto da minha casa e que já treinavam Jiu-Jitsu através de um projeto social.
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He traces his head for business back to childhood: after his parents separated he lived with his father in Amazonas and worked at the fruit stall his father kept.
Where in the source: Meus pais se separaram quando eu era pequeno e eu fui morar com meu pai no Amazonas. Ele tinha uma banca de frutas e eu sempre trabalhei lá, com isso passei a ter uma noção básica de gestão financeira bem cedo.
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Melqui Galvão, whom he already trained alongside in Manaus, was affiliated to Cícero Costha and put him in touch; that contact took him to São Paulo.
Where in the source: Na época, o Melqui era filiado ao Cícero e tinha o contato dele, então me ofereceu para ir treinar lá. Fiz o contato com o professor e acabei indo para São Paulo, para iniciar a minha carreira.
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In mid-2021 GracieMag had him competing for Braus Fight and teaching at a gym in Byron Bay.
Where in the source: Atleta da Braus Fight , Thalison Soares hoje é professor em uma academia em Byron Bay
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His first trip to Australia was an invitation to train, taken just after he had won the purple belt Worlds with a hurt knee; he says he competed barely able to walk.
Where in the source: Na minha primeira visita, fui convidado para treinar aqui. Tinha acabado de ganhar o Mundial na faixa-roxa e tinha machucado o joelho. Lembro, inclusive, que lutei quase sem conseguir andar.
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GracieMag puts the move to Australia directly after his black belt run at the 2020 Europeans, and says the point was to work as a gym owner as well as a competitor.
Where in the source: Thalison decidiu se radicar em terras australianas logo após sua campanha no Europeu 2020 como faixa-preta. A intenção era de buscar seu caminho pela arte suave não só como competidor, mas como gestor de academia.
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He already had a business partner there, a purple belt who trains for pleasure rather than competition, and the two had been planning a gym together.
Where in the source: Já tinha um sócio aqui e já planejava abrir uma academia junto com ele. Ele treina Jiu-Jitsu, é faixa-roxa, mas não almeja competições, é um hobby.
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He says he only learned to speak English once he had moved there for good, in 2020.
Where in the source: Sobre o inglês, só aprendi a falar quando me mudei definitivamente para cá, em 2020.
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Before the pandemic he was entering fifteen events a year, more than one a month.
Where in the source: Antes da pandemia, eu competia quinze vezes por ano, ou seja, mais de um evento por mês.
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With the calendar stopped he left his strong positions alone and drilled the weak ones instead, and says that is what filled out his game.
Where in the source: Com a pandemia e o hiato nas competições, eu parei de treinar os meus pontos fortes e comecei a trabalhar os pontos fracos. Meu Jiu-Jitsu deu um salto nesse período porque eu passei a focar nas coisas que eu não era bom e agora elas complementam o meu jogo.
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Unlike himself as a competitor, he notes, his gym carries no affiliation, so it rests entirely on his own work.
Where in the source: Vale também lembrar que, diferentemente de mim enquanto atleta, a minha academia não possui filiação, então eu preciso me dedicar bastante para que seja bem sucedida.
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Writing in mid-2021 he said the unusual choice had let him buy his mother a new house the year before.
Where in the source: Por conta do meu ponto de vista diferente, eu pude comprar uma casa nova para minha mãe no ano passado.
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BJJ Fanatics Brasil, spørsmål-og-svar-intervju, 22.12.2018.(opens in a new tab)
By his own account he first trained at nine, on an invitation from friends, kept it up for only six months, then moved to another city with his father and spent three years off the mat.
Where in the source: Eu comecei treinar Jiu Jitsu muito novo, com 9 anos de idade, comecei por convite de amigos, treinei por um período muito curto de 6 meses pois tive que morar em outra cidade com o meu pai, com isso acabei ficando 3 anos sem treinar
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The gym he had trained at had shut; an old training partner told him a social project had started up in his backyard, and at first he stayed away.
Where in the source: ele havia falado que a academia onde treinávamos havia fechado, mas que tinha aberto um projeto social no quintal da casa dele, na época eu ainda estava bem empolgado mas chateado pelo o que tinha acontecido com a academia, e acabei resistindo.
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He went back to it after running into more of his old training partners at that project.
Where in the source: Depois de um certo tempo encontrei outros velhos amigos de treino, eles também estavam treinando no projeto social, acabei ficando convencido e resolvi voltar ao Jiu Jitsu.
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He trained mornings and evenings, going straight from the gym to school and back again.
Where in the source: Eu treinava na parte da manhã e a noite, minha rotina era da academia para a escola e da escola para academia
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His mother came by the gym on her way home from work each evening to watch the last session and walk him home.
Where in the source: quando minha mãe voltava do trabalho a noite, ela sempre ia na academia assistir meu último treino e me levava para casa, isso todos os dias.
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He first asked to make a living from the sport at fourteen, and his mother said no.
Where in the source: eu era muito novo, tinha 14 anos de idade, pedi minha mãe e como era de se esperar ela não deixou.
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In a 2018 interview he credited the same friend with speaking to Cícero Costha about him and talking his mother round until she agreed.
Where in the source: um amigo chamado Melqui Galvão disse que poderia me ajudar a realizar esse sonho, e que me ajudaria a ir para a equipe do Cícero Costha em São Paulo, ele me ajudou, falou com o mestre Cícero sobre mim, conversou com minha mãe e ela me deixou ir
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The fare was paid for him, and in January 2015 he moved to São Paulo to live and train.
Where in the source: Ele também me ajudou com a passagem, sou muito grato por isso, em Janeiro de 2015 eu fui morar e treinar em São Paulo.
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He was the only minor living there and had no way of earning; he says Cícero Costha found people to help and kept rice and beans on the table.
Where in the source: eu era o único menor de idade morando lá, não tinha amigos próximos, não tinha uma forma de fazer dinheiro para me manter, então o professor Cícero conseguiu algumas pessoas para me ajudar, ele conseguia arroz e feijão para gente
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He paid his own way into brackets by working the events themselves, laying out the mats in exchange for an entry.
Where in the source: Eu lutava quase todo fim de semana e também trabalhava nos eventos, eu trocava a inscrição do evento por trabalho, (montava os tatames) era a forma que eu fazia para conseguir lutar nos eventos.
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A United States visa was refused for a flight routed through the States, and only a last-minute offer of help got him onto his first trip abroad.
Where in the source: tentei tirar o visto porém foi negado, fiquei bem desanimado por não poder ir, mas de última hora apareceu uma pessoa para me ajudar, assim acabei fazendo minha primeira viagem internacional.
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The visa came through a week after his second CBJJ Brazilian title, and he went on to take his first World Championship in California in 2016.
Where in the source: Lutei o meu segundo Campeonato Brasileiro pela CBJJ e venci novamente, uma semana depois eu tentei o visto de novo e fui aprovado. Foi aí que consegui vencer meu primeiro Campeonato Mundial na Califórnia em 2016.
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He based his camps at Unity in New York, preparing there for the Pan, the Abu Dhabi World Pro, the Brazilian and the 2017 Worlds.
Where in the source: depois do Campeonato Europeu eu voltei novamente e fiz todos meus "Camps" na Unity, treinamos muito para o PanAmericano, World Pro em Abu Dhabi, Campeonato Brasileiro e o Campeonato Mundial em 2017
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At the end of 2018 he said he no longer knew where he lived: the purple belt Grand Slam had opened doors, and he was on the road constantly to compete and teach.
Where in the source: Eu não considero que moro nos EUA, na verdade eu não sei onde eu moro. Surgiram muitas oportunidades para mim depois que fiz meu Grand Slam de faixa roxa, então estou viajando muito, sempre lutando e dando seminários.
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Asked who he watched, he named Paulo and João Miyao.
Where in the source: Tenho muitas pessoas em que eu gosto de assistir lutar, mas sem dúvidas o Paulo e o João Miyao sempre foram grandes inspirações para mim.
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FloGrappling, «Thalison Soares Wins Four No-Gi Worlds Gold Medals At Four Belts», av Hywel Teague, 17.12.2019.(opens in a new tab)
He was given his black belt in June 2019, not long after taking the gi Worlds.
Where in the source: Soares was promoted to black belt in June of 2019, shortly after winning the World Championships in the gi.
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Across 2016 to 2019 he took No-Gi Worlds gold four years running, a rank higher each time: blue, then purple, then brown, then black.
Where in the source: Soares took gold at No-Gi Worlds as a blue, purple, brown, and black belt in consecutive years. From 2016 to 2019, he improved upon each previous year by winning gold in increasingly higher ranks.
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His first major title as a black belt came at the 2019 No-Gi Worlds, settled on points against Rodnei Barbosa.
Where in the source: With points win over two-time World silver medalist Rodnei Barbosa in the final, Thalison Soares won his first major black belt title at the 2019 World No-Gi Championships.
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He had finished both earlier opponents that day from the back, with a rear naked choke each time.
Where in the source: He submitted his first two opponents handily – both times taking the backs and sinking in rear naked chokes.
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FloGrappling filmed a five-part series following him through the 2019 gi season.
Where in the source: Watch our five-part series "The Path to Black Belt" featuring Thalison Soares as we followed him through the 2019 gi season
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TATAME, «Jiu-Jitsu: Thalison Soares faz camp com irmãos Mendes antes do Mundial e cita busca por 'excelência'», av Mateus Machado, 24.05.2022; lest via Internet Archive-kopi 02.07.2022.(opens in a new tab)
TATAME likewise puts the black belt in June 2019, and says that soon afterwards he decided to set up his first school in Australia.
Where in the source: O sucesso levou Thalison a empreender e logo após receber a faixa-preta, em junho de 2019, ele decidiu montar sua primeira escola de Jiu-Jitsu na Austrália.
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TATAME defines the IBJJF Grand Slam as taking the European, Pan-American, Brasileiro and Worlds inside the same year.
Where in the source: feito reservado apenas para atletas que venceram no Campeonato Europeu, Pan-Americano, Brasileiro e Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu no mesmo ano.
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Ahead of his second black belt Worlds he travelled to Art of Jiu-Jitsu in California to learn from Guilherme and Rafael Mendes.
Where in the source: Para lutar seu segundo Campeonato Mundial, ele arrumou as malas e viajou até a Art of Jiu-Jitsu, na Califórnia (EUA), para aprender com Guilherme e Rafael Mendes.
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He described the stay as an exchange that would also make his own gym grow.
Where in the source: A AOJ é uma equipe muito profissional e eles têm tudo o que precisam para fazer acontecer. Eu estou aprendendo muito desde que cheguei aqui. Minha academia na Austrália está indo bem, esse intercâmbio que estou fazendo na AOJ também irá fazer a minha academia crescer.
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While there he won the IBJJF San Diego Open, his last event before the 2022 Worlds.
Where in the source: Por lá, Thalison Soares venceu o San Diego Open da IBJJF, último torneio antes do Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu 2022, que acontece logo no início de junho.
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IBJJF, «Pan Pacific Jiu-Jitsu Championship Results: World Champion Thalison Soares Returns To Take Gold», av Danny O'Donnell, 30.10.2023.(opens in a new tab)
The IBJJF calls him the 2022 World Champion and notes that the 2023 Pan Pacific was his first event under the federation since that July's Asian Open.
Where in the source: 2022 World Champion Thalison Soares returned to IBJJF competition for the first time since the Asian Open back in July.
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Two bouts in the light featherweight bracket took him the 2023 Pan Pacific title, held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre.
Where in the source: He won two fights in the light-featherweight division to become the 2023 Pan Pacific Champion.
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He told the federation that competing in Australia mattered to him because it was the country he had picked as home and that had taken him in.
Where in the source: “It’s always good to compete in Australia and perform for the Australian community, the country I chose to be my home and that welcomed me so well,
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Vanguarda do Norte (regionavis, Amazonas), portrettreportasje av Dr. Ricardo Amaral, 19.11.2024.(opens in a new tab)
He won the 2024 Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Saturday 16 November, after three days of competition.
Where in the source: No sábado (16), Thalison foi campeão no Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024, após 3 dias lutando e fazendo uma campanha magnífica.
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The final was against the 2023 champion Zayed Alkatheeri of the Abu Dhabi Police Academy.
Where in the source: A final foi contra o campeão de 2023 e herói nacional Zayed Alkatheeri da Abu Dhabi Police Academy
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With the score tight he moved first and swept, roughly fifteen seconds from the end.
Where in the source: Thalison se antecipou e aplicou uma raspagem decisiva faltando aproximadamente 15 segundos para o final da luta
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He appeared in Abu Dhabi with his head shaved in support of a hair-donation drive run by his AOJ team-mate Ricardo Yoshito Amaral.
Where in the source: ao aparecer de cabeça raspada em apoio à campanha “ Força de Formiga e Coração de Samurai ”, promovida por seu companheiro de AOJ o também aluno dos irmãos Mendes e amazonense Ricardo Yoshito Amaral.
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The Amazonas paper has him born in Manacapuru and raised in Manaus, and says he came to jiu-jitsu through a social project.
Where in the source: Nascido em Manacapuru e criado em Manaus, Thalison começou no jiu-jítsu por meio de um projeto social.
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The same piece says he moved alone to São Paulo at fifteen, to Cícero Costha's Fighters House.
Where in the source: Com 15 anos, mudou-se sozinho para São Paulo, para Fighters House do mestre Cícero Costha.
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Vanguarda do Norte dates the opening of his Australian gym to 2019.
Where in the source: Em 2019, Thalison abriu sua própria academia na Austrália, conciliando a carreira como atleta e professor.
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It places him training under Guilherme and Rafael Mendes at AOJ.
Where in the source: Treinando sob a orientação dos irmãos Guilherme e Rafael Mendes da AOJ, ele continua a elevar seu nível técnico e a inspirar alunos e amantes da arte suave ao redor do mundo.
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