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Yuri Simões

Yuri Simões is a Brazilian Indomitus instructor with three ADCC bracket titles, a 2026 ADCC Superfight win and two black-belt No-Gi Worlds doubles.

Last updated: 4 October 2026

Biography

Yuri Simões is a Brazilian fourth-degree jiu-jitsu black belt and Indomitus instructor whose no-gi career includes three ADCC division or open-class titles and a separate 2026 Superfight win. Simões grew up in Ilha de Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro. His father introduced him to jiu-jitsu, and he began formal training at nine with Maurício Behring. Later he trained at Checkmat and with Lucas Leite in California; Ricardo Vieira promoted him to black belt near the end of 2011. Before that promotion he had won the 2011 IBJJF brown-belt gi World title at super-heavyweight and the brown-belt No-Gi World titles at heavyweight and in the open class. Those brown-belt results preceded his black-belt no-gi titles. After his Checkmat period, Simões said he joined Caio Terra Association in 2013. He won heavyweight at the 2014 IBJJF Pan Championship, then took bronze at super-heavyweight in that year's black-belt gi Worlds. His World titles at black belt came in No-Gi competition: at the 2014 championship he won ultra-heavyweight and open-class gold, and he repeated that double in 2016. The distinction matters in a career associated with both formats: his documented black-belt gi World result here is a bronze placing. At ADCC in 2015 he won the under-88 kg division ahead of Keenan Cornelius; in the absolute bracket he lost a semifinal to Claudio Calasans and did not contest the bronze match against Rodolfo Vieira. He returned in 2017 to win under 99 kg, with Felipe Pena second. His 2022 tournament began with an early exit from his weight bracket, but the next day he won the absolute division ahead of Nicholas Meregali. Caio Terra Association reported that opponents did not score a point against him in that open-class run. Those victories came in three different ADCC brackets across seven years. Simões then fought two ADCC Superfights, a separate format from those brackets. Gordon Ryan beat him on points in 2024; Simões won the 2026 Superfight against Kaynan Duarte. Counting the latter alongside his three bracket wins gives four ADCC titles of two kinds, not four divisional championships. Simões held a head-instructor role at Caio Terra Association headquarters and began his subaffiliated Yuri Simões Association in 2017. His current Indomitus academy identifies him as a professor teaching in the Tampa Bay area. In training, he described experimenting with inverted guards while preparing different plans for opponents, and urged students to practice weak parts of their games. His instruction has included a half-guard pass that pins the knees and restricts the hips with shoulder pressure, a butterfly-guard cradle to reach the back, and an inverted-guard pass built around hip control. Simões also prepared for mixed martial arts while continuing grappling. In a 2022 ONE bout he lost a split decision to Daniyal Zainalov. That fight belongs to a separate rule set from the IBJJF and ADCC results that established his no-gi career.

Sources for this profile

ONE Championship, Yuri Simões interview, 8 August 2020(opens in a new tab)
- Yuri Simões grew up in Ilha de Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro; his father introduced him to jiu-jitsu while he was a child.
  Where in the source: ONE profile: growing up in Ilha de Guaratiba; father first introduced him to BJJ
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- Simões began formal jiu-jitsu training at nine with Maurício Behring.
  Where in the source: ONE interview: training properly at age nine under Mauricio Behring
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- By 2020 Simões was preparing to compete in mixed martial arts while continuing his grappling career.
  Where in the source: ONE interview: moved towards MMA after ADCC 2019
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- ONE identified Simões as Brazilian in its first-person profile.
  Where in the source: Brazilian grappling star Yuri Simões
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
Graciemag, contemporary promotion interview, 3 January 2012(opens in a new tab)
- Ricardo Vieira promoted Simões to black belt around the end of 2011 after his time at Checkmat; Simões had also trained with Lucas Leite in California.
  Where in the source: Checkmat ace Yuri Simoes gets his black belt; Ricardo Vieira promotion; Lucas Leite
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
IBJJF, 2011 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship official results(opens in a new tab)
- At the 2011 IBJJF gi World Championship Simões won the male adult brown-belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Brown / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy; 1 Yuri Simoes Martins da Silva
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
IBJJF, 2011 No-Gi World Championship official results(opens in a new tab)
- At the 2011 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship Simões won brown-belt adult heavyweight and the brown-belt open class.
  Where in the source: Brown / Adult / Male / Heavy and Open Class; 1 Yuri Simoes Martins da Silva
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
Yuri Simões, first-person academy biography, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Simões says he joined Caio Terra Association in 2013 following his Checkmat period.
  Where in the source: I joined the Caio Terra Association in 2013
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- His personal site lists Simões as a head instructor at Caio Terra Association headquarters and says he started the subaffiliated Yuri Simões Association in 2017.
  Where in the source: Head Instructor | CTA Head quarters; Professor Yuri Simoes Association; In 2017 I expanded my role with in Caio Terra Association and started the Yuri Simoes Association
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
IBJJF, 2014 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship official results(opens in a new tab)
- Simões won adult male black-belt heavyweight at the 2014 IBJJF Pan Championship.
  Where in the source: Black / Adult / Male / Heavy; 1 Yuri Simoes Martins da Silva
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
IBJJF, 2014 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship official results(opens in a new tab)
- At the 2014 IBJJF gi World Championship Simões placed third in the adult male black-belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Black / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy; 3 Yuri Simoes Martins da Silva
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
IBJJF, 2014 No-Gi World Championship official results(opens in a new tab)
- At the 2014 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship Simões won adult male black-belt ultra-heavyweight and the open class.
  Where in the source: Black / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy and Open Class; 1 Yuri Simoes Martins da Silva in both blocks
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
IBJJF, 2016 No-Gi World Championship official results(opens in a new tab)
- Simões repeated the adult male black-belt ultra-heavyweight and open-class double at the 2016 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship.
  Where in the source: Black / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy and Open Class; 1 Yuri Simoes Martins da Silva in both blocks
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
FloGrappling, original ADCC 2015 complete results, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Simões won the 2015 ADCC male 88 kg final against Keenan Cornelius by three points to nil.
  Where in the source: ADCC 2015 Submission Wrestling World Championships Results — Male 88kg; Final; Yuri Simoes def Keenan Cornelius 3-0; adjacent Male 77kg and 99kg divisions
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- In the 2015 ADCC absolute bracket, Simões lost his semifinal to Claudio Calasans and did not contest the bronze match against Rodolfo Vieira.
  Where in the source: Male Absolute — Semifinals: Claudio Calasans def Yuri Simoes decision; Bronze: Rodolfo Vieira vs Yuri Simoes, Yuri injured, unable to fight; adjacent quarterfinal and final blocks
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
FloGrappling, original ADCC 2017 event results, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Simões won the 2017 ADCC under-99 kg final against Felipe Pena by two points to nil.
  Where in the source: 2017 ADCC World Championships — Tournament; Yuri Simões 2, Felipe Pena 0; Final, -99kgs, Male; adjacent Absolute and -88kgs finals
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
Caio Terra Association, event report, 2022(opens in a new tab)
- At ADCC 2022 Simões left his weight bracket before the semifinals, then refocused and won the absolute division the next day.
  Where in the source: Yuri Simoes 2022 ADCC Champion; weight class exit, Caio Terra talks, absolute victory
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- Caio Terra Association reported that none of Simões's opponents scored a point against him in his 2022 ADCC absolute run.
  Where in the source: not a single point was scored on him through the entire open weight bracket
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
FloGrappling, original ADCC 2022 event results, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Simões won the 2022 ADCC absolute final against Nicholas Meregali; Kaynan Duarte won the separate under-99 kg final against Craig Jones.
  Where in the source: 2022 ADCC World Championships — Tournament; Yuri Simões W, Nicholas Meregali L, Final Absolute Division; Kaynan Duarte 12, Craig Jones 0, Final -99kgs; adjacent finals
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
FloGrappling, original ADCC 2024 event results, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Simões lost the 2024 ADCC Superfight to Gordon Ryan by 21 points to nil.
  Where in the source: 2024 ADCC World Championships — Superfight; Gordon Ryan 21, Yuri Simões 0; adjacent Ryan–Pena Superfight and tournament finals
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
FloGrappling, original ADCC 2026 event results, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Simões won the 2026 ADCC Superfight against Kaynan Duarte.
  Where in the source: 2026 ADCC World Championships — Superfight; Yuri Simões Other W, Kaynan Duarte L; adjacent tournament finals
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
Indomitus BJJ, academy site, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- The Indomitus BJJ academy site identifies Simões as a professor teaching in the Tampa Bay area, including Pinellas Park and Largo.
  Where in the source: Professor Yuri Simoes; UFC Gym Pinellas Park and Largo
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- Indomitus BJJ describes Simões as a fourth-degree black belt.
  Where in the source: Professor Yuri Simoes; 4th Degree Black Belt
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- Indomitus BJJ identifies Yuri Simões as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
  Where in the source: WORLD-CLASS INSTRUCTION — PROFESSOR YURI SIMOES; 4TH DEGREE BLACK BELT
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
BJJ Self Help, first-person interview, 21 June 2017(opens in a new tab)
- Simões described using academy training to experiment with inverted guards while preparing several distinct game plans for competition.
  Where in the source: Yuri Simoes Intensity Interview: experimenting with inverted guard; different game plans
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- He advised students to train weaker areas of their game rather than only repeating techniques they already do well.
  Where in the source: interview: work on your weaknesses and what you are not good at
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
BJJ Fanatics, original Simões technique demonstration, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- In an instructional demonstration, Simões taught a double-over half-guard pass that controls the opponent's knees and limits hip movement with low head and shoulder pressure.
  Where in the source: 3 Free No-Gi Techniques: Double Over Pass from Half Guard
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
- Simões also demonstrated a butterfly-guard cradle used to reach the back and a high-crotch single-leg takedown.
  Where in the source: 3 Free No-Gi Techniques: Butterfly Cradle; High Crotch Single
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
BJJ Fanatics, original Simões technique demonstration, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- His inverted-guard passing demonstration emphasizes hip control and pressure before settling into side control.
  Where in the source: Yuri Simoes Shows An Easy Inverted Guard Pass; hips control and side control
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
ONE Championship, ONE: Full Circle official event recap, 2022(opens in a new tab)
- Simões lost an MMA bout to Daniyal Zainalov by split decision at ONE: Full Circle in 2022.
  Where in the source: Daniyal Zainalov def. Yuri Simoes by split decision
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
Wikipedia, Yuri Simões entry, accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- The reference entry gives Simões's birth year as 1990.
  Where in the source: Born 1990; Yuri Costa Simões Martins da Silva
  Accessed: 2026-10-04
Grapplearts, interview page, 20 April 2020; accessed 4 October 2026(opens in a new tab)
- An April 2020 Grapplearts interview page introduced Simões as a two-time ADCC world champion and discussed his no-gi competitive career before his later titles.
  Where in the source: Interview with Yuri Simoes, 2 x ADCC World Champion — April 20, 2020 by Stephan Kesting
  Accessed: 2026-10-04

Lineage

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Open lineage