Thiago Abud

Thiago Abud is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Santana, who worked extensively with Fernando Yamasaki, well-known in the sport/martial art’s international competitive circuit as a representative of the Unity Jiu-Jitsu Academy. A successful athlete, Abud is also well known for his drastic career change. After being a successful entrepreneur for a number of years, 30YO Thiago opted to quit his well-paid job to follow his passion and pursue life as a professional grappling competitor, reaching success at the highest level by conquering important medals on the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) league, including medals.

Thiago Abud Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Thiago Aguiar Abud

Nickname: N/A

Lineage:  C. Gracie > H. Gracie > R. Gracie > M. Behring > Mario Yamasaki > Murilo Santana > Thiago Abud

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF Munich Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Poznan Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Rome Spring Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF London Fall Open NoGi (2019)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2019 / 2021)
• 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NoGi (2019)

Main Achievements (Masters):

• 1st Place IBJJF European Championship (2025)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NOGI (2022)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Open NOGI (2022)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Open (2022 / 2023)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IJJF South American Championship (2001 blue)
• 1st Place IBJJF Masters World Championship (2018 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2018 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship NoGi (2017 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NoGi (2015 brown)
• 3rd Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals NoGi (2018 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF South American Championship (2002 blue)

Favorite Position/Technique: Inside DLR

Weight Division: Peso Pena (70,00 kg / 154.5 lbs)

Team/Association: Unity JJ

Thiago Abud Biography

Thiago Abud was born on August 3, 1984, in São Paulo, Brazil, growing up on the southeast side of the state’s capital.

A sporty child while growing up, Thiago practiced and competed in a number of sports, from swimming to tennis and soccer (as a goalkeeper) – where he played at an international club level. Later joining speed skating to his activities.

Martial arts appeared in Abud’s life at the age of 12, through judo. Nearly 2 years prior to starting jiu-jitsu. Thiago’s initial intention was to train BJJ, though this took some convincing to his parents who believed submission-grappling was too violent of a sport. Instead, Abud joined a judo club and spent almost two years persuading his mother to allow him to join a jiu-jitsu academy, a wish granted to the young athlete when he was close to his 13th birthday.

The well-known Fernando Yamasaki was Thiago’s very first instructor, a coach with a wide-ranging experience in grappling sports. Fernando promoted Abud with his yellow, orange, green, and blue belts.

Although successful in his early days as a competitor, Thiago suffered a severe injury to his arm at the age of 16, one that set him back for 18 months. Once he returned to the mats, Thiago still felt diminished from his injury, having a hard time finding his path as a full-time competitor. For that reason, Abud decided to quit his initial plan of pursuing a professional path in BJJ and opted for law school.

Thiago returned to the mats at the age of 22, solely for recreational purposes. Training 3x per week with Murilo Santana – a student of the Yamasaki family. After a few years of working as a legal attorney, at the age of 30, Abud decided to take a chance and become a professional grappler.

Abud’s return to the professional jiu-jitsu circuit was a fruitful one, as Thiago conquered plenty of important medals in the IBJJF circuit, including a World Masters title and medals at the World and Pan tournaments. This high rate of success earned Abud his black belt from Murilo Santana on February 23, 2019.