Jackson Sousa dos Santos is a
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
(BJJ) and
grappling
Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...
competitor and instructor. A winner of several major championships in coloured belts, such as
IBJJF World Championship
The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship (commonly known as the Worlds or Mundials) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held once every year by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. It is widely considered to be the most important and ...
,
IBJJF European Championship and
CBJJ Brazilian Nationals; Sousa is a black belt
World No-Gi champion, a 2 x European champion (in Gi and No-Gi) and a 3 x
Pan No-Gi champion.
A BJJ black belt under
Ricardo Vieira
Ricardo Alcantara Vieira commonly known as Rico Vieira or Ricardinho is a Brazilian grappler, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, and Competitor. He was born on the 9th of January 1979.
He is one of the Viera brothers (Léo and L ...
, Sousa has competed at international grappling events, including
Absolute Championship Berkut
Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been ...
,
Polaris Pro Grappling
Polaris Pro Grappling is Europe's longest running large-scale professional grappling event. As of November 2019 Polaris has organized 12 events featuring both Gi and Nogi matches all of which have been held in the UK. Polaris has attracted s ...
and
Metamoris
Metamoris was a Brazilian jiu-jitsu promotion, founded by Ralek Gracie, and executive producer Eddie Marquez that organized events in Los Angeles, California. Live events of Metamoris were broadcast via internet pay-per-view around the world and v ...
. Souza was considered in 2017 one of
CheckMat
Checkmat is an international Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu association and team, headquartered in Long Beach, California, USA. It was founded in 2008 by Leo Vieira, who leads Checkmat with his brothers Ricardo Vieira and Leandro Vieira. Checkmat currentl ...
's most prolific competitors.
Early life
Jackson Sousa dos Santos was born on 24 January 1990 in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Sousa started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of ten under Leandro Martins who was part of the team founded by
Fernando "Terere" Augusto. At the age of 16, he joined the
CheckMat
Checkmat is an international Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu association and team, headquartered in Long Beach, California, USA. It was founded in 2008 by Leo Vieira, who leads Checkmat with his brothers Ricardo Vieira and Leandro Vieira. Checkmat currentl ...
team, founded by the brothers
Ricardo Vieira
Ricardo Alcantara Vieira commonly known as Rico Vieira or Ricardinho is a Brazilian grappler, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, and Competitor. He was born on the 9th of January 1979.
He is one of the Viera brothers (Léo and L ...
,
Leo Vieira
Leo or Léo may refer to:
Acronyms
* Law enforcement officer
* Law enforcement organisation
* '' Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky
* Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
Arts a ...
and
Leandro Vieira
Leandro Vieira is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor and competitor, and a co-founder of Checkmat. He is also the Brazilian jiu-jitsu head coach for the MMA team at American Kickboxing Academy, renowned for being one of the most successful teams i ...
and headquartered in
Sao Paulo
SAO or Sao may refer to:
Places
* Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD
* Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso
* Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...
, Brazil. Sousa gave his international debut at the European Championships in 2011 and since then has been competing at an international level. In 2011, he won the South American Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the Brazilian National No-Gi Championship.
At brown belt level, Sousa won the 2012
IBJJF European Championship in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, Portugal. He also won five more gold medals at the IBJJF Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship, IBJJF Brazilian National No-Gi Championship and CBJJE World Championship.
In December 2012, a super fight between Sousa and
Keenan Cornelius
Keenan Kai-James Cornelius is an American martial artist. His competitive achievements include what has been called a "grand slam" in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having won double ...
, was cancelled after Sousa was denied his visa for the US. Sousa's first appearance in an American competition happened in 2013 when his US visa application was approved after four unsuccessful attempts in 2010, 2011 and 2012. At the 2013 IBJJF World Championship Sousa won gold in the heavyweight division and bronze in the absolute division
after losing in the semi-final to
Keenan Cornelius
Keenan Kai-James Cornelius is an American martial artist. His competitive achievements include what has been called a "grand slam" in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having won double ...
in what constituted one of the most awaited fights between two star brown belt athletes that year.
Black belt career
Sousa was awarded his black belt by his master
Ricardo Vieira
Ricardo Alcantara Vieira commonly known as Rico Vieira or Ricardinho is a Brazilian grappler, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, and Competitor. He was born on the 9th of January 1979.
He is one of the Viera brothers (Léo and L ...
in October 2013 and won the
IBJJF World No-Gi Championship.
In 2014, Sousa won the
IBJJF European Championship in Lisbon,
the
IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship in New York
and won silver at the
IBJJF World No-Gi Championship.
Sousa won several other international tournaments, including the Dallas International Open,
Las Vegas Spring International Open,
and Rome International Open.
In 2015, Sousa won bronze at the IBJJF World Championship,
silver at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship,
and silver at the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
He won several European tournaments, including the IBJJF European No-Gi Championship,
Berlin International Open,
Berlin International Open No-Gi,
and Rome International Open.
In 2016, Sousa won the IBJJF European Championship for the second time as a black belt and for the fourth time overall.
Sousa lost by referee decision against
André Luis Leite Galvão at the IBJJF World Championship and took home silver.
In late 2016 and early 2017, Sousa was absent from the international competition scene while remaining in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
to obtain residency status, however he competed at the British Nationals
and British Nationals No-Gi.
In May 2017, Sousa returned to the international competition scene, winning bronze at the 2017 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship,
and double gold at the IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Championship.
Sousa won a further seven gold medals and two silver medals at international tournaments in Moscow, Paris and London.
In September 2017, Sousa was a last-minute addition to the invitation-only
ADCC world championships, replacing Checkmat teammate Luiz Panza at the -99 kg division. At the ADCC tournament, Sousa won a bronze medal after defeating
Rafael Lovato by decision and losing 3-0 to
Yuri Simoes in the semi-finals.
Sousa's training partners include several notable fighters, including
Marcus Almeida
Marcus Vinícius Oliveira de Almeida, also known as Buchecha (born January 8, 1990 in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and black belt under Rodrigo Cavaca, who ...
,
João Assis
João Assis (born July 11, 1983), is a Brazilian Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and a former mixed martial artist. Assis is a world no-gi champion and an ADCC gold and silver medalist.
João became the 2013 ADCC Submission Grappling W ...
,
Lucas Leite
Lucas Joas Gomes Leite (born November 3, 1982) is a Brazilian grappler. He is a multi-time world champion with first place finishes at the Gi, Nogi, and Grapplers Quest world championships. Leite started training Br ...
,
Michelle Nicolini
Michelle Zonato Nicolini or Michelle Nicolini (born January 5, 1982) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist (MMA). Among the most accomplished female grapplers of all time, Nicolini holds third place for most IBJJF World ...
and
Leandro Vieira
Leandro Vieira is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor and competitor, and a co-founder of Checkmat. He is also the Brazilian jiu-jitsu head coach for the MMA team at American Kickboxing Academy, renowned for being one of the most successful teams i ...
.
Sexual misconduct allegations
In August 2021, Checkmat black belt and elite competitor
Samantha Cook reported on her Instagram that Sousa had
sexually harassed
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
her which prompted more women to come forward and share their own allegations of sexual misconduct and
intimidation
Intimidation is to "make timid or make fearful"; or to induce fear. This includes intentional behaviors of forcing another person to experience general discomfort such as humiliation, embarrassment, inferiority, limited freedom, etc and the victi ...
against him.
It was also reported that accusations of sexual harassment had already been made against Sousa in 2018 in Germany.
As a result of the allegations made against him, Sousa was dropped by his sponsor
Shoyoroll and suspended from his team by the head of Checkmat
Leo Vieira
Leo or Léo may refer to:
Acronyms
* Law enforcement officer
* Law enforcement organisation
* '' Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky
* Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
Arts a ...
.
In November 2021, Sousa contacted the website ''BJJ Eastern Europe'' to report that he had been found not guilty by an Independent Safeguarding Review Committee commissioned in London.
The announcement of Sousa's return to competition caused some members of the BJJ community to complain that no victims had been contacted during the investigation and that the Independent Commission's report had not been made public despite multiple requests.
In November 2022 Sousa's lawyer announced that his client had also been cleared of all allegations by the UKBJJA, the governing body for Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the UK, "following a lengthy and thorough investigation by a specialist investigator".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sousa, Jackson
1990 births
Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Living people
Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city)