The Inspiring Journey of BJJ Black Belt Wallace Costa

Wallace Costa da Silveira is an accomplished BJJ black belt under Gabriel Marinho. He has successfully represented the Grappling Fight Team in multiple international BJJ tournaments. Costa made a mark in the BJJ colored belt divisions, especially in prestigious IBJJF competitions, winning many titles, including the Pan and South American Championships, the IBJJF World Gi Championship, and the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship.

Born on August 26, 1993, in Realengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wallace Costa was interested in sports from a very young age. Much like many other prominent jiu-jitsu black belts, Costa began his martial arts journey with judo training and eventually competing in local judo competitions. He then developed an interest in Muay Thai and intended to participate in the striking competition; however, his parents didn’t allow him to continue Muay Thai training as it hindered him from performing well in school. Since Costa never got a chance to test his Muay Thai and striking skills in a competitive setting, he eventually lost interest in this martial art. 

In 2014, at the age of 21, Wallace Costa discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through his friends who compelled him to try out this gentle art. Consequently, he enrolled in the same local grappling club as his friends and began jiu-jitsu training under coach Manuel. Costa took an instant liking to grappling and earned his BJJ blue belt fairly quickly. Unfortunately, Manuel put the classes on hold as he was unable to cope with the demands of his hectic life. Though Costa appreciated his coach, he was too passionate to stop training. Consequently, he enrolled in another BJJ gym before finally joining an affiliate academy of Grappling Fight Team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

At the Grappling Fight Team, Costa trained under Gabriel Marinho, who helped him hone his grappling skills to a greater degree, enabling Costa to win many important titles at colored belt levels. 

After many successful moments, Costa was all set to compete at the IBJJF World Championship in the purple belt division. Before this tournament, in 2019, Costa had earned a gold medal at the IBJJF Pan American Championship and a silver medal at the IBJJF European Open Championship. The IBJJF World was the next big thing for him. Being one of the most feared BJJ athletes at this point, Costa’s victory was nearly inevitable in the tournament. Unfortunately, the fierce grappler came down with a bacterial infection in his knee just five days before the main event. The infection spread into Costa’s bloodstream, leaving him in a life-threatening condition. Luckily, Costa won the battle for his survival, but he missed out on his chance to compete and win his second IBJJF World Champion title.

The near-death experience only strengthened Costa, allowing him to train and compete with greater rigor. After his recovery, Costa won many competitions in his own weight class and absolute weight division. In October 2020, Costa was promoted to the black belt by his head coach, Gabriel Marinho.

In the 2021 Sul-Americano, Wallace Costa competed against Leonardo Oliveira. Both grapplers showcased excellent BJJ skills and tried to submit each other to secure their place in the next round of the tournament. After an intense bout, Costa succeeded in the fight by securing the most points.

In the 2022 IBJJF South American Championship final, Wallace Costa competed against Jacson Silva in the over 100 kg black belt division. Both athletes grappled to secure the championship title. However, Wallace Costa came out victorious and bagged a gold medal with a two-point lead.

In the 2021 IBJJF World Championship, Wallace Costa faced Dimitrius Souza in the black belt ABS division. After an intense fight, Wallace Costa won the match via referee decision. Although Costa lost in the quarterfinal ABS bout against Kaynan Duarte, this fight is still considered one of his best.

Kaynan Duarte v Wallace Costa / World Championship 2021

Wallace Costa (GFTeam) x Leo Lemos Faixa preta pesadíssimo Semifinal Camp Brasileiro CBJJ 2021

Wallace Costa (GFTeam) X Yatan Bueno (Dream Art) Final Adulto preta pesadíssimo Camp Bras CBJJ 2021

Photo Credit: @wallacecostajj