Andrew Tackett

Main Achievements

Professional & Black Belt Accolades:

• Inaugural & Current UFC BJJ Welterweight Champion (3 Successful Defenses)
• 1st Place — ADCC North American Trials (2024)
• 1st Place — ADCC Las Vegas Open (2022)
• 1st Place — Midwest Finishers 185 lbs Tournament (2022)

Colored Belt Historical Milestones:

• 2x 1st Place — IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2021 purple* / 2022 brown*)
• Note: (* Denotes Double Gold Winner in both Weight and Absolute divisions)

Overview

Andrew Henry Tackett, widely known by his nickname “Pirulito,” is an elite American professional submission grappler and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Representing Checkmat and the Brazilian Fight Factory, Tackett has solidified his position as one of the faces of modern no-gi grappling, serving as a dominant champion on the global professional circuit.

Early Life & Team Transition

Tackett moved with his family to Austin, Texas, when he was a toddler. In 2009, his father—a major fan of combat sports—enrolled himself and his two sons, William (the eldest) and Andrew (the middle brother), at a local gym near their residence.

Both brothers quickly developed an intense drive for high-level tournament experience. Seeking a specialized, competition-centric training environment, the family eventually transitioned to the Brazilian Fight Factory in Austin to train under head coach Rodrigo Cabral.

Precocious Rise & Black Belt Promotion

Tackett became a prominent household name on the international circuit while still a teenager. Known for his hyper-aggressive, crowd-pleasing style, he regularly entered professional adult divisions and successfully submitted elite black belts while still holding his colored belts. He put together back-to-back dominant campaigns by capturing No-Gi World Titles as both a purple belt (2021) and a brown belt (2022).

On December 17, 2022, following his highly successful brown belt run, the 19-year-old prodigy was officially promoted to black belt by Rodrigo Cabral.

Style and UFC BJJ Title Reign

On the mats, Tackett is highly regarded for his relentless pace, explosive wrestling-based takedowns, and phenomenal scramble-heavy transitions. He maintains a staggeringly high submission victory rate, utilizing a precise back-taking system that frequently finishes opponents via Rear-Naked Choke.

Following his signing with the professional UFC BJJ promotion, Tackett won a dominant tournament road to become the organization’s inaugural Welterweight Champion. He has successfully defended his crown against elite international competition at the Meta APEX, including a submission victory over Elijah Dorsey and a main-event unanimous decision win against veteran champion Vagner Rocha. Alongside his older brother William, Andrew anchors the cutting edge of the American no-gi circuit.

Origin of the Nickname

The moniker “Pirulito” translates directly to “lollipop” in Portuguese. The nickname was playfully given to him by his coach, Rodrigo Cabral, because Andrew was exceptionally skinny with a prominent head when he first joined the academy as a child.