Fernando Augosto

Main Achievements

• 2x 1st Place — IBJJF World Champion (2000 / 2003 Adult Black Belt Middleweight Division)
• 2x 1st Place — CBJJO World Cup Champion (2002 / 2003)
• 1st Place — CBJJ Brazilian National Champion Absolute Division (2001 Open Weight Champion)
• 1st Place — CBJJ Brazilian National Champion (2003 Weight Division)
• 1st Place — IBJJF Pan American Champion (2004)
• 2nd Place — IBJJF World Championship (2001 Middleweight Silver Medalist)
• 2nd Place — IBJJF World Championship (2004 Super-Heavyweight Silver Medalist — *Jumped up 4 weight classes*)
• 2nd Place — IBJJF European Open (2013 Masters division comeback Silver Medalist)

Overview

Fernando Augusto da Silva, universally immortalized within martial arts history by his iconic nickname “Tererê,” is a legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt representing the Alliance banner and the visionary co-founder of the historic TT Team. Widely recognized as the most charismatic, electric, and fan-venerated competitor to ever step onto a mat, Tererê ruled the sport as the definitive pound-for-pound king of the early 2000s golden era. A technical revolutionary, his explosive, hyper-dynamic movement systems permanently modernized the mechanics of top-position passing.

Early Life & The Cantagalo Survival

Fernando Augusto was born on November 15, 1980, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was raised amidst severe economic distress within the Morro do Cantagalo, an intensely impoverished favela (slum) overlooking Ipanema and Copacabana. Seeking a physical refuge from the surrounding street violence and systemic drug trafficking networks, he initiated training in Jiu-Jitsu under a local social project instructor, Master “Lelo.” Augusto drilled relentlessly under Lelo’s guidance until earning his green belt, a point at which the academy was forced to shutter due to extreme financial hardship.

Following a temporary competitive hiatus, Augusto’s raw athletic metrics caught the eye of Otavio Couto, who extended an invitation for him to transition to the renowned Academia Strike. There, his technical refinement came under the expert care of world-class masters Alexandre Paiva and Roberto Traven. Gifted with an unprecedented level of organic physical conditioning and agility, Tererê staged a historic grand-slam campaign through the colored belt divisions, winning every major trophy on Earth. His hallmark style heavily favored lightning-fast standing pressure over playing guard; because he suffered from mild claustrophobia, he used hyper-creative spins to explosively clear bottom positions and systematically avoid being pinned on his back.

Black Belt Stardom and Political Rebellions

In 2000, at just 20 years old, Tererê advanced into the Adult Black Belt Middleweight final of the IBJJF World Championship (Mundial). Matched against the heavily favored champion Nino “Elvis” Schembri, Tererê weaponized brilliant judo-style throwing tactics to command the pacing, capturing his first world title. He famously celebrated on the mats by executing accurate Elvis Presley dance impersonations, a good-natured mocking of Schembri’s moniker that turned him into an overnight superstar.

In 2002, at the absolute height of his competitive influence, Tererê stood at the vanguard of an elite black belt faction that fractured the political framework of the sport. Disputing Alliance leader Fábio Gurgel’s directive to bypass the financially lucrative, newly formed CBJJO World Cup in favor of the traditional IBJJF Worlds, Tererê and his peers staged a massive exodus. This split catalyzed the creation of Master Team, which ultimately evolved when Tererê and Eduardo Telles branched off independently to construct the legendary TT Team. As a master pedagogue, Tererê’s innovative, mobility-centric curriculum heavily structured and inspired the games of future legends, acting as a primary mentor to icons like André Galvão, Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles, Michael Langhi, and Lucas Lepri.

The Dark Era and A Community-Backed Resurrection

In 2004, while operating at the absolute zenith of his physical and financial prime, Tererê’s life underwent a catastrophic unraveling. Following a highly publicized legal incident in the United States where he was detained during a domestic flight, he slipped into a severe, paralyzing clinical depression. This psychological crisis triggered a profound substance abuse addiction, culminating in a severe crack cocaine dependency. The illness caused him to completely abandon his academies, separate from his peers, and spend years living in extreme destitution on the streets of Rio.

During this prolonged absence, he was formally diagnosed with schizophrenia. Refusing to allow a legend to fade, his family combined forces with a massive global crowdfunding initiative backed by the international BJJ community to secure high-tier medical intervention. Tererê was placed into specialized rehabilitation clinics, eventually spending months recovering and safely teaching classes in the United Kingdom. In September 2012, he executed a triumphant, profoundly emotional return to professional mats, capturing a black belt bracket in Mexico and later securing a silver medal at the 2013 European Open. Beyond his competitive legacy, Tererê is celebrated for his ongoing leadership of his Cantagalo social project, actively using the leverage of the gentle art to steer favela youth away from crime, beautifully mirroring the exact pathway that saved his own life.