Yuri Simões is a Brazilian black belt from Rio de Janeiro and one of the few grapplers to win ADCC gold in three divisions: −88 kg in 2015, −99 kg in 2017 and the absolute in 2022. He also won the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship at both heavyweight and absolute in 2014 and 2016. When we checked in October 2026, BJJ Heroes credited him with 89 wins and 27 losses.
Background and lineage
Simões started judo at 4 and moved to jiu-jitsu at 9. BJJ Heroes notes that he is the adopted brother of fellow competitor Ary Farias. Ricardo Vieira promoted him to black belt on 29 December 2011. He moved to train with Caio Terra in 2013, and Wikipedia lists him with American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) since 2015. Elite Sports describes him as a third-degree black belt.
Competition highlights
- ADCC World Championship:
- 2015, −88 kg: gold, with wins over Keenan Cornelius, Rômulo Barral, Zbigniew Tyszka and Ricardo Mesquita.
- 2017, −99 kg: gold. He beat Roman Dolidze, Mike Perez and Jackson Sousa, then Felipe Pena on points in the final.
- 2022, absolute: gold.
- IBJJF World No-Gi Championship: double gold, at heavyweight and absolute, in both 2014 and 2016.
- IBJJF Pan Championship: champion in 2012 and in 2014 (−94 kg).
Style and signature techniques
BJJ Heroes lists a judo throw, the seoi nage, and open guard play as his favourite techniques. The armbar is his most frequent finish in their records, with nine wins. His ADCC titles came in no-gi, but he has also won IBJJF gi titles, including the Pans.
Notable matches
- 2022 ADCC absolute run: He beat Lachlan Giles on a penalty in overtime and Nick Rodriguez on a judges' decision. He then beat Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu 2–0 in overtime and Nicholas Meregali 0–2 on penalties in the final.
- Against Gordon Ryan: Gordon Ryan beat him at EBI in 2016, at the 2018 No-Gi Worlds and in a superfight at ADCC 2024.
- UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 (December 2023): lost to Nick Rodriguez on points. He later had shoulder surgery.
MMA
Simões fought twice for ONE Championship. He lost to Fan Rong by unanimous decision in November 2020 and to Daniyal Zainalov by split decision in February 2022, and was then released by the promotion.