2X black belt European Champion Thalyta Silva returned to competition this past weekend at the Curitiba Summer Open in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was an important event for Thalyta as it marked her first time competing under the Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu banner, a team change she announced in February following her second European title. 

Curitiba Summer Open Performance

In Curitiba, Thalyta won double gold in the gi. At middleweight, she finished her first opponent with a rear naked choke and defeated her second opponent 4-0 after a back take. The open class matches were very close, with Thalyta winning the quarterfinal and final matches by only one advantage. 

“I had a lot of tough matches in my division and in the open class and I’m now fighting with a lot of strong girls of the new generation. They are coming very strong so all of my matches were very hard but I think I was able to put my game into practice.”

Thalyta Looks To Put New Game On Display

Following her change of teams, Thalyta naturally also changed her training. This has led her to evaluate her game and find areas where she can incorporate new techniques, something she tried in Curitiba and plans to do at the Pans and Worlds.

“I like to do lasso and spider guard but now I’m trying to do new techniques that I’m training. From top I’m trying to do more torreando passing because my stronger pass is double under. But now I’m getting matches with girls that do a lot of lapel guard and they’re very flexible and I’m having a harder time with them. I was able to make transitions from double under and torreando pass and that’s how I take the back. In both matches from my division I took the back and I think now these competitions after I changed my team and I started to train differently, I think I’m using more techniques in my fights. Because before when I was fighting other tournaments like Europeans I was only trying to put my best game into practice and I wasn’t looking for techniques that were there for me. Now I’m trying to do new things and I think it's working. I’m going step by step.”

2023 Pans Assessment

Thalyta will compete at middleweight at the Pans, a division with six competitors. No-Gi World Champions Elisabeth Clay and Raquel Canuto, and Pan Champion Thamara Ferreira could prove to be Thalyta’s toughest tests. 

“The Curitiba Summer Open was a test for me and I’m going to the Pans Ams much more technical than ever. I know my division at Pans is very strong now because all of the girls that I fought in the Worlds last year are there, except for Andressa Cintra. I will be able to test my game for Worlds at the Pans. I’m super excited for these matches. My goal for the Pan Ams is to put all the techniques I’m training into practice. I don’t want to only use my best game. I want to do new techniques and I don’t want to win by advantage or points. I want to submit my fights and I want to be in top position for all the fights.”

Plans For IBJJF Competition For The Rest Of 2023

Coming off her second straight European title in Paris in January, Thalyta is aiming to have the best year of her career in 2023. She’s currently ranked #2 at middleweight behind 3X World Champion Andressa Cintra, but a gold medal at the Pans would get her closer to the #1 spot. 

“For now I will be fighting Pan Ams, Brazilian Nationals, and Worlds because I want to do the Grand Slam. And then I’d like to do the no-gi Grand Slam also. So at the end of the year I’ll do Brazilian Nationals, Europeans, Pan Ams, and Worlds No-Gi and some open tournaments, just to keep my jiu-jitsu sharp. I’ll see what’s working or not and then come back to the gym and train to put my techniques into practice better.”

You can watch Thalyta take on the middleweight division at the Pans on Saturday March 25th. Coverage for the event starts on Wednesday March 22nd and is brought to you exclusively by FloGrappling.