European and Brasileiro Champion Victor Honorio made his return to competition on Saturday April 1st at the Rio Fall Open. Prior to his return, Victor hadn’t competed in an IBJJF event in nearly three years, with his last event being the 2019 World Championships. The ultra heavyweight built a reputation in the sport as a dangerous top player who would use a combination of technique and explosion to get past his opponents guards. With wins at black belt over Erberth Santos, Dimitrius Souza, Nicholas Meregali, Rudson Mateus, and Tim Spriggs, Victor has proved the effectiveness of his jiu-jitsu against world-class competition.

Victor spoke about his nearly three year absence from competition, stating, “I hadn’t competed because I was dedicated to my work in the Middle East, where the last few years I worked in the Qatar Army teaching self-defense and providing security consultancy for the big football events. After the 2022 FIFA World Cup I returned to Brazil to dedicate myself just to training and competing.”

His return to competition at the Rio Fall Open was flawless and included seven wins, three at ultra heavy and four in the open class. Victor showed that he has not lost a single step as he passed his opponents guards and got multiple wins via submission.

“I’m very happy. I had been waiting a long time for this moment. I never thought of staying away from competitions for so long. Now I’m back to my place to just do what I love most in life.”

On Saturday May 6th, Victor will take on his first major championship since 2019 at the Brasileiros in Sao Paulo, Brazil. As an athlete that almost always competes in the open class, potential matchups with Erich Munis, Rider Zuchi, and Murilo Santana could be on the horizon for the GF Team black belt. Victor commented on his preparation for his major championship return.

“The GF Team is putting on an incredible camp for the Brazilian Nationals. We’re training hard and I'm at my best since I’ve been back to training. I'm going for double gold again!” Victor also gave us some insight on his intentions for the rest of the gi season and 2023. “My plan is to win the Worlds then plan the rest of the year.”

Make sure you catch Victor Honorio and many other amazing competitors at the 2023 Brasileiros. The event can be streamed in its entirety exclusively on FloGrappling.