Caio Terra has just started to drop hints that he might be returning to BJJ competition in 2024, as long as he can return to full health by then. Terra is undoubtedly one of the best grapplers to ever set foot on the mats and for a long time he was clearly the top roosterweight no gi competitor. He had a very successful career in the sport and has more IBJJF No Gi World Championship gold medals than anyone else ever has. This achievement is made even more impressive by the fact that Terra didn’t spend very long as a colored belt before that, as he’s actually one of the quickest black belt promotions in the history of the sport.
He was also well known for the fact that he would often challenge himself by competing in absolute divisions, and is the lightest competitor to ever enjoy regular success in openweight categories. Time effects us all though and at the age of 37, Terra has been retired from competition for quite some time. Since his retirement he’s been devoting all of his time to building the competition team at the Caio Terra Academy and he’s acted as coach for several top competitors like Mason Fowler and Yuri Simoes. In the meantime he’s even been promoted to fourth degree black belt, a fantastic achievement to mark such a long period of dedication to the sport.
Every competitor’s body wears down after such a long time training at a high level and Terra is no exception, as he’s recently undergone surgery to fix a hip issue that has plagued him since 2021. Looking back on old competition footage appears to have gotten him in the mood to make a comeback though, once he’s fully recovered. It’ll be interesting to see where Terra goes if he does choose to return to competition, whether that be a superfight against another BJJ legend or testing himself against the latest generation of grapplers.
Caio Terra announced that he might be returning to BJJ competition in 2024 in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
