Thamara Silva fears no black belt as she goes for fourth gold medal of the season at the ADGS London

Brazil’s Thamara Silva has been in control of the women’s adult brown/black belt 70kg division in the 2018/2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam season. She finished first in three out of four stages so far, winning in Los Angeles, Rio and Abu Dhabi. The winning streak came after a rough patch in the 2017/2018 season, when Thamara had to settle for disappointing results in a series of events. She talks about what made her power through the tough times: “You need to keep walking forward with patience and take advantage of tough times to evolve your game and your mindset.”

As results started to improve, Thamara started to catch the attention of both fans and the media. Still a brown belt, the 23 year-old has had no trouble battling against more experienced black belts in her division. She talks about what goes into getting ready for such high level events. “I train the right way. I try not to abuse on my body and I try to surround myself with people who are humble and focused on their goals. All of that really helps me to have the balance to achieve my goals.”

Thamara is ready to go for her fourth gold medal in the 2018/2019 season of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. She is looking forward to meeting up once again with Britain’s Samantha Cook for another hair-raising duel, the fifth in the season. The score so far in the season is 3-1 for Thamara. Organized by the UAEJJF, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam London is scheduled March 9-10, at the Copper Box Arena. The final registration deadline is March 5. Click here for more info. Follow the complete coverage on Instagram at @adwjjt. Watch the matches live on FloGrappling.com.