# Haisam Rida

> Ghanaian submission hunter, ADCC veteran, B-Team heavyweight, and 2026 ADCC EMEA Trials +99 kg champion.

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- **Source site:** Ossmeta (https://ossmeta.com)
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-18

## Identity

- **Name:** Haisam Rida
- **Full name:** Rida Haisam Isaac
- **Nickname:** Giraffe
- **Belt:** black belt
- **Team:** B-Team Jiu-Jitsu
- **Nationality:** Ghana
- **Born:** 1993-07-25
- **Birthplace:** Accra, Ghana
- **Weight class:** Heavy / Super-heavyweight (+99 kg ADCC; Peso Pesado 94.30 kg / 208 lb)

## Biography

Haisam Rida is a Ghanaian Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and submission grappler best known for turning heavyweight matches into scrambles, armbars, and kneebar threats. Born on July 25, 1993, in Accra, Ghana, he grew up playing soccer and basketball before his family relocated to Tokyo when he was a teenager. In Japan he was introduced to jiu-jitsu through a family connection and began training in Kanagawa under Yamada Shigetaka, who guided him through the early belt ranks before Rida moved into the deeper Tokyo competition scene.

Rida's career accelerated after he joined Yuki Ishikawa's Carpe Diem Academy. Ishikawa later promoted him to black belt on September 15, 2018, and the Carpe Diem room gave him the international platform that made the nickname "Giraffe" fit more than just his long frame. As a brown belt at Quintet 2 in 2018, Rida submitted four black belts in one night, including Richie Martinez, Viking Wong, Stuart Cooper, and Alex Schild, a performance that turned him from a Japanese circuit standout into one of the most talked-about African grapplers in the sport.

At black belt, Rida built his resume through Quintet, IBJJF, WNO, Fight 2 Win, and open professional events. He won IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi titles in 2020 and 2021, took third at the 2021 WNO Championships heavyweight bracket after wins over Orlando Sanchez and Giancarlo Bodoni, and added a 2022 IBJJF Pan No-Gi silver medal at ultra-heavyweight. In November 2020 he left Japan after more than a decade in Tokyo and moved to Michigan to train and teach at Assembly Jiu-Jitsu, giving him regular access to the United States competition circuit that visa issues had previously limited.

His defining global breakout came at the 2022 ADCC World Championship in Las Vegas. Entering the +99 kg division as an underdog, Rida countered Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu's early spinning attack and finished the multi-time champion with an armbar in 1:15, one of the signature submissions of that ADCC. He lost a close quarterfinal to Roosevelt Sousa and later competed in the absolute division, but the Cyborg finish reshaped his profile. After that event, Rida focused on closing technical gaps, especially in leg-lock exchanges, and in April 2023 he moved to Austin, Texas, to represent B-Team Jiu-Jitsu alongside athletes such as Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, and Nick Rodriguez.

Rida remained active across ADCC, UFC Fight Pass Invitational, WNO, ADXC, BJJ Stars, and Quintet events. At ADCC 2024 he beat Victor Honorio in the +99 kg opening round before falling to Daniel Manasoiu in the quarterfinals. In February 2026 he earned his way back to ADCC by winning the European, Middle-Eastern, and African 2nd Trials at +99 kg, finishing Christian Ozbek by armbar in the semifinal and Aidan Woodley by rear naked choke in the final. His game is still defined by risk-positive finishing: long-limbed armbars, back attacks, kneebars, and enough judo and wrestling urgency to make big-man matches feel chaotic.

## Lineage

Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Alexandre Paiva > Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa > Yuki Ishikawa > Haisam Rida

## Instructors

- Yamada Shigetaka
- Yuki Ishikawa
- Craig Jones
- Nicky Ryan

## Signature techniques / game

- Armbar
- Kneebar
- Rear naked choke
- Triangle choke
- Toe hold
- Judo-style throws and back takes

## Major achievements

- 1st Place ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African 2nd Trials (+99 kg, 2026)
- ADCC World Championship +99 kg quarterfinalist (2022, 2024)
- ADCC 2022 opening-round submission win over Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu by armbar
- 1st Place IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi (2020 / 2021)
- 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship No-Gi - ultra-heavyweight (2022)
- 3rd Place FloGrappling WNO Championships - heavyweight (2021)
- 1st Place Quintet Fight Night II (2019)
- 2nd Place Quintet II Challenge (2018)
- 3rd Place IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi absolute (2020)
- 3rd Place UAEJJF / AJP Grand Slam Tokyo (2019)

## Colored belt highlights

- IBJJF Asian Open Champion (2018, weight and absolute)
- JBJJF All Japan Champion (2017 / 2018, weight and absolute)
- 2nd Place UAEJJF Grand Slam Tokyo (2017, brown belt)
- 3rd Place IBJJF European Open (2018, brown belt)
- 3rd Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro (2018, brown belt)
- Submitted four black belts in one night at Quintet 2 as a brown belt (2018)

## Official / social links

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haisam1jj/

## Sources

- [BJJ Heroes - Rida Haisam](https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/rida-haisam)
- [FloGrappling - Haisam Rida](https://www.flograppling.com/people/6801763-haisam-rida)
- [FloGrappling - Get to Know Haisam Rida](https://www.flograppling.com/articles/6232165-get-to-know-haisam-rida-standout-brown-belt-grappler)
- [FloGrappling - 2026 ADCC European Trials live results](https://www.flograppling.com/articles/15442248-2026-adcc-european-trials-live-results-8-punch-their-ticket-in-belgrade)
- [Wikipedia - Haisam Rida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haisam_Rida)
- [Progress Jiu Jitsu - Athlete Spotlight: Haisam Rida](https://progressjj.co.uk/en-us/blogs/news/athlete-spotlight-haisam-rida)
- [UFC Fight Pass - Haisam Rida looking to redeem himself at FPI4](https://jp.ufc.com/news/haisam-rida-looking-redeem-himself-fpi4-ufc-fight-pass)
- [Digitsu - Rida Haisam](https://digitsu.com/people/rida-haisam)

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