US Jiu-Jitsu master in Italy for wedding fatally falls off wall into lake, reports say
A Brazilian-American Jiu-Jitsu master fatally fell off a wall and into a lake in Italy while visiting for a wedding, according to news reports.
Octavio Couto Da Silva attended a wedding at Lake Como on Friday, Aug. 25, Italian officials told Italy 24 News. On the way back to his hotel, the 52-year-old stopped at a “low wall overlooking the lake,” the outlet reported.
The tourist “lost his balance and fell into the lake,” officials told Ansa, an Italian news outlet. Police and emergency officials found his body at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the outlet reported.
Couto, also known as “Ratinho,” was a sixth black belt and champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Il Messaggero reported.
Couto’s cousin, Rick Knight, described him as “a mentor and a professor, a true trailblazer in the art of Jiu Jitsu,” according to a GoFundMe.
“The world has lost a legend,” he wrote.
“Heaven is going to get a kick out of you, my friend,” Knight posted on Facebook. “You were one of the greatest Jiu Jitsu masterminds, and even better cousin and friend.”
Tributes have poured out from the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community.
Octagon MMA, a mixed martial arts school in Dallas, Texas, where Couto formerly worked as head coach, described Couto as a “beloved professor, mentor and friend,” according to a Facebook post.
“(Couto) taught and mentored hundreds of students at Octagon over the years, and thousands more on virtually every continent,” the post said. “(He was) one of the most revered BJJ coaches in the world.”
“You could never meet a person kinder and more compassionate than Octavio,” Octagon MMA wrote. “Those of us who knew him will remember his easy smile, quick wit and passion for life.”
A former student, Phuong Huynh, also shared a tribute on Facebook. “Thank you for all of the pearls of wisdom on and off the mats, Octavio,” Huynh wrote.
Couto leaves behind a brother, sister, wife and daughter, his family told McClatchy News.
Officials have not yet determined if Couto died from the fall or from drowning, Il Giorno reported.
Lake Como is about 410 miles northwest of Rome.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated Couto’s remaining family. The story was updated after further comments from his sister.
Google Translate was used to translate news articles from Il Giorno and Il Messaggero.
This story was originally published August 28, 2023 at 2:08 PM.
