Benjamin Tettu
fighter
Benjamin Tettu is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter who has taken multiple honours nationally in Switzerland and internationally. He’s enjoyed success as he’s risen through the ranks, and as a black belt now faces a high class of opponent – and still continues to win.
- Three Golds at 2024 Grappling Industries Geneva
- Double Gold at ADCC Open Zurich
- Multiple in wins in two categories
Notable successes include competing in Geneva at the 2023 Grappling Industries tournament, winning seven out of seven matches and taking two Golds. At the Torino Jiu Jitsu Challenge in 2024 he won five out of five and took Gold in the 94 kg and Open weight divisions. Soon after, he fought in the European Jiu Jitsu League in Zurich and won four out of four to take two more Golds, then returned to Geneva to take Gold in three categories in Grappling Industries. At the IBJJF Milano Open in 2024, he took gold in the super heavyweight division after two matches.
The ADCC Swiss Open in 2026 was special for Benjamin. “My greatest achievement so far is probably winning double gold at the ADCC Open Zurich in the professional divisions,” he says. “I won both my weight category, -100 kg, and the open weight division.”
Vegan
“I realised that consuming animal products causes serious harm to animals, and I did not want to participate in that.”
For all of these achievements, Benjamin has been vegan.
“I became vegan in 2018,” he says. “My motivation was animal ethics. I realised that consuming animal products causes serious harm to animals, and I did not want to participate in that. Once I understood that it was entirely possible to be vegan and healthy, I transitioned quite quickly. During that period, I was also influenced by animal rights activists such as Gary Yourofsky, Earthling Ed, Joey Carbstrong and James Aspey.”
Now he’s fully vegan. “I follow a fully vegan diet and also try to apply veganism to the rest of my lifestyle as much as possible. I avoid clothing made from animal derived materials, products tested on animals, and activities involving animal exploitation. I never consume animal products when travelling either.”
Results like these don’t come easily, and Benjamin has a busy training schedule. He trains for both gi competitions (wearing a traditional Japanese competition suit, or ‘gi’) and no gi events.
“I train Brazilian jiu jitsu almost every day, including both gi and no gi (grappling). I also usually do fitness and conditioning two or three times per week.”
The training isn’t just physical. “In addition, I spend a significant amount of time analysing matches and studying instructional material to improve the technical and strategic aspects of my game.”
This is all plant fuelled. “My diet is generally quite simple. I eat a lot of pasta, rice, fruit, vegetables and potatoes. I am less fond of legumes and nuts, but I still try to include foods such as lentils, tofu and cashews occasionally. “I also regularly enjoy vegan meat substitutes, plant based milks and yoghurts — particularly Alpro products — and occasionally visit vegan restaurants.”
Veganism doesn’t come up in training often, although “if it does, it’s mostly positive. They are impressed and curious. They sometimes ask what I eat or what motivated me to become vegan.”
It’s impressive that all this has been achieved by age 28 (in 2026), and Benjamin plans much more. “I want to continue performing at a high level, both as a competitor and as a coach. My goal is to remain among the strongest competitors in Switzerland while gradually establishing myself more seriously on the European scene.”