Claudia Do Val

Claudia do Val was born on June 1, 1988, in Resende, a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, and raised in the nearby town of Penedo. She entered martial arts at the age of 18, taking up judo and quickly developing a deep passion for its competitive demands. Her commitment to the discipline was total, and she progressed steadily through its ranks.

At 21, seeking to sharpen her ground game and expand her grappling arsenal, do Val began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo De La Riva at the De La Riva academy. What started as a complement to her judo training soon became something far greater. The depth and intricacy of the submission game captivated her in ways that gradually drew her attention away from judo entirely. Before long, she had committed herself fully to BJJ, laying the groundwork for a distinguished competitive career.

Despite her growing dedication to BJJ, do Val's early relationship with competition was restrained. She entered tournaments just three times as a white belt and once as a blue belt before stepping away from the competitive scene, choosing to train as a hobbyist. For several years, personal development on the mats took precedence over titles and medals.

That approach shifted when do Val received her brown belt in 2014. In 2015, she returned to tournament competition and immediately demonstrated that her years of focused training had forged a competitor of exceptional quality. Her impact was swift and decisive — she captured gold at the IBJJF World Championship and the European Open, and earned double gold at the Rio Winter Open, announcing her arrival among the elite of the women's super-heavyweight division.

These performances brought her the sport's ultimate recognition. On December 17, 2016, Ricardo De La Riva awarded Claudia do Val her black belt, formalizing her standing as one of the most accomplished practitioners to emerge from the De La Riva academy.

Behind the competitive success of her brown belt years, do Val was confronting deeply personal hardships. In early 2015, while simultaneously dealing with an abusive ex-boyfriend, bulimia, and undiagnosed depression, she was subjected to abuse by her then-professor Ricardo De La Riva. She confronted him directly following the incident, but he continued to make unwanted advances toward her.

For approximately two years, do Val kept the incident private before speaking out publicly in an emotional interview. Her decision to come forward illuminated a painful chapter that had unfolded even as she was achieving some of the defining results of her athletic career.

Her departure from the De La Riva academy was compounded by additional grievances — a lack of competitive support from her coach and a uniform policy that barred her from wearing her sponsor's gi. She subsequently joined Soul Fighters, beginning a new chapter in both her personal and competitive life.

Following her transition to Soul Fighters, do Val cemented her reputation as the preeminent female super-heavyweight competitor in IBJJF competition. Between 2017 and 2020, she captured four consecutive IBJJF World Championship titles in the super-heavyweight division, a run of dominance that reflected both her technical depth and her competitive durability. She also claimed back-to-back IBJJF Masters World Championship titles in 2018 and 2019, and added the IBJJF Pan Championship in 2018 to her résumé.

International Reach and No-Gi Success

Do Val's competitive reach extended well beyond Brazil. She collected titles across Europe, Asia, and South America — winning events such as the IBJJF British Nationals, IBJJF Spanish Nationals, and IBJJF Asian Open — while also performing consistently in no-gi formats with multiple national-level titles. Her ability to execute at a high level across different rule sets and international contexts speaks to the breadth and adaptability of her grappling game.

Sustained Excellence Into the 2020s

Do Val's competitive career continued to bear fruit well into the following decade. In 2023, representing Soul Fighters, she won first place at the IBJJF European Championship in the Heavyweight Master I category — a result that affirmed her standing among the elite of women's BJJ across more than a decade of high-level competition.