Eliana Carauni

Eliana Carauni was born on January 28, 1994, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she cultivated a diverse and demanding athletic identity from a young age. Artistic gymnastics became her primary sporting passion, a discipline she took up at 10 and pursued competitively throughout her youth. The rigors of gymnastics instilled in Carauni a refined sense of body awareness, flexibility, and physical discipline — qualities that would prove invaluable on the grappling mats.

During her teenage years, Carauni broadened her movement practice by adding classical dance to her weekly training, further sharpening her coordination and spatial intelligence. It was through this dance community that she forged a friendship with Miranda Galban — a connection that would carry lasting implications for Argentine jiu-jitsu. Combat sports entered her world at 15 when she joined a CrossFit gym that also offered boxing classes. Over roughly four years of consistent training, she built a striking foundation and a high level of physical conditioning that complemented an already well-rounded athletic profile.

Eliana Carauni's introduction to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came in 2013, facilitated by her longtime friend Miranda Galban, who had by then become an established figure in Argentina's jiu-jitsu community. Her first steps on the BJJ mats took place at Sukata Academy under the guidance of coach Luis Luengo, known within the community as "Lula." After approximately six months at Sukata, she made a pivotal transition to a De La Riva-affiliated gym in Argentina, where she trained under the collective guidance of Walter Alamo, Francisco Cuneo, Pablo Peirone, and Kevin Chierasco.

When the De La Riva-affiliated gym eventually underwent a split, Carauni chose to follow Walter Alamo as he founded his own organization, Positive Jiu-Jitsu. That decision proved defining. All of her belt promotions were earned under Alamo's guidance, and on December 20, 2020, he awarded her the black belt — a milestone that capped roughly seven years of focused development stretching back to her 2013 beginnings.

Building a Record Before the Black Belt

Carauni's competitive résumé took shape well before her black belt promotion, with elite-level performances across both IBJJF and AJP platforms. At purple belt in 2019, she claimed gold at the IBJJF Rio Open and the IBJJF Rio Open Nogi, while also finishing on the podium at the IBJJF World Championship and the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals. As she transitioned into the brown belt stage and began competing in mixed brown and black divisions on the AJP circuit through 2019 and 2020, Carauni collected multiple podium finishes at AJP Grand Slam events in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, and London, as well as at the AJP Europe Continental Pro and the AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro — results that signaled her readiness for the sport's highest rank before she officially received the promotion.

Black Belt Ascent on the International Stage

Following her black belt promotion in December 2020, Carauni wasted little time asserting herself at the top level. In 2021, she reached the final of both the AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro and the AJP Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi, earning silver at each event. Competing in the Peso Pluma division (53.5 kg / 118 lbs) and representing Argentina, she continued to accumulate AJP circuit points and IBJJF results through 2022 and into 2023.

2023: A Competitive Peak

The year 2023 marked a strong competitive peak for Carauni. She claimed gold at the AJP Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro, the AJP South America Continental Pro, the AJP Paraguay Pro, and the AJP Chile National — establishing herself as one of the most consistent performers in her weight class across the South American and international AJP circuits. Her IBJJF results that year reinforced that consistency, with a silver-medal finish at the IBJJF Rio Open and additional third-place finishes at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals, the IBJJF Rio Open Absolute, and the IBJJF Rio Summer. Taken together, these results reflect the depth and durability of her competitive output at the black belt level.