Emilly Vasconcelos

Emilly Alves Vasconcelos was born on September 30, 1991, in São Paulo, Brazil, into an athletic household that laid the groundwork for her future on the mats. Team sports defined her early years, with handball and soccer instilling a competitive mindset and the discipline of structured training — qualities that would translate naturally into the martial arts world.

Her path to jiu-jitsu was indirect but purposeful. Emilly initially turned to boxing as a practical means of losing weight, but the demands and rhythm of combat sports quickly drew her in on a deeper level. That engagement led her to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a transition that would ultimately define her life's direction. She took her first steps on the BJJ mats under Rodrigo Siqueira at the Alliance Academy in São Paulo, where she began constructing the technical foundation that would carry her to the highest levels of international competition.

Building a Decorated Colored Belt Career

Emilly's ascent through the belt ranks was shaped by a lineage of accomplished instructors and an unwavering commitment to competition. Under Rodrigo Siqueira at the Alliance Academy, she established her early technical identity. She later trained under Luciano Nucci — who had also been Rodrigo Siqueira's instructor — adding further refinement through one of São Paulo's most respected coaching lineages.

Her colored belt career stands among the most accomplished in Brazilian women's jiu-jitsu. Emilly earned IBJJF World Championship gold twice across the purple and brown belt divisions, placing her among the elite competitors of her generation at those ranks. Her podium appearances were not isolated achievements but part of a sustained pattern of high-level performance. She claimed first place at the 2020 IBJJF European Open at brown belt and secured titles at the IBJJF São Paulo BJJ Pro and the IBJJF Los Angeles BJJ Pro in 2019. Podium finishes at the IBJJF Pan Championship, the IBJJF South American Championship, and the IBJJF World Championship across multiple belt levels further demonstrated her consistency and capacity to perform on the sport's biggest stages.

Relocation to the United States and Black Belt Promotion

In 2019, a major personal milestone coincided with a significant professional transition. Following her engagement and marriage to Rafael Vasconcelos, Emilly relocated to the United States and joined Atos in San Diego, California. Training under André Galvão at one of the world's foremost competitive academies, she continued adding international results under the Atos banner throughout her brown belt career. In October 2021, André Galvão formally awarded Emilly her black belt — a recognition of both her extraordinary competitive record and the technical maturity she had built across years of elite-level training.

Emilly Vasconcelos is widely recognized within competitive BJJ circles for her mastery of the Lasso Guard — the position she identifies as her primary weapon in competition. The Lasso Guard is a sophisticated guard system built around sleeve and leg control, using the configuration of the grapplers' bodies to create mechanical disadvantages for the opponent and generate opportunities for sweeps and submission attacks from a position of controlled imbalance.

Her affinity for this style reflects the broader technical cultures of both Alliance and Atos, two organizations renowned for producing guard players who prioritize leverage, grip mechanics, and positional intelligence over raw athleticism. The Lasso Guard demands patience, timing, and a deep understanding of how weight and pressure interact — qualities that align naturally with the detail-oriented training environments Emilly has inhabited throughout her career. Her command of this guard system runs as a consistent thread through her performances at every belt level, giving her a recognizable competitive identity that opponents must specifically prepare to face.

Emilly's black belt career under André Galvão and Atos represents the next chapter of an already decorated journey. Stepping into the black belt division in October 2021 as a two-time IBJJF World Champion, she carried the momentum of years of elite-level competition experience. The transition proved seamless — a third-place finish at the 2021 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, one of the sport's premier annual events, signaled that her competitive standard translated directly to the highest division.

Emilly competes in the Meio-Pesado division at 71.5 kg / 163.5 lbs, representing the United States on the international stage — a reflection of her life in San Diego following her move from Brazil. The training environment at Atos San Diego provides access to world-class partners and the direct mentorship of André Galvão, one of the most decorated competitors and coaches in the sport's history, positioning Emilly for continued development and high-level results as her black belt career unfolds.