Iasmim Casser

Iasmim Casser was born on May 20, 1998, in Povo Novo, a small, remote village in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, situated near the country's border with Uruguay. Growing up in an impoverished and unstable household, she faced scarcity from an early age — yet her innate resilience and curiosity drove her to seek experiences far beyond what her surroundings offered.

At 13, Casser discovered a passion for theatre and music, pursuits that introduced her to the demands of structured physical discipline. These creative interests opened the door to circus training, her first serious engagement with athletic conditioning and body control — building the kinesthetic awareness that would later serve her well on the mats and in the cage.

Recognizing that Povo Novo offered limited prospects, Casser made a defining decision at just 14: she left her family home and relocated to Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul — a city of over 300,000 people — in pursuit of greater opportunities. Far from drifting, she demonstrated remarkable focus and academic drive upon arriving, earning a scholarship at a federal school to study chemistry while financing her living expenses by teaching music. This combination of intellectual ambition and self-sufficiency at such a young age would prove characteristic of her approach to every challenge that followed.

Casser's introduction to martial arts came through Muay Thai training in Pelotas under coach Rogério Menna, and she quickly found her calling. Under Menna's guidance, she built a formidable reputation on the local and regional striking circuit, developing the technical foundation and competitive instincts that would define her combat sports career.

Her progression was swift and decisive. As a juvenile competitor, she traveled to Thailand — the spiritual and competitive home of Muay Thai — and captured a WMF (World Muay Thai Federation) World Championship title, an extraordinary achievement for an athlete of her age and background. Competing and winning on an international stage gave Casser both the confidence and the vision to think beyond striking alone.

The success of her Muay Thai career planted the seed for a transition toward MMA. Recognizing the growing opportunity in mixed martial arts, Casser understood that her elite striking foundation needed to be complemented by grappling skills — a realization that set her on the path to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, ultimately, to the highest levels of the sport.

Casser entered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with MMA ambitions in mind, approaching the discipline with the same intensity she had brought to Muay Thai. She began her gi training under Fabricio Machado and her no-gi grappling development under Gustavo "Caroço" at the Grand Team in Pelotas. Her early cage appearances in MMA yielded an undefeated record, reinforcing her belief in the path she had chosen and accelerating her desire to reach a higher level of training.

Seeking access to elite striking and grappling instruction, Casser relocated to Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul. There, she trained MMA at the Boxer MMA gym under Fabiano Doca while simultaneously advancing her jiu-jitsu under Guto Campos at Guetho Jiu-Jitsu Academy — the primary Atos Jiu-Jitsu affiliate in southern Brazil. Campos proved to be a pivotal figure in her development, awarding Casser her blue belt and recognizing the exceptional potential her raw talent represented.

It was also through Campos that Casser made her first trip to the United States, traveling to compete in top-level BJJ tournaments — a journey that would alter the trajectory of her career entirely.

Casser's first visit to the United States brought her to Art Of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) in Costa Mesa, California, which was at the time also an affiliate of Atos Jiu-Jitsu. Head instructor Guilherme Mendes took immediate notice of her remarkable raw talent and extended a personal invitation for her to remain in the country and join the AOJ professional team — an opportunity Casser accepted without hesitation.

Training alongside both Rafael Mendes and Guilherme Mendes, Casser immersed herself in the technical and strategic principles that define the AOJ system, absorbing one of the most refined jiu-jitsu methodologies in the world. Her entire upper belt progression unfolded under Guilherme Mendes's mentorship at AOJ, where she received her purple belt, brown belt, and ultimately her black belt.

The black belt promotion stands as one of the defining moments of her career. On December 10, 2021, immediately after stepping off the competition mats having won the IBJJF World Championship brown belt final, Guilherme Mendes awarded Casser her black belt — a ceremony conducted in the heat of competition, marking the culmination of years of sacrifice and dedication.

Across the colored belt divisions of the IBJJF circuit, Casser established herself as one of the most dominant and consistent competitors of her generation, competing in the Peso Médio division (69kg / 152.5lbs). Her results reflect a level of sustained excellence that is rare even among elite athletes, with titles accumulating across both gi and no-gi formats at multiple belt levels.

World Championship Success

Casser's IBJJF World Championship campaign demonstrated her ability to perform at the highest level across formats and belt levels. She won the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship at blue belt in 2018, signaling early proficiency in submission grappling, before claiming the gi World title at blue belt in 2019. She returned to the top of the podium at the 2021 IBJJF World Championship at brown belt — the victory that preceded her black belt promotion on the same day.

Pan American and Continental Dominance

Equally impressive was her run at the IBJJF Pan American Championship, where she secured three consecutive titles: blue belt in 2019, purple belt in 2020, and brown belt in 2021. This sustained success across three consecutive belt levels underscored not only her athletic ability but her capacity to adapt and sharpen her game as competition intensified. She also claimed the IBJJF American Nationals title at brown belt in 2021, along with AJP Grand Slam victories in Los Angeles at blue belt in 2018 and in Miami at purple belt in 2020.

Casser's transition into elite MMA training was made possible through the shared vision of Art Of Jiu-Jitsu and the RVCA Training Centre, both founded by Pat Tenore. This connection gave Casser access to one of the world's premier MMA training environments in Costa Mesa, California, where she trained under head coach Jason Parillo — a highly respected figure in professional combat sports coaching.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Casser returned to active MMA competition, reigniting her cage career alongside her elite grappling schedule at AOJ. Her early MMA appearances in Brazil had produced an undefeated record, and the years of refined grappling and world-class striking instruction accumulated at RVCA and AOJ positioned her as a credible threat in the professional MMA landscape.

Casser has stated her ambitions with clarity: she aims to become both an MMA World Champion and an IBJJF World Champion at black belt. For an athlete who began her journey in a remote village on the Brazilian-Uruguayan border, earned a WMF Muay Thai World title as a teenager, and received her black belt on the competition mats of the IBJJF World Championship, the ambition is not merely a dream — it is the next chapter of a career defined by relentless pursuit.