Italo Moura

Italo Moura was born on December 15, 1997, in São Simão, a small municipality in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and grew up in the neighboring town of Luiz Antônio. His introduction to martial arts came early — by age 9, Moura was already competing in karate, building the competitive discipline that would define his grappling career.

The transition to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came through family. Influenced by his father, Moura joined a local Gracie Barra affiliate during the 2009 school holidays at age 12, beginning what would become a lifelong commitment to the sport. His first grappling coach, Vitorio "Furão," guided him through the foundational stages of his BJJ development at that affiliate.

Seeking further growth, Moura moved to Academia Núcleo, where he trained under coach Rhuando Cavalcante. Recognizing the young athlete's rapid progression and competitive potential, Cavalcante awarded Moura his blue belt — the first formal acknowledgment of a career clearly built for higher stages.

Moura's trajectory shifted decisively when several of his higher-ranked blue belt teammates opened a PSLPB Cicero Costha affiliate in the region. He followed their lead into a training environment that would prove transformative. Under coach Mauricio Antunes, Moura sharpened his game alongside a core group of training partners — Rafael Naves, Willian Von Sohsten, Aquila Lanza, Ramon Delsin, and Higor Paterra — a collective that consistently pushed his competitive ceiling.

The defining moment came in 2012, when Rafael Naves brought Moura to São Paulo to compete in a tournament. The pair trained at the PSLPB Academy headquarters for several days ahead of the event, giving Moura his first direct exposure to the environment built by legendary instructor Cicero Costha. That experience crystallized his ambition to pursue a life as a professional grappler.

From that point forward, Moura returned to train at the PSLPB headquarters during every available school holiday, deepening his relationship with Cicero Costha and immersing himself further in one of Brazil's most accomplished competitive BJJ programs. After completing high school, he made the commitment official — relocating full-time to São Paulo to train as a scholarship athlete under Cicero Costha's direct guidance.

A second pivotal mentorship emerged organically from Moura's time at the PSLPB headquarters. Murilo Santana — a black belt with deep historical ties to the Cicero Costha team — was a regular presence at the São Paulo facility, having trained alongside the team's leader for many years. It was during one of Santana's sessions there that Moura first connected with the accomplished competitor, forging a relationship that would shape the next chapter of his career.

Santana went on to found Unity Jiu-Jitsu in New York City, establishing one of the most respected BJJ academies in the United States. Beginning in 2016, Moura incorporated Unity NYC into his competition preparation, using it as his training camp base ahead of major tournaments on the American circuit. The arrangement provided access to a high-level competitive environment on the East Coast — a meaningful complement to his foundational work in São Paulo.

This dual-base model between São Paulo and New York proved instrumental in Moura's development, exposing him to diverse training partners and competitive scenarios at precisely the stage when such variety mattered most. The collaborative nature of his mentorship was formally recognized in June 2019, when both Murilo Santana and Cicero Costha jointly promoted Moura to the rank of black belt — a shared promotion reflecting the investment both coaches had made in his growth.

Purple Belt Breakthrough

Moura's colored belt career stands as one of the most decorated of his competitive generation, marked by consistent performances across both gi and no-gi formats on the sport's biggest international stages. At purple belt, he announced himself emphatically on the global scene, capturing the IBJJF World Championship No-Gi title in 2017 — establishing himself as a premier no-gi competitor before even reaching brown belt.

His no-gi dominance extended well beyond a single tournament. Moura won the IBJJF Pans Championship No-Gi three times — twice at purple belt in 2016 and 2017, and once more at brown belt in 2018 — a run of consistency that underscored both his technical adaptability and competitive durability. On the UAEJJF circuit, he claimed back-to-back Abu Dhabi World Pro titles at purple belt in 2017 and 2018, the kind of sustained excellence that separates elite prospects from true champions.

A Defining 2017 Season

The 2017 season stands as a landmark year in Moura's development. Beyond his World No-Gi title and Abu Dhabi World Pro gold, he captured the 2017 IBJJF European Open at purple belt and took gold at the UAEJJF Grand Slam in Los Angeles — accumulating a body of results few competitors at that level could match across a single calendar year. Multiple IBJJF World Championship podium finishes, including third-place results at purple belt in 2016 and 2018, alongside a third-place finish at the IBJJF World Championship Juvenile in 2014 as a blue belt, further illustrated his competitive longevity across belt levels.

Brown Belt and Black Belt Promotion

Moura carried that momentum seamlessly into his brown belt campaign. In 2019, he captured the UAEJJF Grand Slam title in London, adding another international gold to a résumé already rich with major victories. The series of strong performances that defined his entire colored belt tenure culminated in his black belt promotion in June 2019 — formal recognition of a competitive career that had consistently operated at the sport's highest level.