Julia Maele was born on November 11, 1992, in Sola, a small town on Norway's West Coast. Raised on a strawberry farm in rural Scandinavia, she gravitated toward physical competition from an early age, finding her first outlet in equestrian sport. She received her first pony at age 10 and committed fully to Showjumping, spending the bulk of her spare time in the stables and eventually competing at the national level in Norway until age 17.

At 19, the course of her athletic life shifted when her horse suffered an injury that ended their competitive career together. With no sporting pursuit to fill that void, she accepted a friend's recommendation to try a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class — and the experience resonated immediately. Within a year of stepping onto the mats, Maele had made the deliberate decision to leave equestrian competition behind and redirect her athletic focus entirely toward grappling.

From her first class through her black belt promotion, Julia Maele trained exclusively under Felipe Mota, known throughout the grappling community as "Gargamel." Representing OXY Gym, she progressed through every belt under the same coach — a consistency of instruction that shaped her into a complete, well-rounded grappler. In October 2018, approximately six to seven years after first trying jiu-jitsu, Mota awarded her the black belt, a milestone that reflected both her technical development and her sustained competitive results.

Colored Belt Highlights

Maele's path to black belt was marked by a steady rise in competitive performance at each rank. At blue belt, she claimed gold at the IBJJF European Championship in 2015. Her purple belt years brought podium finishes at the IBJJF World Championship NOGI and multiple AJP Grand Slam events in 2016, followed by a third-place finish at the IBJJF World Championship in 2017. At brown belt in 2018, she reached the pinnacle of her colored belt career, finishing second at both the AJP Grand Slam in London and the IBJJF World Championship — results that made her black belt promotion a natural and earned progression. Maele competes in the Peso Leve division (64 kg / 141.5 lbs).

At black belt, Julia Maele built one of the most consistent records in European women's grappling, with a particular dominance in no-gi competition. She claimed the IBJJF European Championship NOGI title in 2019, 2022, and 2024 — a three-time run that established her as the benchmark for the division on the continent. Her performances at the IBJJF World Championship NOGI reinforced her elite standing beyond the regional stage, earning her bronze medals in both 2022 and 2023.

2022: A Career-Defining Year

In 2022, Maele delivered one of the standout seasons of her competitive career. She won the GrappleFest U65 title on one of Europe's most prominent submission grappling platforms, then secured first place at the ADCC European Trials — qualifying her for the most prestigious no-gi tournament in the world. She returned to the ADCC European Trials podium in 2024, finishing third and reaffirming her standing among Europe's elite grapplers heading into the next ADCC cycle.

Gi Competition and Overall Profile

While her no-gi record is particularly distinguished, Maele has demonstrated equal effectiveness in the gi. She finished third at the IBJJF European Championship in 2020 and reached second place at the IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI in 2023, completing a competitive profile defined by sustained, high-level performance across multiple formats and years.