Keven Carrasco

Keven Carrasco was born on July 21, 1999, in California, and from an early age gravitated toward individual martial disciplines over team sports. At six years old, he enrolled in a kempo karate school, training there for roughly two years before seeking a new challenge. The next step in his martial arts journey came through a family connection: watching his brother train and spar at a local jiu-jitsu school ignited an immediate passion for grappling. That spark was enough to bring nine-year-old Carrasco onto the mats alongside his brother.

Carrasco began his BJJ development under André Glodzinski at his grappling school in downtown Sacramento. He spent the better part of seven years in that environment — a formative stretch during which he earned his blue belt and built the technical foundation that would underpin his later competitive success.

After seven years under André Glodzinski, Carrasco transitioned to Waza BJJ Academy under Derek DiManno. His stay proved brief, however. A tournament camp brought him into contact with coaches Osvaldo Queixinho and Samir Chantre — two figures whose reputations in competitive BJJ he already respected deeply. The encounter was decisive: Carrasco joined Ares Academy in 2017, setting the course for the next phase of his career.

The move to Ares produced immediate results. A third-place finish at the IBJJF World Championships as a blue belt in 2018 signaled his ability to compete at the sport's highest level, and a gold medal at the Northern California Championship in 2019 as a purple belt reinforced a trajectory that pointed sharply upward.

Carrasco's standing as one of the top light-featherweights of his generation became undeniable in 2019, when he captured gold at the 2019 IBJJF World Championship in the purple belt division. The result was a defining statement — confirmation that his work at Ares Academy under Osvaldo Queixinho and Samir Chantre was translating directly onto the biggest stages in the sport.

In August 2019, Carrasco relocated to Arizona to train full-time at the Ares headquarters, committing entirely to his career as a grappler. The decision reflected both his ambition and the confidence his coaching staff had placed in him. Despite the disruptions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020, Carrasco remained sharp wherever competition was available, claiming gold at the AJPT Grand Slam in Miami and following it with a first-place finish at the 2020 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the brown belt division. The performances across a shortened season underscored the consistency and composure that define his competitive approach.

Carrasco's performances throughout the 2020 season, compressed as they were by the pandemic, demonstrated black belt-level maturity and execution. On December 14, 2020, Osvaldo Queixinho promoted him to black belt — a recognition of both his competitive achievements and his growth as a martial artist. The promotion launched a new chapter: Carrasco competing as a full-time black belt representative of Ares Academy in the light-featherweight division at the Peso Pluma weight class of 64 kg / 141.5 lbs.

His black belt career has continued to build on the promise shown at the colored belt levels. In 2022, he claimed gold at the 2022 IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu CON, a result that confirmed his place among the top tier of black belt competitors. At the 2024 IBJJF World Championship, he secured a third-place finish, reaffirming his standing among the elite in the light-featherweight division on the world stage. Throughout his black belt career, the coaching partnership with Osvaldo Queixinho and Samir Chantre has remained central to his preparation and continued development.