Livia Barasine

Livia Barasine Correa was born in August 2008 in Brazil and raised in the state of São Paulo. She took her first steps on the mat at age seven, beginning her jiu-jitsu training under Everdan Olegario — known within the academy as Mestre Dan — at Cohab Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Her athletic development ran on parallel tracks from the start: alongside jiu-jitsu, she trained and competed in judo throughout childhood, building a grappling foundation that drew from both disciplines.

Her early results in both sports signaled an unusual level of ability. In judo, she earned a bronze medal at the Inter-State Judo Championship in 2019, one of Brazil's most competitive youth tournaments. On the BJJ circuit, she captured gold at the South American Championship as a child. Mestre Dan awarded Livia her grey belt in 2017 at age seven — the first milestone in what would become one of the most accelerated belt progressions in the sport's recorded history.

Livia received her yellow belt in October 2018 and her orange belt in early 2020, both under Everdan Olegario at Cohab Jiu-Jitsu Academy. By May 2021, at twelve years old and still an orange belt, she made her first significant team transition — joining Almeida JJ under coach Caio Almeida, a professional squad with strong athlete infrastructure and several top-level international black belts.

The move marked a turning point in her competitive trajectory. Under Caio Almeida, she received her orange and black belt in September 2021, her green and white belt in May 2022, and her blue belt on December 17, 2023. It was during her time at Almeida JJ — particularly as a juvenile blue belt — that she gained widespread recognition on the CBJJ and IBJJF international circuits.

Her juvenile résumé across the 2024 and 2025 seasons was extraordinary. She won weight and absolute titles at the IBJJF World Championship in both 2024 and 2025, captured weight and absolute gold at the IBJJF Pan Championship in both years, and swept the weight and absolute divisions at the IBJJF European Championship in 2025. That same year, she completed what is recognized as an IBJJF Double Grand Slam as a juvenile blue belt — claiming both the weight and absolute title across all major IBJJF events within a single season. It is a benchmark rarely reached at any belt level, let alone by a teenager.

In December 2024, Livia transferred to BJJ College under coach Melqui Galvão, continuing her ascent through the upper belts. She received her purple belt on June 11, 2025 at age sixteen, and her brown belt on December 14, 2025 at age seventeen, both promotions awarded by Melqui Galvão.

In early 2026, she entered the ADCC Brazilian Trials in the 65KG division and won the title, becoming one of the youngest female athletes to claim victory at that professional-level event. The achievement underscored her viability not only in the gi, but in the no-gi submission grappling format that the ADCC World Championship demands.

Later in 2026, following the collapse of BJJ College amid serious allegations against Melqui Galvão, Livia trained at various gyms in the United States as she prepared for the IBJJF World Championship in May 2026. Competing as a brown belt, she won the world title. On May 30, 2026, Fabin Rosa promoted Livia to black belt on the podium at age seventeen. BJJ Heroes, in a profile published August 26, 2026, cited the promotion as the youngest black belt in their database at that time — surpassing the prior record held by Mica Galvão by two months.

Her lineage runs: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Roberto Magalhaes > Fabin Rosa > Livia Barasine.

Livia's performance at the ADCC BR2 tournament in the 65KG division stands as the most fully documented stretch of her no-gi competition record. She went undefeated across five bouts, blending efficient points control with assertive submission finishing.

She opened with a 2x0 points victory over Bea Rodrigues in the first round, then shifted into submission mode in round two, finishing Natalia Maguerroski with a Katagatame. In the quarterfinals, she submitted Jaqueline Almeida with a Rear-Naked Choke. A composed 2x0 points performance controlled the semifinal against Nadine Tavares, and she closed the bracket by defeating Vitoria Vieira 2x0 in the final to secure the title.

Later in 2026, she appeared at BJJ Stars 19 in a superfight, submitting Giovanna Carneiro by Katagatame. Per BJJ Heroes as of August 2026, her tracked grappling record stands at six wins and zero losses — three by points and three by submission — with the katagatame accounting for two of those three finishes. The arm triangle has emerged as a signature finishing tool in her no-gi record, reflecting a comfort with top control and upper-body strangleholds that traces directly to the judo and jiu-jitsu base she built from childhood.

In March 2026, rumors surfaced regarding the possible sexual assault of Livia by her then-coach Melqui Galvão. In May 2026, Livia publicly confirmed the allegations and announced that a formal complaint had been filed with Brazilian authorities. As reported by Globo.com, at least seven other former students — all reportedly minors at the time of the alleged offenses — came forward with similar accounts. São Paulo police subsequently arrested Melqui Galvão.

The fallout led to the collapse of BJJ College as an organized team, leaving Livia without a formal affiliation in the weeks leading into the IBJJF World Championship in May 2026. The details in this section are drawn from BJJ Heroes reporting published on August 26, 2026; the legal proceedings were ongoing as of that date.

Gi Game: Spider Guard and Absolute Dominance

In gi competition, Livia Barasine is defined by her Spider Guard — a technically demanding open guard system that rewards precise grip work, active leg engagement, and fluid transitions between sweeps and submission entries. Her consistent success at the absolute division as a juvenile, routinely defeating larger opponents, points to a guard game built on leverage and control rather than physical dominance. She does not overpower her opponents; she outmaneuvers them.

No-Gi Game: Positional Pressure and the Arm Triangle

In no-gi competition, her recorded performances reveal a different but complementary emphasis: deliberate positional pressure followed by decisive finishing. The Katagatame — an arm triangle variant favored by wrestlers and judoka comfortable in top half-guard or side control — appears twice in her six-match no-gi record, signaling that her dual background in judo and jiu-jitsu directly informs her finishing instincts, particularly in clinch-heavy and top-control scenarios. A 50% submission rate across tracked no-gi bouts reflects a competitor equally capable of grinding out points and actively hunting for the finish.