Nina Moura

Nívia "Nina" Moura was born on June 22, 1992, in São Sebastião, a small town near Brasília in Brazil's federal district. Her path into martial arts began through family influence — her older brother, Pedro Moura, had taken up judo at a young age, and his example drew Nina to a judo club when she was 12. She embraced the sport with genuine dedication, competing throughout her early and mid-teens.

A knee injury sustained during those formative years cut her judo career short. Financial constraints prevented proper medical treatment, making a return to competition impossible. Yet rather than closing the door on martial arts entirely, that period of hardship became a defining turning point — one that would ultimately lead her to Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Nina discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 17, stepping onto the mats for the first time in January 2011. Her early development was guided by Adalberto Ventura (known as Betinho) and Edson Chuck, and from the start she faced the challenge of building her game around the knee injury that had ended her judo career. Rather than treating it as a limitation, she adapted her technique and training methodology — a problem-solving mindset that would come to define her approach to the sport.

Colored Belt Progression and Early Competition Results

As Nina advanced through the belt ranks, her technical foundation was further shaped by coaches Nielson Nunes (Grilo), Fabio Gabriel, and Junior Mesquita. Her competition record reflected consistent growth at every level: CBJJ Brasileiro titles at both purple and brown belt, the CBJJ Brasileiro No-Gi title at purple belt in 2014, and a runner-up finish at the IBJJF World Championship at brown belt in 2016 — a result that signaled she was ready to compete among the sport's elite.

On December 11, 2016, Adalberto Ventura promoted Nina to black belt, recognizing six years of committed development on the mats.

With her black belt secured, Nina Moura made a decisive move in 2017, relocating to the United States to join the Gracie Gym grappling team in Texas. The transition immediately paid dividends. That same year, she captured the CBJJ Brasileiro title at black belt alongside IBJJF open tournament gold in both San Antonio and Salvador, establishing herself as a legitimate force in the Peso Médio division (69 kg / 152.5 lbs). Her season culminated in a third-place finish at the IBJJF World Championship, confirming her standing among the elite in her weight class.

Joining Atos and Elevating Her Game

In 2019, Nina made another strategic move, relocating to San Diego, California, to join Atos Jiu-Jitsu Academy — one of the sport's premier competitive environments. Surrounding herself with world-class training partners and coaching infrastructure reflected a deliberate commitment to raising her ceiling as a competitor. Her journey from a small town near Brasília to the podium of the IBJJF World Championship — spanning two continents and multiple belt levels — stands as a testament to her resilience through injury, financial hardship, and the relentless demands of elite competition.