Vinicius Liberati

Born on March 06, 1998, in Bariri, São Paulo, Brazil, Vinicius Liberati developed his competitive instincts on the football pitch. He played soccer from age 8 to 15, and when he stepped away from the sport, the weight gain that followed became an unexpected catalyst — drawing him to a local jiu-jitsu gym in pursuit of fitness and structure.

Liberati's introduction to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came under the guidance of Rafael Ultramare, his first instructor in Bariri. Alongside his brother Rodrigo Ultramare, Rafael oversaw Liberati's development from white belt through purple belt, instilling the technical foundation that would underpin his later competitive success.

The turning point in Liberati's career arrived at a grappling tournament, where — still a purple belt — he crossed paths with Cicero Costha. Already training on a full-time schedule and well aware of Costha's reputation for producing elite competitors out of his São Paulo academy, Liberati seized the moment and requested a visit to the team's headquarters. Costha accepted.

The visit proved decisive. Liberati left São Paulo convinced that Costha's program was the environment he needed. He applied for the academy's jiu-jitsu scholarship, earned acceptance in January 2017, and relocated from Bariri to São Paulo to pursue a professional BJJ career. Over the next six years within the Cicero Costha structure, Liberati refined his game and built an impressive competitive record — a period that would encompass some of the most formative and demanding moments of his athletic life.

In 2019, a productive stretch of European tournament appearances came to an abrupt halt when Liberati suffered a serious back injury during competition abroad. Diagnosis revealed two herniated disks — a condition that sidelined him for approximately one year and, at its darkest moments, threatened to end his competitive career entirely.

The recovery demanded as much mental fortitude as physical rehabilitation. By 2021, Liberati returned to the competition floor and wasted no time reasserting his presence at the top level, capturing gold at both the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals and the IBJJF South American Championship as a brown belt. He carried that momentum into 2022, again claiming the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals title and sweeping both the AJP World Pro and the AJP Grand Slam RJN — a dominant run that made his black belt promotion feel not only inevitable but thoroughly earned.

On May 14, 2022, Vinicius Liberati received his black belt on the podium steps of the Brazilian Nationals — a setting that captured the deep connection between his competitive achievements and personal milestones. The promotion marked the culmination of years of sacrifice, from his long injury recovery to the dedication he brought to Cicero Costha's program since 2017.

Liberati made an immediate impact at the black belt level. Later in 2022, he placed third at the AJP World Pro in a strong debut among the sport's elite. He continued his ascent by winning the BJJ Stars Confere in 2023 and reaching the final of the IBJJF World Championship in 2024 — earning a silver medal that confirmed his standing among the world's premier heavyweights.

In May 2023, after more than six years competing under Cicero Costha's banner, Liberati announced a move to the professional squad Fratres. The transition marked both a new competitive chapter and a continued commitment to performing at the highest levels of the sport.