William Wilson's Profile

William Wilson — known in the BJJ community as Will Wilson — was born and raised in Napili, Hawaii, on the island of Maui, a setting far removed from the traditional BJJ hubs of Southern California or Brazil. He began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at four years old, a foundation few competitors can match in depth or consistency. His first academy was Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Lahaina, rooted in the Carlson Gracie tradition, where he trained under Sensei Christian Grandi. Grandi shaped Wilson's early technical identity, instilling the structural principles of the Carlson Gracie system during the years when movement patterns and competitive instincts are most deeply formed.

Growing up in Maui placed Wilson outside the sport's conventional competitive corridors, yet the consistency of his training gave him both technical depth and the competitive mentality to eventually perform at the highest levels. The distance from mainstream BJJ culture never became a limitation — it became part of what made his development story distinctive.

As Wilson advanced through the youth ranks, his talent became increasingly difficult to overlook. He reached green belt — the youth system's functional equivalent of black belt — while accumulating multiple state, regional, and national titles across both gi and no-gi formats. His early competitive calendar included appearances in the North American Grappling Association (NAGA), where he built cross-format experience against varied opposition from a young age.

The defining moment of his youth career arrived in 2022, when at 17 years old, Wilson swept the IBJJF World Championships with a double-gold performance — claiming both the gi and no-gi titles in the same weekend. The achievement placed him at the top of his generation in the youth lightweight division and signaled a trajectory well beyond regional success.

That same year, he competed at the 2022 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship against William Joseph English, beginning a deliberate pattern of testing himself against older and more seasoned opponents. He extended that approach into 2023 at the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship, where he faced Enzo Botinelly Rodrigues, continuing to sharpen his game against adult-level competition while still navigating the final stages of his color belt career.

To reach the next tier of competition, Wilson relocated from Hawaii to the mainland, connecting with Professor Andre Vasconcellos — known as "Alemão" — at Carlson Gracie South Bay in Torrance, California. Vasconcellos became his primary coach for adult competition, providing the structured environment and high-level training partners essential to Wilson's development as an elite black belt competitor. The move maintained full continuity with the Carlson Gracie system he had trained within since childhood, preserving his technical identity as the competitive demands intensified.

As a brown belt, Wilson competed in the Jiu-Jitsu World League (JJWL) representing Carlson Gracie South Bay - Torra academy, earning season champion honors — a demonstration of consistent dominance in the pre-black belt ranks that foreshadowed what was to come. By the time he received his black belt, his competitive record already reflected years of accumulated high-level experience across multiple formats and age groups.

Wilson announced his arrival at the elite adult black belt level with a gold medal performance at the 2026 IBJJF European Championship in the male adult black belt 76kg division. Competing at approximately 20 years old, he moved through the bracket with technical control and competitive composure beyond his years.

Bracket Breakdown

In his opening match, Wilson defeated Ethan Major by a score of 2×0 — a result that showcased his defensive precision and positional efficiency, hallmarks of mature black belt grappling. The final against Lucas Maquine proved far more contested, with Wilson ultimately prevailing 8×6 in a high-output exchange that demonstrated both his offensive capacity and the mental durability to sustain pressure through a full competitive round.

The gold medal marked Wilson's first major black belt title and, given his age relative to the typical black belt development timeline, represented a notable achievement in the broader context of the sport. The 2026 IBJJF European Championship result positioned him as a legitimate contender in the global 76kg landscape and brought wider visibility to both his career and the Carlson Gracie South Bay program.

Following his European Championship victory, Wilson was selected for a high-profile superfight at the 2026 IBJJF No-Gi Absolute Grand Prix, one of the sport's most prominent platforms for elite-level matchups. His opponent was Cole Abate of Art of Jiu-Jitsu, a well-established black belt with a strong no-gi pedigree. The match was closely contested throughout, with Wilson ultimately losing by advantage — the tightest possible margin of defeat in IBJJF competition — a result that reflected how competitive the exchange was from start to finish.

The superfight appearance, coming in the same competitive cycle as his first major gi title, underscored the breadth of Wilson's competitive profile. His willingness to engage in high-visibility no-gi matchups against top-tier opponents illustrated both his versatility across formats and his standing as a competitor viewed as worthy of elite-level bookings.

Wilson competes in the adult male black belt lightweight division at 76kg, operating within a Carlson Gracie system historically built around pressure, submission hunting, and a comprehensive approach to grappling. His scorecard results reflect a game that adapts to the demands of each match: the 2×0 victory over Ethan Major demonstrated the ability to neutralize opponents and grind out controlled wins, while the 8×6 finish over Lucas Maquine revealed offensive output and the resilience to push through competitive adversity late in a match.

His comfort across both gi and no-gi formats — established through his 2022 youth double-gold and reinforced through adult superfight competition — marks him as a well-rounded competitor rather than a format specialist. Trained from age four within the same lineage, developed through his formative years by Christian Grandi and elevated into a black belt competitor by Andre Vasconcellos, Wilson's career reflects the compounding effect of long-term, system-consistent development. He stands as one of the most promising young black belts in the global lightweight division.