The trend of dominance on the mats remains intact for Livia Barasine now, at the start of the 2026 season. Her first competition, in both gi and no-gi, was the Rio Summer, held this weekend in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. The tally: four gold medals added to her collection. Champion of her weight class and the open class with relentless performances, Livia quenched her thirst for submissions in her debut at brown belt and in the adult division. In the gi open class final, she closed out the top of the podium for Melqui Galvão’s team. Lívia shared the final with teammate Claudia Costa, also recently promoted.
In an interview with The Mat Nation, Livia talked about this favorable moment and showed she is committed to remaining the most feared athlete after reaching brown belt at 17 years old. Her last win as a purple belt came in Las Vegas, at the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds, in December last year. With a performance that earned another double gold and the brown belt, awarded by Melqui Galvão, Livia ended her short run in the colored belts, blue and purple, winning absolutely everything.
“It was definitely a special moment for me. I started the year as a blue belt and finished it as a brown belt. My mindset and responsibility changed completely, I’m a brown belt and I’m 17. I’m going to start my first year as an adult and I have to set the example, especially for the girls in Jiu-Jitsu,” she said with maturity.
WORLD PRO FEAT SHOWED LIVIA IS AN OUTLIER: “I’M ALREADY AT THE LEVEL OF THE PROFESSIONALS”
Another challenge that stood out as one of Livia’s high points in her last year as a purple belt came in Dubai, in November, at the AJP Tour World Pro. She won competing both among juveniles and against professional opponents, something uncommon. The result, impressive even given the athlete’s well-known effectiveness, was decisive in showing that she was already on equal footing with the most seasoned competitors.
“It was a great tournament and an incredible experience for my career, both in the matches and in the structure. It was my first time competing at the World Pro, I won my division and challenged myself in the adult division. I believe I’m already at the level of the professional athletes, it won’t be an easy task, but I’m ready,” she said.
For an athlete used to competing in open tournaments, where attention is split across several mats, the superfight environment can be quite intimidating, but not for Livia. In July last year, she competed at BJJ Stars 16, in the opening match against Eduarda Muniz, and won by armbar. Her spot on the card came through a GP, at BJJ Stars Confere, a competition promoted by Fepa Lopes to showcase colored-belt talent.
“BJJ Stars is the dream of every athlete who competes in Jiu-Jitsu, and earning the spot through the GP was already a big challenge for me. I hadn’t even had my purple belt for a week and I was already competing against adult and professional girls. Competing at BJJ Stars really changed my preparation, for the tournament and for working on my media,” she said.
MELQUI GALVÃO HONED THE COMPETITOR FOR A SUCCESSFUL GRAPPLING CAREER; THE WORK IS ALREADY PAYING OFF
Livia Barasine’s full dive into the no-gi scene happened under the guidance of Melqui Galvão, at the Jiu-Jitsu school the Manaus native runs in Jundiaí. It was by training on the same mat as stars like Mica Galvão and Diogo Reis, both ADCC champions, that Livia developed in grappling to the point of looking like she already had plenty of experience in the discipline.
“It changed everything. I had practically no no-gi base. In my whole career I had competed in two tournaments at most, but my base and my mindset are being built with the help of my coach Melqui. We train every day and the progress is constant,” she explained.
The new season started in the best possible way for Livia, but there is no time to rest given the challenges that will come her way in the coming months. The road to black belt is now short, but shortcuts are off-limits for anyone who wants to keep a steady pace of improvement. That is what Livia has in mind from here on to arrive at black belt on solid ground, with skills as sound as in her recent transition from purple to brown.
“I’m starting a new chapter, with a lot of humility. I’m only 17 and I know I still have a lot to learn. I want to improve in every training session, take every opportunity and always compete with a strong desire to win, but without skipping steps. From 2025 I take everything that made me grow, the wins, the mistakes and the daily progress. My focus now is to build my story step by step, with dedication and love for Jiu-Jitsu, so that in the future I’ll be among the best in the world,” she said.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
