Beatriz Mesquita - The Queen of BJJ World!

Beatriz Mesquita, Bia for short, is a passionate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion who expressed her love for the game to national news after winning her 7th gold medal at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2021. Time and again, with her impeccable win record, she has proved to the world that she is the “Queen of BJJ!”

April 07, 1991, was an important day for the Jiu-Jitsu world; a champion named Beatriz de Oliviera Mesquita (Bia) was born in Brazil. Inspired by her brother at the tender age of five, Mesquita discovered jiu-jitsu in 1996. She was an athletic child and found her path to glory through sports. In the years that followed, her brother dropped jiu-jitsu training but she continued her pursuit. Before she turned 10, she had many titles under her belt.

Mesquita proved her jiu-jitsu talent and combat genius by winning several major tournaments including three state championships and the Brazilian National Junior Championship.

Competitive, and curious, young Bia wanted to explore the vast spectrum of sports. At the age of 9, she started judo training and won multiple competitions.

Unfortunately, at the age of 12, the blossoming judo career came to a halt due to knee injuries. Bia heeded her doctor’s advice and dropped judo, only to channel her athletic competency and zeal in a different sport - swimming.

The fact that Bia excelled at swimming too didn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Gifted as she was, Bia managed to win many swimming competitions as a novice. In 2006, she started wrestling training exclusively for competitions and stood victorious.

While Bia was making her mark in diverse sports, showcasing her inherent potential of becoming a world-class athlete, her family decided to move to Saquarema, a state of Rio de Janeiro.

Satisfied with having tasted a different zealous thrill, Mesquita dropped both swimming and wrestling. She committed full-time to her studies and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training (gi BJJ).

The move to Saquarema was another step towards attaining world champion status. Bia was lucky enough to train under Coach Luis Fernando in Saquarema. A man of great insight, Coach Luis identified Mesquita’s talent and decided to help her unlock it. He recommended that she train with the legendary, Leticia Ribeiro.

Consequently, Mesquita moved to Tijuca, the capital state of Rio de Janeiro to make something of herself.

Under Leticia’s sporting acumen, Mesquita perfected her already stellar skills. The ever-encouraging team, Gracie Humaita, fortified her chance of making it big in the mainstream jiu-jitsu world. As expected Mesquita touched the heights of professional BJJ success in no-time.

Mesquita is happily engaged to the fellow BJJ athlete Patrick Gaudio after he proposed to her in January 2021.

Bia never looked back and after much hard work and dedication, she received her brown belt in 2009 from her head coach at the podium of the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship - commonly called “Mundial”.

In the year 2011, the setting changed to the podium of the Pan American IBJJF Championship, and Mesquita finally lived her dream of receiving a black belt from her master, Leticia Ribeiro.

In 2017, at the IBJJF Rio Fall Open Mesquita left the world spellbound by beating her ruthless opponent, UFC fighter, and two-time World Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Champion, Mackenzie Dern in only 64 seconds. 

In 2018, she became the Women’s Bantamweight Champion of the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) event. Bia’s tact and skill defeated Liana Alzuguir in the semi-finals and undid Bianca Basilio’s game in the finals.

In 2021, she added another impressive title to her golden, glittery resume when she won her 10th World Jiu-Jitsu Championship after beating Margot Ciccarelli in the semi-finals and Luiza Monteiro in the finals.

It wasn’t easy to win this competition because Mesquita’s division was brimming with young and experienced talent.

She had to beat Margot Ciccarelli to make it to the finals. Ciccarelli tried to trap Mesquita by pulling right to the guard position. Mesquita, without wasting a single second, seized the opportunity. She immediately applied pressure from above to first immobilize her opponent and then force her into a turtle. When it all came to an end, Mesquita had made it to the finals.

The 2021 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship black belts final became the most anticipated BJJ match of the year. A highly celebrated name of the Jiu-Jitsu world - Beatriz Mesquita - was all set to dominate and make history.

She had made it to the finals, ready to win the ultimate fight. She faced Luiza Monteiro of Atos Jiu-Jitsu.

The two combatants started the match with double guard pulls. Monteiro eventually mounted Mesquita. Mesquita made a successful sweep and secured 2 points. Monteiro again mounted Mesquita in hopes of making the score even. But with only 10 seconds left, she couldn’t do much to score points.

Beatriz Mesquita claimed the 10th world title with an announcement that she would participate in gi competitions till all motivation leaves her.

In November 2017, the IBJJF Brazilian National Championship was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian native Beatriz Mesquita took home gold after winning the black belt lightweight bracket. It was an incredible victory considering her bracket had jiu-jitsu talent galore. She had to overcome some top-notch fighters to secure a position on the podium. Her main challenge was none other than Bianca Basilio.

Mesquita dominated Basilio throughout the bout with exceptional techniques. When the bout ended, Mesquita had conquered the event.

The 2017 IBJJF Rio Fall Open tournament allowed Beatriz Mesquita to face the fellow grappling ace, Mackenzie Dern, for the first time. The match lasted for quick 64 seconds and was a treat to watch for all BJJ enthusiasts.

At the beginning of the match, both players sat down to guard. After only a few seconds into the match, Mesquita forced her able opponent into a turtle and took her back. She then slid her arms under Dern’s neck to apply the match-finishing choke and seal the win.

As always, the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) 16 fever was at an all-time high in 2018. Beatriz Mesquita, a favorite among EBI fans, made an appearance to win  the auspicious grappling championship.

Mesquita beat all her opponents to make it to the final match against Bianca Basilio. The tough match forced the women to fight overtime that night.

Mesquita slightly changed the strategy and adopted an attacking position. She successfully arm-barred Basilio in just four seconds. Basilio was unable to armbar Mesquita within the same time frame.

Mesquita won her first EBI belt that night after putting up a magnificent show of her fighting skills.

Mesquita is not retired yet and is all set to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA) tournaments. She aims to transition quickly from an amateur fighter to a professional.

• ADCC World Champion
• IBJJF World Champion
• IBJJF World No-Gi Champion
• IBJJF Pan Champion
• European Open Champion
• UAEJJF Grand Slam Champion
• CBJJ Brazilian National Champion

Beatriz Mesquita vs Michelle Nicolini

Beatriz Mesquita vs Joaquina Bonfim

Beatriz Mesquita vs Luisa Monteiro

Beatriz Mesquita vs Sharol Siste

Beatriz Mesquita vs Patricia Lage

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