Bianca Basilio - Fearless Young Star of BJJ

Biance Basilio was born on Feb 2, 1996 in the state of Franca Brazil. Her parents relocated to the other state of Itaquera in Sao Paulo. She received her initial education there and developed interest in martial arts. Bianca started learning gymnastics around 2004 and continued practicing for three years. Bianca joined the kids-jiu-jitsu training in 2008 when Diango Almeida started kids jiu-jitsu class. Bianca was 12 years old when she started training jiu-jitsu under Diago and received an orange belt. After receiving the belt she started training under the legendary Caio Almeida, who is a co-founder of Almeida Jiu jitsu Academy. Bianca explained:

“At first this was always my father’s dream, I remember that we stayed up until dawn waiting to watch the main UFC fights because we didn’t have cable TV to watch all the fights. My father always wanted to be a fighter but life took him to another path in his youth and so he put all his energy into encouraging my brother and me. We started a Jiu Jitsu social project aimed at children in the community with Professor Diogo Almeida and after a few months we won a scholarship at the Almeida Jiu Jitsu academy to train with his brother Caio Almeida who formed us into black belts. My father always considered the possibility that I was migrating to MMA but before I didn’t feel it was the moment”.

Bianca Basilio was young when her family moved and settled in Itaquera. In her teenage years she started fighting and training with boys in the streets. Basilio started practicing BJJ at the age of 11. Her father encouraged Bianca and her brother Raul to put energy into martial arts. While achieving reverence in jiu-jitsu, Basilio considered switching to Mixed Martial Arts. Basilio said once that she used to stay up until dawn to watch UFC fights with her father. Furthermore, she added that her father wanted to be a martial art fighter but life chose another path for him.This encouraged Biance and her brother to practice martial arts.

She won her first world title at the age of 15 in 2011 as a blue belt juvenile division. At this stage she has developed a strong urge of becoming a professional athlete of jiu jitsu. Basilio has proved herself as an elite competitor in Brazilian Jiu jitsu but she is down to earth and a humble person and a role model for female practitioners of martial arts. She is a multiple time World Champion in Colored belts. Considered as the most devoted fighter in Almeida's team. After consecutive wins in the world championship grappling competitions, Basilio was awarded a Black Belt by her coach Caio Almeida in 2016.

Basilio’s favorite quote is given below:

Basilio trained under Caio Almeida, who is one of the best instructors of jiu jitsu. Basilio was given the rank of black belt under Caio Almeida. Basilio performed well in the high level grappling events of BJJ like Pan American, South American, and European jiu-jitsu championships. Caio Almeida started his program with his brother to develop highly competitive fighters, Bianca Basilio in one of those fighters. Almeida is known as the Co-Founder of the Almeida jiu jitsu academy, one of the biggest grappling stables in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo.

On September 7, 2018 Bianca Basilio hosted the seminar of level up Brazilian jiu-jitsu at west Los Angeles. However, the Level Up BJJ seminar was very exciting, beneficial and Basilio showed her tremendous techniques with professional athletic upbringing in the martial art world.

After practicing gymnastics for a few years, she started learning BJJ. In June 2022, Basilio became the 2022 World Jiu Jitsu Champion by winning against Amanda Canuto by advantages 0-0, 3-0. In 2019, Basilio won the gold in ADCC submission fighting World Championship, the most prestigious tournament in this combat sport.

During the training, Basilio admitted that there was a yearning for practicing MMA and the challenge of mixed martial arts. Basilio stated that her father wanted to consider the possibility of shifting towards MMA but I didn’t feel like joining because at that time I was establishing my career in jiu-jitsu. In the pandemic period, Basilio weighed up her father's decision and switched to MMA in 2021.

In 2022 Basilio fought in the amateur MMA category after transitioning from the BJJ. She joined the IMMAF Super Cup. Basilio applied grappling techniques with precision and secured her first and historic MMA victory against Shohona in the opening round by Armbar. Furthermore, team Bahrain won the MMA Super Cup Championship after defeating the Ireland team in the final. Basilio established a winning career from the start in MMA. Bianca said:

“I rethought many things about my personal life and career. In a meeting at my father’s house where we were talking about MMA, I decided that same day that I would start training to compete and I started boxing training with Leo Moraes in January 2021. I started training mma with professor Udi Lima, former professional wrestler. Today, this is already part of me and I want to keep training to evolve and become a complete fighter just like I am in Jiu Jitsu”. 

Currently, Basilio is working as a full-time coach at the Almeida Jiu-Jitsu Academy. She is training young athletes the art of jiu-jitsu and promoting them to the ranks.

Amanda Monteiro Canuto is a multiple times IBJJF World Champion and a highly skilled black belt fighter. This bout was held in the World Championship Finals of the featherweight category. Both fighters seemed very cautious for initiating the first move and Amenda knew that Bianca had a strong stand up game. Bianca dodged Amenda’s attempt to grab her legs and both fighters caught in head to head position while carefully calculating their next moves. At the end of the first round both fighters were given one point of penalty for the passive game.

In the starting minutes of the second round, Amenda unsuccessfully tried to grab the legs of Amenda. Basilio suddenly changed the level of her position and adopted a mixture of wrestling and judo style of up and down moving posture. Both were in head to head standing position, Amenda tried to imbalance the leg of Basilio but failed. Right when Amenda’s second attempt for the leg, Basilio pulled her left shoulder and used her left food to put the Amenda face down on the mat. Swiftly she transitioned into a back mount position and then side control while stretching the left arm of Amenda from under the right armpit. But Amenda managed to defend herself and went into full guard position. But Bianca was awarded three points for this flurry.

With a jump, Amenda went into a closed guard position with Bianca on top. In the last three minutes, both fighters showcased elite grappling skills at a high speed. Bianca remained dominant and Amenda’s efforts to gain an advantageous position were made futile by the acrobatic and impressive balance of Bianca. In the last minute Bianca was given one more penalty point but the time ended and Binca Basilio became the 2022 IBJJF black Belt featherweight Champion by points.

Ffion is a British black belt fighter. Both fighters started intense grappling from the start of the first round. Bianca remained on the ground in half guard position while controlling and defending against Davies. She tried to pull Bia up but she was clinched with the leg of Davies.

Third minute of the bout was ending and the score board remained the same as before the fight. Both fighters were in a 50/40 guard position. Suddenly Bianca transitioned from the down guard and applied an ankle lock on the right foot of Davies and she submitted. She won the semi final and secured her place in the finals.

Both fighters have never won the World Championship before. Schmit were runner up in the final of 2018. They have faced each other before in many tournaments. Everybody knew that this match was going to become a highly anticipated showcase of BJJ skills from both sides. The bout started and Basilio went into leg guard position and put her left foot under the armpit of Schmit. She was looking for her deadly ankle lock which she applied earlier in the Semi Finals to defeat british black belt Ffion Davies. Both fighters were issued three penalties by the third minute of the fight. There was no room left for any mistake or carelessness.

Bianca tried to clinch Schmit by a flying guard but in vain. Both fighters have 2 points on board. Bianca stood up with shcmit in closed guard position and they were back on the ground. Bianca tried to control the hip joint of Schmitt by stack pass. Cao Almeida was also there on the ground hoping to see the win of Bianca Basilio. In the last minute of the fight Bianca was awarded the advantage point that evens the score. But Ana Schmitt was awarded the victory anonymously. Bianca made some mistakes in the match and later improved her techniques and won the World Championship in 2022.

Bianca Basilio v Thauany Xavier

Bianca Basilio v Elisabeth Clay / Pan Championship 2021

Baleias Breakdown: The Basilio "Botinha"

Pan Championship 2021

Brazilian National 2017

Photo Credit: @biabasiliojj