Aghata Rabelo progresses her budding black belt career with a no-gi superfight showdown at the 2026 IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix. The CheckMat competitor is poised to claim her biggest victory yet, aiming to exhibit her captivating style under the world jiu-jitsu spotlight. Aghata is scheduled to compete against Helena Crevar in one of the Grand Prix event’s most anticipated superfights on February 26th.

Aghata dedicated herself to full-time competition training at the purple belt level, which resulted in a phenomenal color belt career. As a purple belt, Aghata secured Brasileiros, Worlds, and No-Gi Pans titles before advancing her career into the brown belt division. Demonstrating her evolution as a competitor, Aghata claimed brown belt gi and no-gi World titles before earning her promotion atop the 2025 World Championship podium, as she recalls, “An interesting aspect was that I competed in four World finals (no-gi & gi) in less than six months.” Her demanding color belt tenure provided hard-fought lessons that were instrumental in her development into a formidable presence at the black belt level.

Training under Professor Sebastian Lalli at CheckMat headquarters in Brazil, Aghata recounts her progression, sharing, “I started training in Equipe 1 with Master Sebastian and that’s when I started to evolve and get results. He was certainly fundamental in my evolution with adjustments and strategy, even today not training with him in Brazil, I always try to seek advice.” His counsel facilitated Aghata’s growth as she ascended the color belt ranks with Professor Sebastian guiding her. Reflecting on her advancement, Aghata stated, “I always competed a lot in the color belts and this made me evolve strategically and mentally. I know how to manage time and fight tactically within the ruleset, and this can only be achieved by competing a lot.”

Now, as a black belt, Aghata is recognized as one of the brightest young prospects at the sport’s highest echelon. Her impressive performances at Jiu-Jitsu Con and American Nationals in 2025 have established the foundation for a potential breakout campaign in 2026. Her no-gi superfight against Helena Crevar on the Absolute Grand Prix card presents her first opportunity of the season to seize the jiu-jitsu spotlight. Speaking about the upcoming contest, Aghata commented, “This really means a lot to me, it’s my first super fight in a big event like this and being invited made me feel that my jiu-jitsu deserves to be seen. I’m really looking forward to the fight, I know it’s going to be a tough fight but I'm ready!”

Aghata appears to be in peak form, having seamlessly integrated tactical refinement with rigorous physical conditioning, promising an elevated version of herself. Analyzing her preparation for the upcoming duel, Aghata revealed, “Training is a lot of fun and it’s good to see how many people are willing to help me. Apart from jiu-jitsu training, my strength and conditioning coach is the best there is. Since I started training with him my endurance and physical strength have increased a lot. Everything is well aligned, my physical preparation, jiu-jitsu training, food and rest, I believe it’s the best version of myself.”

Beyond witnessing Aghata in stellar form, fans can anticipate a diverse arsenal of attacks from the CheckMat athlete. Her fighting style is characterized by constant submission threats from both top and bottom positions; specifically, her armbar and triangle setups from the guard are exceptionally dangerous. Aghata will undoubtedly need to execute successive attacks to overcome Helena, who possesses high-level submission defense. Previewing her no-gi superfight against Helena, Aghata stated, “I know that her technical level is very high. She has good leg attacks and is always looking for submissions and I think that's what will make the fight exciting, because I’m also always looking for submission and constantly moving towards good positions and controls. I believe this will be a good fight, our games are very forward and we are not afraid to risk it, so the fight will be very interesting.”

Aghata is certainly confident leading into the highly-anticipated no-gi contest. Regardless of the final result, spectators are guaranteed to witness the continued development of a blossoming star in Aghata Rabelo. The Absolute Grand Prix is a perfect platform for Aghata to firmly establish her presence among the sport's highest echelon.

“As I said before, I’m the best version of myself right now and I want to show it. I want everyone to see my jiu-jitsu and how much it has evolved since the last time I fought no-gi. You can expect a very good fight, a hard fight with a lot of action!”

Witness Aghata’s Grand Prix spotlight bid on February 26th, in Costa Mesa, California. Secure your tickets to the Absolute Grand Prix, presented by Fuji, Kingz, and Wilner & O’Reily or tune in to FloGrappling for the exclusive live stream.