The blue belts kicked off the adult divisions at the 2023 Brasileiros, taking the mats on Monday May 1st and Tuesday May 2nd. There were several tremendous performances, including some from athletes who had won gold medals at the Pans and Europeans. The double gold champions were Luandra Barbosa of Gracie Barra and Joao Victor “Bolinho” of Dream Art. Be on the lookout for all these competitors as they’re sure to have promising careers as they ascend the belt ranks.

Luandra Barbosa, Middleweight & Open Class, Gracie Barra

Luandra Barbosa was set on finishing her opponents in Sao Paulo. The Gracie Barra middleweight had eight matches, with five triangles and one kimura submission finish for a 75% submission rate. Luandra relied on her closed and collar sleeve guards to get her submissions, displaying a classic and effective style of jiu-jitsu on her way to double gold. Prior to this event, she has won two other major championship gold medals, taking first in her weight and the open class at the 2022 Brasileiro Sem Kimono. One of her most competitive matches of the day came against lightweight champion Eliza Nascimento in the open class semifinal. After Eliza went up 3-0 from a guard pass, Luandra answered back from a guard pass and knee on belly to win the match 5-3. Her open class final was a triangle armbar finish from the back after being up 6-0.

Joao Victor “Bolinho”, Ultra Heavy & Open Class, Dream Art

Dream Art’s Joao Victor “Bolinho” was the double gold male champion at blue belt. At his last major championship performance at the Pans, Bolinho took gold at ultra-heavy and silver in the absolute. His Brasileiro campaign included seven victories, three of which came by way of submission. Bolinho’s takedowns, passing, and top pressure were the most impressive parts of his game. His pressure combined with his unique speed and explosiveness for his size proved insurmountable for his opponents. You won’t want to miss Bolinho competing at his next event, the 2023 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Long Beach, California.

Rian Oliveira, Lightweight, Nova Uniao

Lightweight Rian Oliveira came into the Brasileiros as the #3 seed in a lightweight division that had 83 total competitors. Rian had won several open tournaments in Brazil and took second at the 2023 Europeans after falling short in an exciting match to Marcio Italo. Rian showed incredible improvements in his game since Europeans, winning gold at Brasileiros with five submissions in six matches. What stood out among Rian’s performance was his ability to take the back off of his guard pass attempts. Four of his five submissions came from the back, finishing three collar chokes and one triangle from the back. His other submission, in his second match of the day, was a barataplata that showed the sophistication of his submission game.

Eliza Nascimento, Lightweight & Open Class, Nova Uniao

Eliza Nascimento of team Nova Uniao has been perfect in 2023. At the Europeans, Eliza won her first major title in the lightweight division with five fights and four submissions. She also won the open class, getting three more subs in four fights, tallying a total submission percentage at Europeans of nearly 78%. As if that performance wasn’t impressive enough, Eliza was able to top it at the Pans. In Kissimmee, Florida, Eliza submitted all nine of her opponents in her weight and the open class in what was easily the best performance of her career. With so much success in major tournaments this year, Eliza was the #1 seed in the lightweight and open class divisions at the Brasileiros. At lightweight, she won five matches, hitting her high percentage closed guard armbar her second match. Eliza also earned a bronze medal in the open class, submitting her first two opponents with armbars from closed guard and losing a close 5-3 match to eventual champion Luandra Barbosa in the semis. 

Catch the replays from all the blue belt matches exclusively on FloGrappling.