BY RYAN BEVINS, ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER) @BEVOIS
The acronym “GOAT,” which stands for “Greatest Of All Time,” is commonly used to refer to the best in any field, especially in sports and entertainment. Its origins can be traced back to the 1990s in hip-hop culture. In 2000, legendary rapper LL Cool J helped popularize the term with the release of his eighth studio album, G.O.A.T., which debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200.
Since then, with the rise of social media and televised sports debate shows, the question “Who is the GOAT?” has become a frequent topic of discussion. Certain names, however, are consistently mentioned and widely agreed upon. In boxing, Muhammad Ali holds the title; in women’s tennis, Serena Williams; in basketball, Michael Jordan; in ice hockey, Wayne Gretzky; in football, Tom Brady; and in women’s jiu-jitsu, Bia Mesquita.
While Jordan had a well-publicized but brief stint in professional baseball, Brady was drafted by the Montreal Expos, and Gretzky excelled in lacrosse, none of these GOATs have reached the same level of success in a second sport. This is something Mesquita is now aiming to change with her long-awaited transition to MMA.
“Going to MMA was in my plans for a while until I really took the steps necessary to make it happen,” Mesquita told LFA.com. “It was hard to leave the Gi competition scene where I belonged all my career to start something new, but the challenge is exactly what keeps me moving on and the reason I decided to do it. I moved to Florida and started training at ATT in September 2023. I think that’s what I consider my final transition. I took a couple months and I got my first fight in June this year with a great start of a finish in the first round and followed by my second one with the same result in October in my LFA debut. I definitely love fighting and the daily improvements. Learning new skills and feeling like a White Belt again has truly challenged me and I enjoy chasing the best version of myself every day.”
Get your tickets for LFA 198: Johns vs. Douglas
Bia Mesquita is a member of the Guinness World Records
and International Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Hall of Fame.
Beatriz “Bia” Mesquita began training Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 5. By the time she was 10-years-old, she had won the Brazilian National Junior Championships, three State Championships, and several other major tournaments. This success carried over into her teenage years and she was quickly identified as the next big thing in Women’s Jiu-Jitsu. It was then that she cemented her status as one of the greatest grapplers of her generation by winning numerous Jiu-Jitsu titles before even reaching her Black Belt status. While this type of worldwide attention has often seen the dreams of athletes get crushed under the pressure to fulfill their promise, that was never the case for the young Brazilian phenom.
After receiving her Black Belt from Jiu-Jitsu legend Leticia Ribeiro thirteen years ago, Mesquita would embark on a Black Belt career that would earn her the nickname “BJJ Lady GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)” as she is now a member of the Guinness World Records and International Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Hall of Fame. She accomplished this by becoming the only person to win 10 gold medals, which is the record for the most IBJJF World Championship titles at the Black Belt level.
“I didn’t feel pressured in my journey,” Mesquita explained. “I like the challenges and I love to win and this is what drove me to succeed all the way to the Black Belt. I believe the more you dedicate the better results you will have… and the bumps in the road will just make you stronger and better. That’s how I drilled my brilliant career in Jiu-Jitsu, naturally trying to be better and improve my skills daily to be the best of me each tournament. I believe that when you do what you love, success is a consequence.”
Over Before It Began: Bia Mesquita submitted Mackenzie Dern in 64-seconds
of their highly-publicized Jiu-Jitsu match in 2017.
It is one thing to call someone a GOAT. It is another when it can be backed up simply by looking at their résumé. In other words, winning ten World Championships at Black Belt is not the only thing that sets Mesquita apart. It is who she beat along the way that is just as impressive. Miesha Tate, Jennifer Maia, Bianca Basilio, Luana Alzuguir, Mackenzie Dern, and Jena Bishop are six of the biggest names in MMA and Jiu-Jitsu due to their grappling prowess. Tate won a UFC world title and Maia fought for a UFC world title. Basilio and Alzuguir have each won multiple World Championships in Jiu-Jitsu. Then there are Dern and Bishop, who both got their start in the LFA before becoming big names in the UFC and Bellator respectively. Mesquita did not just beat all six, she submitted each of them.
Mesquita’s long-awaited showdown with Dern garnered the most media attention. In fact, it happened just three weeks after Dern won her LFA debut at LFA 6. Dern was beginning her successful MMA career to much fanfare after crossing over to the sport as one of the biggest stars in Jiu-Jitsu. In 2015, Dern had won the ADCC World Championship, IBJJF World Championship, and IBJJF No-Gi World Championship. She then followed that up in 2016 by winning the IBJJF Pan American Championship, European Open, and AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro. She also had a staggering 75 competition wins in Jiu-Jitsu leading into her showdown with Mesquita at the IBJJF Rio Fall Open on April 1, 2017. Mesquita immediately took Dern’s back and submitted her with a choke in 64-seconds. Dern fully made the switch into MMA after her loss to Mesquita and never won a competitive Jiu-Jitsu match since.
Bia Mesquita with the legendary Royler Gracie and Royce Gracie.
Mesquita’s Jiu-Jitsu Lineage:
Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Royler Gracie > Vini Aieta > Leticia Ribeiro > Bia Mesquita.
Naturally, the world took notice of Mesquita with major MMA news sites reporting on Mesquita’s submission win over Dern. Mesquita would then tell MMAFighting.com the following, when asked if she would crossover into MMA.
“I can’t say I’ll fight MMA without experiencing this first. I don’t know how it feels to enter a cage and fight. It’s different than jiu-jitsu, you get punched in the face. I don’t know if I’m ready for that, if I have this talent. In jiu-jitsu, I’m ready for that. One thing I’m thinking about is training striking, Muay Thai or boxing, after the World Championship, and then I’ll decide if I can or can’t start a career in MMA. But, for sure, that’s something that has entered my mind already. I’m more open to this world.”
Now that over 7 years have passed, a lot has changed, and that question finally has an answer. Dern is firmly entrenched as a top contender in the UFC, while Mesquita compiled the most comprehensive Jiu-Jitsu career by any woman to put on a gi. However, Mesquita is now aiming to make waves in MMA and looks back at the moment she submitted Dern as the time in her career where she started really thinking about MMA.
“Back then was when I first started to have MMA as a possible option, but I had no idea how to make it happen and I had no idea it would be so hard to be honest,” stated Mesquita. “The hard part I faced was to change my Jiu-Jitsu calendar where I knew all my steps, tournaments, training set-ups, and most of the opponents I would face to start something from zero. I didn’t even know what gears I would need to start and all the changes I would have to do in my life to make it happen. But now, here I am! Doing it all one step at a time, happy and conquering all the new things I wish. It is not easy, and it will just get harder, but that’s what makes it even more fun.”
Watch LFA 198: Johns vs. Douglas
Bia Mesquita with her coaches Marcos “Parrumpa” DaMatta and Leticia “Letty” Ribeiro.
Once the decision to fight in MMA was made, Mesquita began training at American Top Team (ATT) under the watchful eye of Marcos “Parrumpa” DaMatta and her legendary Jiu-Jitsu coach Ribeiro, who has coached her in Jiu-Jitsu for 21 years. This gave Mesquita the much needed sense of comfort and experience that she needed in order to make a smooth transition into the world of MMA.
“Having Letty and Parrumpa by my side is what makes everything easier. Letty has been with me since I was 12-years-old and guided me in my all Jiu-Jitsu career. She was already a World Champion when I met her and I just looked for what goals to achieve and followed her steps. She knows me very well and having her in this new journey is really important to me. Her and Parrumpa have been great friends for a long time and this made things smooth to be all together and make me stronger, because I trust them with my eyes closed no matter what. Parrumpa welcomed me and has been dedicated to help me set my goals, improve myself overall, and I’m sure there is no one also that can make me an MMA World Champion besides him. I couldn’t be more lucky having them both by my side. I’m truly blessed, because I know that we go out there to fight, but what makes you capable is the team by your side taking your back and I have the best of the best!”
Mesquita would make her highly-anticipated MMA debut this past summer in her native Brazil. She submitted Jorgina Ramos at the midway point of Round 1 with a Rear Naked Choke. Two months later, she traveled to Las Vegas to compete at the ADCC World Championships. The following weekend, she then attended LFA 190 in Los Angeles, where she spoke to LFA executives about competing for the promotion. LFA is the top developmental organization in the world for fighters looking to compete in the UFC and it had been part of her plan all along.
“I have been looking up to compete in the LFA Octagon since I started,” stated Mesquita. “I know LFA is the biggest developmental platform in the MMA scene now and the best way to get in the UFC with great experiences. I will follow each step to make it happen. I will be the LFA champion and then get my UFC contract like many other big names that passed through LFA.”
Bia Mesquita talks to Gilbert Melendez after putting the women’s bantamweight division on notice at LFA 194.
LFA Vice President Mark Bieri spoke to Mesquita and her coaches at LFA 190 and quickly signed her. Mesquita was then booked to make her International MMA debut on American soil on Friday, October 18th at LFA 194 in Niagara Falls, New York. Mesquita again needed less than a round to secure a Rear Naked Choke victory. Impressively, she finished the choke, while both she and her opponent Shannel Butler were both still standing. This signaled the arrival of the “BJJ Lady GOAT” in MMA.
My first LFA appearance was amazing,” stated Mesquita. “I know there will be no easy fights, but I will be always ready to put my game on and get the finish. Fighting in New York was awesome, the city, the LFA team, the show… everything well organized and a warm welcome. I could not have had a better international debut.”
Now just 7 weeks removed from her successful LFA debut at LFA 194, Mesquita is set to return in the Co-Main Event of LFA 198 at the promotion’s stacked year-end event in the Los Angeles area. The fight will take place in the same building where she first met with LFA executives last summer and she is excited to compete in MMA for the first time in front of her friends, fans, and students in Southern California. However, her next opponent Fernanda Araujo poses a much different challenge than her first LFA opponent Butler, who was a formidable striker. Araujo is a fellow Brazilian fighter with a Black Belt in Judo, Black Belt in Karate, Brown Belt in Jiu-Jitsu, has multiple world titles in grappling, and she is a 6-fight veteran in MMA.
“Fernanda has good experience, but that’s what I look for… fighting great opponents and proving that I’m ready to face anyone with any background,” stated Mesquita. “The only thing that matters is who I am and my desire to go out there and put on the show and get another beautiful finish to win.”
You can watch Beatriz “Bia” Mesquita face Fernanda “Ferocious” Araujo in the Co-Main Event of LFA 198. The event takes place this Friday, December 6th and it will be available worldwide on UFC Fight Pass at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
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