Cassia Moura
“Cassinha”
Source: ufc.comCassia Moura left Brazil as a blue belt at 17 in 2023, was a black belt the next year, and in 2026 became UFC BJJ's inaugural women's bantamweight champion.
Biography
Sources for this profile
IBJJF News, Danny O'Donnell, 'Cassia Moura: The 18-Year-Old Prodigy Ready to Take On The Crown', 17 October 2024.(opens in a new tab)
Moura told the IBJJF that she took up jiu-jitsu because of her brother, who competed well as a child and earned the respect of other children in their community; she wanted to do the same, and says she fell in love with the sport once she started.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer to the first question (how she started) — 'my brother training'
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In the same interview Moura said she trained at Ypê Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro until she moved to Texas, with classes supervised by Professor Claudio and taught by Professor Kikito and Coach Mikael; Bruno Bastos visited every year, she tried to impress him in his classes, and she believes her results earned her the chance to live with him and his family.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer to the first question — 'visit us every year'
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Moura said that once in Texas she chose to make jiu-jitsu her profession, and that Bastos and his wife Petya showed her how the Bastos Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school and the Lead BJJ association work: teaching, methodology, private classes, seminars and superfights.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer to the second question (motivation to compete) — 'business side'
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Moura's own account of her rise: she won the World Championship at blue belt and was promoted to purple on the podium; as a purple belt she won Jiu-Jitsu Con in gi and no-gi, the No-Gi Pans and the No-Gi Worlds, and was promoted to brown a few days later, just before her 18th birthday; as a brown belt she won the Pans and then the World Championship, where she was promoted to black belt.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer to the third question (blue to black) — 'on the podium'
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Moura described the black belt promotion as one of her childhood dreams and said she cried when it happened.
Where in the source: Q&A, end of the third answer — 'childhood dreams'
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Her first IBJJF tournament at black belt was Jiu-Jitsu Con in 2024, where, according to the IBJJF interviewer, she won gold and submitted two of her three opponents; Moura called it her black belt debut and said the result validated the promotion.
Where in the source: Q&A, fourth question and answer — 'my black belt debut'
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Moura called her competition style aggressive and dynamic in every phase, from guard to passing to takedowns, with finishing as the aim, and said that since moving to Texas she had become much better at chaining positions into submissions.
Where in the source: Q&A, answer on her style ahead of The Crown — 'aggressive and dynamic'
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FloGrappling, Tasha Bhattacharya, 'Cassia Moura: The World Champ Who Went Blue Belt To Black Belt In 363 Days', 7 June 2024.(opens in a new tab)
On 7 May 2023, aged 17 and a blue belt, Moura left Brazil to compete at the IBJJF World Championship under Bruno Bastos, whose academy, Bastos BJJ, is in Midland, Texas.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph — '17-year old'
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- Conflicting accounts
FloGrappling reported that Moura had trained from the age of nine at a social project supported by Bastos, where her coach was Mikael Reis of IP Jiu Jitsu.
Where in the source: Second paragraph — 'age of nine'
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Bastos told FloGrappling that Reis had recommended Moura to him long before she travelled, asking that she stay with Bastos if the chance came because, in Reis's words as Bastos recalled them, she did not fit where she was.
Where in the source: Second paragraph, Bastos quoting Reis — 'doesn't fit here'
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- Conflicting accounts
Moura first meant to go back home after five weeks in the United States, but she stayed.
Where in the source: Paragraph after Bastos's description of her — 'five weeks'
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Soon after arriving she won a small local tournament in Lubbock, Texas, in mid-May 2023, about two weeks before the World Championship.
Where in the source: Paragraph on her first weeks, naming Lubbock
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After her purple belt promotion at the 2023 Worlds, Moura watched the black belt featherweight final between Bianca Basilio and Ana Rodrigues; Bastos asked whether she would face either of them, she answered that she did not think she would win yet but would still fight them, and Bastos told her she would return to that stage as a brown belt.
Where in the source: Paragraph on the featherweight final, Bastos's closing reply
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Bastos said her preparation was planned with intent across several areas: jiu-jitsu load, strength and conditioning, yoga, judo, sport psychology and nutrition.
Where in the source: Paragraph on preparation — 'deliberate planning'
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In December 2023 Bastos gave Moura the choice of aiming to become an ADCC or an IBJJF world champion the following year; she chose the IBJJF title.
Where in the source: Paragraph on preparation, the December choice — 'ADCC or IBJJF'
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Before moving to Texas, Moura lifted weights daily, trained six hours of jiu-jitsu and then helped with two to three hours of children's classes, mostly organising the work herself, with days running from 5 a.m. until after 10 p.m.; she credited her coaches in Brazil, Mikael Reis, Claudio Nascimento and Kikito Souza.
Where in the source: Penultimate paragraph, on her schedule in Brazil — 'self directed'
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After winning the 2024 World title, Moura told FloGrappling that she fights not only for herself but for family and friends at home, to show them that if she can make it, so can they.
Where in the source: Block quote after the goal question — 'they can too'
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FloGrappling, Joe Harrington, ''Unheard Of In Jiu-Jitsu.' Cassia Moura Caps Meteoric Rise At IBJJF Worlds', 31 May 2024.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2024 IBJJF World Championship Moura, then 18, won the adult brown belt featherweight division, finished third in the brown belt open class, and was promoted to black belt by Bruno Bastos after the open class matches.
Where in the source: Body, after the 'I did it' quote — 'Adult Brown Featherweight'
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After promoting her, Bastos told FloGrappling that going from blue to black belt in one year was, in his view, unheard of in jiu-jitsu, but that she had earned the belt.
Where in the source: Bastos quote after the replay box — 'unheard of'
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A few weeks before the 2024 Worlds, Moura beat veteran Jessie Crane with a rear-naked choke at Who's Number One (WNO 23).
Where in the source: Second paragraph of the body — 'WNO 23'
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FloGrappling video, Joe Gilpin, 'Bruno Bastos Reflects On Cassia Moura's Journey To Becoming Youngest World Champion In History', 16 December 2024.(opens in a new tab)
FloGrappling's video page from the 2024 No-Gi Worlds introduced an interview with Bruno Bastos by calling Moura the No-Gi Worlds' youngest black belt world champion ever.
Where in the source: Video description under the title — 'youngest black belt'
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Kingz (blog), Mayara Munhos, 'From Local Tournaments to Global Titles: Cassia Moura's Climb', 26 March 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Moura was born in 2005 and grew up in Realengo, in Rio de Janeiro's West Zone.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph and the section on how she started (birth date and place)
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- Conflicting accounts
Kingz writes that she started jiu-jitsu aged eight at Ypê Jiu-Jitsu, a social project run by Claudio Nascimento, the first person Bruno Bastos promoted to black belt, and that she was not considered especially gifted at first but was steady and hard-working, competing often and both winning and losing.
Where in the source: Section on how she started, second and third paragraphs — 'first black belt'
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Through the project she progressed through the children's belt system, receiving grey belt in 2015, yellow in 2017 and blue in 2020 while still a juvenile, and she mostly competed in local tournaments around Rio de Janeiro.
Where in the source: Section on how she started, fourth and fifth paragraphs — 'grey belt'
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Kingz writes that in 2021 she took gold in both the juvenile blue belt lightweight division and the open class at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals, and that afterwards Bastos promised that, as long as she continued to train and compete, he would work out a way to bring her to train with him in the United States.
Where in the source: Section on the 2021 Brazilian Nationals — 'find a way'
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- Conflicting accounts
Kingz writes that in 2023 Moura flew for the first time, and that the original plan was a four-month training camp at LEAD Jiu-Jitsu in Midland, Texas, to compete at the IBJJF Worlds before returning to Brazil.
Where in the source: Section on the 2023 turning point, first paragraph — '4-month training camp'
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Kingz writes that she abandoned the plan to go home and chose to build a career as a professional athlete in the US, training while she taught at LEAD Jiu-Jitsu.
Where in the source: Section on the 2023 turning point, fourth paragraph — 'teaching at LEAD'
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For 2025 at black belt, Kingz lists a CBJJ Brazilian Nationals title, a silver medal at the IBJJF Pans, and bronze medals at the IBJJF Worlds, the IBJJF Europeans and the IBJJF's The Crown.
Where in the source: Black belt section, paragraph listing her 2025 placings
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Before UFC BJJ was launched she competed at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational, beating Cindy Hung at FPI 8 in 2024 and Sarah Galvão on points at FPI 10 in 2025.
Where in the source: UFC BJJ section, third paragraph — 'FPI 8'
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UFC.com, E. Spencer Kyte, 'Cassia Moura Aiming To Make The Most Of Championship Opportunity | UFC BJJ', 11 March 2026.(opens in a new tab)
In March 2026 UFC.com described Moura as a 20-year-old from Rio de Janeiro who left Brazil in 2023 for Midland, Texas, to train with Bruno Bastos.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph and the paragraph before the title quote — 'Rio de Janeiro native'
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UFC.com summarised her colored belt run: a gi world title at blue belt in June 2023, a no-gi world title six months later, and in June 2024 a black belt awarded on the podium after her third world title in twelve months, won at brown belt in the gi.
Where in the source: Second paragraph — '12-month span'
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Before her title match she had won by decision over Talita Alencar at UFC BJJ 1 and Alex Enriquez at UFC BJJ 3.
Where in the source: Paragraph on her Bowl experience — 'decision wins'
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Moura said she liked UFC BJJ's sloped-wall Bowl because matches run for five minutes without stopping, and that competing constantly helps her manage the nerves she always feels.
Where in the source: Moura quotes on The Bowl and her schedule — 'five minutes straight'
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Moura described her style as aggressive passing, aggressive takedowns and constant submission hunting, and said she trains both top and bottom because she does not want to depend on a single game.
Where in the source: Moura quote after the Enriquez photo caption — 'only one game'
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She said the title match mattered not only to her but to other girls, as proof that if she could do it, so could they.
Where in the source: Second Moura quote — 'the other girls'
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Before the title match Moura said that nothing would change and that she would be herself, 'Cassinha'.
Where in the source: End of the Moura quote on nerves — 'Cassinha'
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UFC.com, Simon Head, 'UFC BJJ 6: Fowler vs Machado Results', 13 March 2026.(opens in a new tab)
At UFC BJJ 6 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas on 12 March 2026, Moura beat Ffion Davies by split decision to win the inaugural UFC BJJ women's bantamweight title.
Where in the source: Introduction and the 'Women's Bantamweight Championship Match' heading — 'split decision'
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UFC's results report describes Moura as Brazilian, calling her a 'Brazilian phenom'.
Where in the source: Introductory paragraph — 'Brazilian phenom'
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In the title match Moura took Davies down repeatedly in the first round, including with a trip; Davies answered in the second round with a double-leg takedown and controlled her from top position, and in the closing seconds of the last round countered a Moura arm-drag takedown with a judo takedown before the judges gave Moura a split decision.
Where in the source: Match recap under the bantamweight heading — 'trip takedown'
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UFC.com, 'UFC BJJ 8: Musumeci vs Dantzler Results', May 2026.(opens in a new tab)
At UFC BJJ 8 at Meta APEX on 21 May 2026, Moura made the first defence of her bantamweight title, submitting fellow Brazilian Sabrina Gondim with a rear-naked choke 1:43 into the second round after taking her down and taking her back.
Where in the source: 'Women's Bantamweight Title Match' result line and recap — 'first defense'
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After that defence Moura said she hoped to compete in her natural weight class, flyweight, and win the 125-pound title to become a champion in two divisions.
Where in the source: Last paragraph of the bantamweight recap — 'natural weight class'
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UFC.com, Simon Head, 'Match By Match Preview | UFC BJJ 10: Tackett vs Gracie', 18 August 2026.(opens in a new tab)
UFC's preview for UFC BJJ 10 said Moura's aggressive, physical grappling had brought her four straight wins in the Bowl, and that she would face debutant Bre Stikk in a semi-final of the women's flyweight grand prix.
Where in the source: 'Women's Flyweight Grand Prix: Cassia Moura vs Bre Stikk' section — 'four straight wins'
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UFC.com, 'UFC BJJ 10: Tackett vs Gracie Results', August 2026.(opens in a new tab)
At UFC BJJ 10 in Las Vegas on 20 August 2026, Moura submitted Bre Stikk with an armbar at 4:31 of the first round in a semi-final of the grand prix for the inaugural women's flyweight title, after taking her down twice with arm-drags and twice moving to her back; she advanced to a final against Adele Fornarino.
Where in the source: 'Women's Flyweight' result line and recap — 'go-to technique'
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UFC.com, UFC BJJ Staff Report, 'UFC BJJ 12: Moura vs Fornarino Fight Card', 30 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
As of 30 September 2026, UFC had scheduled Moura to face Adele Fornarino in the main event of UFC BJJ 12 at Meta APEX on 8 October 2026 to decide the inaugural UFC BJJ women's flyweight title.
Where in the source: Fight card page, introduction and 'Main Event: Women's Flyweight Title' line
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IBJJF News, Kaelan Crisosto, '2025 No-Gi Worlds | Black Belt Day 2 Recap', 14 December 2025.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF reported that at the 2025 No-Gi World Championship in Las Vegas Moura, a year after winning featherweight gold, moved up several divisions to heavyweight and won it, beating Nia Blackman by six points in the final with arm drags, guard play and explosive shots; it was her second No-Gi world title, each in a different division.
Where in the source: Female divisions, Cassia Moura paragraph — 'six-point victory'; champions list, Heavyweight
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IBJJF News, Kaelan Crisosto, 'Highlight Black Belt Performers | 2026 European Championships', 29 January 2026.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2026 European Championship in Lisbon Moura returned to featherweight and won the title: she finished Mikaele Damaceno with a back take and lapel choke in the quarter-final, beat Maria Luiza 15–0 in the semi-final, and held top position for a points win over world champion Larissa Campos in the final.
Where in the source: Cassia Moura section — 'lapel choke'; 'fifteen point shutout'
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IBJJF News, Danny O'Donnell, 'Inside the 2025 Brasileiros: Results, Grand Slams, and Breakthrough Performances', 6 May 2025.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's list of 2025 Brasileiro adult black belt champions names Cassia Moura of LEAD BJJ as the female featherweight champion.
Where in the source: Champions list, Female — 'Feather - Cassia Moura, LEAD BJJ'
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IBJJF, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2023 World Championship list Moura (registered as Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) first in the female adult blue belt light featherweight division.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLUE / LIGHT FEATHER (118.00LB)', place 1
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IBJJF, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2023' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2023 No-Gi World Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) first in the female adult purple belt open class and second in the purple belt featherweight division, behind Sabrina Moreno Lourenço.
Where in the source: Divisions 'FEMALE / ADULT / PURPLE / OPEN CLASS', place 1, and 'FEMALE / ADULT / PURPLE / FEATHER (125.00LB)', place 2
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IBJJF, 'Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2024 Pan Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) first in the female adult brown belt featherweight division and third in the brown belt open class.
Where in the source: Divisions 'FEMALE / ADULT / BROWN / FEATHER (129.00LB)', place 1, and 'FEMALE / ADULT / BROWN / OPEN CLASS', place 3
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IBJJF, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2024 World Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) first in the female adult brown belt featherweight division and third in the brown belt open class.
Where in the source: Divisions 'FEMALE / ADULT / BROWN / FEATHER (129.00LB)', place 1, and 'FEMALE / ADULT / BROWN / OPEN CLASS', place 3
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IBJJF, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2024' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2024 No-Gi World Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) first in the female adult black belt featherweight division.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (125.00LB)', place 1
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IBJJF, 'European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2025 European Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) third in the female adult black belt featherweight division, which Larissa Campos Carvalho won.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (58.50KG)', place 3
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IBJJF, 'Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2025 Pan Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) second in the female adult black belt featherweight division, behind Maria Luiza Nunes Pinto.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (129.00LB)', place 2
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IBJJF, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2025 World Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) third in the female adult black belt featherweight division, which Larissa Campos Carvalho won.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (129.00LB)', place 3
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IBJJF, 'World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2025' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2025 No-Gi World Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) first in the female adult black belt heavyweight division, with Nia Vivienne Blackman second.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / HEAVY (169.00LB)', place 1
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IBJJF, 'European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2026' results.(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF's results for the 2026 European Championship list Moura (Cassia Moura Remesar, LEAD BJJ) first in the female adult black belt featherweight division, with Larissa Campos Carvalho second.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (58.50KG)', place 1
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In IBJJF's results for the 2026 European Championship, Moura's team is listed as LEAD BJJ.
Where in the source: Division 'FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (58.50KG)', place 1, team line
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Lineage
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Open lineage