Italo Lima Costa is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Osvaldo Moizinho (Queixinho) who also worked extensively with instructor Samir Chantre. Italo Lima Costa first made waves in the sport while competing under the gi (kimono) ruleset, representing the Ares Jiu-Jitsu Academy in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) circuit where he held memorable wins over important names such as Adam Wardzinski and Pedro Machado at the adult black belt level, earning gold medals in numerous International Opens.