Júlia Alves

Júlia de Jesus Alves was born on January 24, 2001, and grew up in Queimados, in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. She started Jiu-Jitsu at 13 in a social project run by Mike Sousa and, while still a blue belt, began training at GFTeam’s headquarters in Méier. She received her black belt from Júlio César Pereira in June 2022, on the podium of the IBJJF World Championship, right after winning the tournament as a brown belt.

Her first season as a black belt already brought titles on the AJP circuit: she won the Abu Dhabi World Pro and the Grand Slams in London, Miami and Rio. In 2023 she won the World Pro again, with an armbar in the final. In 2024 she became IBJJF European champion at lightweight.

The Abu Dhabi circuit is what allowed her to live off the sport, as she told VF Comunica in 2023: “When I got my brown belt, I stopped working. I worked at city hall, I worked in a restaurant, but I quit to dedicate myself 100% to Jiu-Jitsu. All the money I earned, I invested in other competitions.”

In superfights, she beat Luiza Monteiro at BJJ Stars 12 in 2024 and Anna Rodrigues at BJJ Stars 16 in 2025, when she took the event’s belt. She now lives in Qatar, where she teaches at 974 Jiu-Jitsu Academy. In 2026 her student Mashael became the first woman from the country to receive a Jiu-Jitsu black belt.