Andy Murasaki

Andy Murasaki is a Brazilian-Japanese professional jiu-jitsu athlete who holds the rank of black belt in this sport/martial art, a grade he received from André and Angelica Galvão of the Atos Academy. Prior to his time representing the San Diego based team, Murasaki worked extensively with Caio Terra and Anderson Murasaki (his father). Andy broke out as one of the sport’s leading competitors during his colored belt career, a time when he conquered important titles of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) league, tournaments such as the World, European, and Pan American Championships.

Andy Murasaki Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Andy Tomas Murasaki Pereira

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Reyson Gracie > Osvaldo Alves > Luis Dagmar >André Galvão > Andy Murasaki

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2022)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2023)
• 1st Place EUG Featherweight Tournament (2021)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2022 / 2023)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2022)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2019 purple, 2020** brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2018 purple, 2020 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship Juvenile (2016** / 2017)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship Juvenile (2016 / 2017)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open Juvenile (2016)
• 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2018 purple)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Open (2019 purple)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship Juvenile (2017*)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship Juvenile (2017*)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2019 purple)

Favorite Position/Technique: Well Rounded

Weight Division: Peso Leve (76,00 kg / 168.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Atos

Andy Murasaki Biography

Andy Murasaki was born on March 26, 2000, in the Japanese prefecture of Saitama, near the country’s capital, Tokyo, with both his parents being Brazilian nationals of Japanese descent. Although born in Japan, Murasaki moved to Brazil as a baby and spent large portions of his childhood in the South American country.

Being Mr. Anderson and Mrs. Priscila Murasaki’s son, Andy was named after his father, who was always referred to as “Andy” by friends and family, a short-form of Anderson.

Andy’s father played an essential role in Murasaki’s path in jiu-jitsu as it was Anderson who initiated him in the gentle art at the age of 8 and always motivated the young athlete to train. Anderson was a purple belt when he started teaching Andy but later became an accomplished black, going on to promote his son up until the blue belt rank.

Training mainly in Japan, with his father as well as coaches Toshio Asada and Yoski Suto, Andy decided he wanted to become a professional jiu-jitsu athlete during his mid-teens but understood that Japan was not the right place to achieve his full potential. Packing his hopes and dreams in a suitcase, Andy moved to the United States of America at the age of 15, in pursuit of greatness.

The first experience as a full-time grappler in the US was spent with coach Caio Terra, and it was Terra who promoted the young athlete to purple belt in the final weeks of 2017.

By 2018, Murasaki was not feeling happy with his situation at CTA. This period coincided with him meeting two of his idols, André and Angelica Galvão, the team leaders of the Atos Academy, a workgroup that was the reigning world champion team at the time. Being a big fan of what the Galvão family was doing at Atos, and considering his unsatisfactory circumstances at CTA, Murasaki ended up moving to the San Diego camp.

At Atos, Murasaki’s stock continued to grow, earning his brown belt rank from his new coaches. His continued success hit an all-time high as a brown belt in 2020 when Andy conquered both the European and the Pan American Championships (double gold). After these impressive performances, on December 21, 2020, Murasaki was promoted to black belt by André Galvão.

Andy Murasaki Highlight (by Takedown Breakdown)