Italo Almeida

Raimundo Ítalo Pereira de Almeida, commonly known as Ítalo Almeida, is a professional grappler and a black belt in jiu-jitsu under Carlson Gracie Júnior, and worked extensively with other coaches such as Júnior de Paula, Vinicius Amaral, and Márcio Carreira. Italo Almeida first made waves in the colored belt divisions. Still, his first break into the grappling mainstream took place in his rookie year at the pro-level (2026) when he won the CBJJF Brazilian National Championship, taking out some of the top competitors in his weight class.

Italo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Raimundo Ítalo Pereira de Almeida

Nickname: N/A

Lineage:  Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie >Carlson Gracie > Carlson Gracie Jr > Ítalo Almeida

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2026)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 1st Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro Championship (2025 brown)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2021 blue, 2024 purple, 2025 brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Peso Galo (57.60kg / 127.00 lbs)

Team/Association: Alliance

Italo Almeida Biography

Italo Almeida was born in April 2004, in Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil, where he spent his formative years.

Growing up, Italo played football (soccer) first but eventually shifted to jiu-jitsu at 13, starting in a local social project led by coach Júnior de Paula. Under de Paula’s instruction, Almeida developed into a rising prospect in the local grappling circuit.

Italo Almeida’s talent was quickly spotted, and by the time he was 15, he was invited to move to Rio de Janeiro and train under a scholarship at the Marcio Carreira academy (Carlson Gracie affiliate), which offered lodging, training, and a few other necessities required to take Almeida to the next level.

Italo Almeida’s talent was quickly spotted, and at 15, by the influence of de Paula, who had contacts in Vinicius Amaral’s jiu-jitsu association (Game Fight) in Rio de Janeiro, Almeida was able to move to the Marvelous City under a full scholarship. At the time, Italo stayed at Márcio Carreira’s Athlete’s House (part of the aforementioned Vinicius Amaral network) alongside other rising prospects such as Sandrey Silva and Lucas Oliveira.

As part of Márcio Carreira and Game Fight, Italo was influenced by an array of coaches inside the network, including Vinicius Amaral (who awarded Almeida the blue belt), Uanderson Ferreira (promoted Italo to purple belt), and Márcio Carreira (brown). Carreira eventually dropped the association with Game Fight and affiliated with the Carlson Gracie Academy, which led Italo to train under Carlson Gracie Junior. It was Carlson who awarded the young Amazonian his black belt in November 2025.

At the start of 2026, Italo Almeida was hired to represent Alliance-Leblon, RJ, under the guidance of Rodrigo “Traveks”.