ATT Coach Parrumpa Expects Bright Future for BJJ Crossover Star Bia Mesquita

The sky might be the limit for grappling great Beatriz Mesquita as she crosses over into MMA this weekend.

A 10-time jiu-jitsu world champion, Mesquita is joining the ranks of MMA on Saturday at Spaten Fight Night . She faces fellow debutant Jorgina Ramos , in a matchup highly anticipated by the BJJ community as well as a litany of fans in Brazil. Considered one of the greatest female champions in the history of jiu-jitsu, the IBJJF Hall of Famer has been training MMA at American Top Team for nearly a year with coach “Parrumpinha” Marcos da Matta .

“She arrived raw but her evolution is impressive,” Da Matta told Sherdog. “She helped Kayla [Harrison] , ‘Sheetara’ [ Mayra Bueno Silva ]. She started getting beaten up a lot, and today she’s already making girls like Michelle [Montague] , who has five MMA fights, look like [a] white belt training with her.”

According to the Carlson Gracie black belt, while training at ATT, Mesquita took matches at various grappling tournaments and faced off against MMA standouts. In December, Mesquita armbarred former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Miesha Tate , and she made a splash at Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship in March by choking out former UFC flyweight title challenger Jennifer Maia in short order. According to “Parrumpinha,” it is only a matter of time until the bantamweight makes her way to the UFC.

“We want to have three fights this year,” the coach explained. “Two more in 2025 and throw her among the best. In reality, the UFC is in need of someone like Bia at 135. They have Mackenzie [Dern] at 115, maybe Erin Blanchfield in 125, but no one in her jiu-jitsu level in 135. In addition to being a jiu-jitsu legend who fights to submit, Bia speaks good English, knows how to sell fights and is very pretty.”

In her coach’s opinion, the debut against Ramos will be a major litmus test for the grappler. The stakes of the match are high despite it being a pro debut match given that it is the only MMA fight on the card. The show, headlined by an exhibition boxing match between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen , will air live on Combat and Rede Global in Brazil likely in front of a sizeable audience. The spotlight is on the 33-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, and she faces a woman in Ramos who comes over from boxing and should have the advantage on the feet.

“Without a doubt, ‘Jojo’ Ramos deserves all the respect. She has already entered the ring to do kickboxing and boxing fights, but she will also make her MMA debut. It will be a classic striker vs. grappler [matchup] and I bet Bia will win,” the ATT coach concluded.