5 Things To Know About BJJ Megastar Mayssa Bastos Before She Debuts At ONE Fight Night 20
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world is buzzing with the news that all-time great Mayssa Bastos is set to make her ONE Championship debut.
The 26-year-old phenom will take on Japanese standout Kanae Yamada in an atomweight submission grappling tilt in U.S. primetime this Friday, March 8, at ONE Fight Night 20: Todd vs. Phetjeeja on Prime Video.
Before the action gets underway at Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, here are five things to know about this exciting addition to ONE’s ever-growing roster of elite submission grapplers.
#1 She’s The GOAT Of Lighter Weight Classes
A BJJ black belt since 2018, Bastos has already established herself as the most dominant athlete in the history of the sport’s lighter weight classes (118 pounds and below depending on the organization).
After winning gold at essentially every major competition throughout the colored belts, she has since racked up an incredible amount of accomplishments – too many to be listed here.
To name just a few, the Brazilian is a four-time IBJJF World Champion in the gi and a four-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion, as well as a multiple-time Pan-American, Brazilian National, and European Champion.
Notably, Bastos is undefeated as a black belt in no-gi when competing at her natural weight.
#2 She’s Not Afraid To Fight Bigger Opponents
Even though she typically competes in the smallest weight division available, the Niteroi native has also consistently challenged herself against larger opponents.
Bastos has lost just 10 times as a black belt, and the majority of those defeats have come outside of her weight class and always against world-class competition.
Plus, as a testament to her top-flight technical prowess, she’s found plenty of success in higher weight classes. In 2022, for example, Bastos won gold at the ADCC South American Trials in the 132-pound division, defeating a number of elite grapplers who outweighed her by 15 to 20 pounds.
#3 She Started In Judo
While she’s now renowned for her dynamic and ultra-aggressive guard game, Bastos began her combat sports journey with the takedown-focused art of judo.
When she was 12 years old, the Brazilian followed in the footsteps of her older brother and father, trying out judo for the first time.
Before long, though, the youngster showed a unique affinity for the ground-fighting aspects of judo and soon switched her focus to BJJ.
#4 She’s Trained With The Best
A true martial artist, Bastos has consistently sought out the best training and the world’s top instructors. She started in Brazil with the famed Grappling Fight Team under Julio Cesar Pereira.
In 2020, when Bastos was looking to make inroads into the elite North American competition scene, she moved to New York City, where she trained under BJJ icon Murilo Santana at Unity Jiu-Jitsu.
And last year, she relocated to Costa Mesa, California, to learn from Guilherme and Rafa Mendes at Art of Jiu-Jitsu – perhaps the most successful BJJ competition team in existence today.
#5 She’s Known As ‘The Remarkable Little One’
Given Bastos’ diminutive stature and prodigious talent, the Brazilian media has often referred to her as “Pequena Notável” – meaning “The Remarkable Little One.”
The nickname is fitting. With more than 100 career victories as a black belt, the atomweight prodigy has proven to possess some of the most refined and technically advanced jiu-jitsu the world has ever seen.
Her debut in ONE will now mark yet another remarkable step in her already storied career.
