Nicole Evangelista is one of the most promising female jiu-jitsu athletes coming up through the ranks and has been training for nine years -- but the Caio Terra purple belt's talents don't just lie in grappling.

While she submitted all eight opponents at IBJJF Pans in March to win double gold in her first year as an adult blue belt, she also graduated high school early with enough credits for an associate's degree and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs.

A self-proclaimed perfectionist and nerd, the 17-year-old is learning how to speak fluent Chinese, has plans to attend Stanford Law School, and can tell you everything there is to know about the comic-book character Deadpool.

Nicole getting the finish at Fight To Win Pro 18. Photo: Mike Calimbas

While the University of Denver student may still be a teenager, most of the time she resembles a mature adult who knows how to problem-solve her way through life and handle the major demands of school and high-level competition with poise.

On the mat, she medaled at many tournaments as a kid but really came into her own at blue belt, capturing double gold at the 2016 Worlds No-Gi Championship as a juvenile, then winning Europeans at the beginning of 2017 as an adult, and following it up with her performance at Pans.

While she fell short at Worlds, a surprise promotion to purple belt gave way to double gold at the American Nationals shortly after in July.


Nicole Evangelista catches another submission at the IBJJF 2017 European Championships. Photo: Nico Ball

From running off the mat to training full-time: how it all began

Nine years ago, Evangelista's dad brought her to a jiu-jitsu class in Denver, to learn self-defense with local professors Nobuo Yagai and Ben Lowry. A month later, she entered her first tournament but tried running off the mat in fear.

"The boy gracefully grabbed my neck and rear-naked choked me," she said. "I immediately started crying and ran to my dad. I had one more match, and my dad kept telling me, 'You don't have to it. It's OK.' Internally, I really didn't want to do it, but I also didn't want to give up. So I mustered up the courage, got back on the mat, and the exact same thing happened! I ran and got choked. Maybe I was destined to be a track star, but to this day that is my favorite tournament."

After training in Denver for seven more years, she made the move to San Jose, California, to train with her idol, Caio Terra. Due to her young age, Evangelista decided to take a year off of school before accepting her full-merit scholarship to the University of Denver. During the gap year -- which she spent with her mother -- Evangelista focused solely on jiu-jitsu.

I was always obsessed with Caio's fluid jiu-jitsu, attention to detail, but most importantly his encouragement of his students. I don't creep on Caio now that I actually know him. I view him as my friend and not just my idol.

Under Terra's tutelage, Evangelista earned medals and titles but takes the most pride in the strides she's made in her personal development.

Last month, she attended the CTA summer promotion ceremony with no expectations of donning a new rank. After all of the promotions had been made, everyone came together for a group picture as the event came to its close -- but Terra had a surprise.

"Before the promotion ceremony he told me to study the fundamental program so he can test me in the winter," Evangelista recalled. "At the end, he told everyone, 'Let's take a picture. Everyone wait here, I need to get the camera!' And he came back with a purple belt and said, 'Come here Nicole.' I started crying so hard."

Balancing school and jiu-jitsu

Soon enough, Evangelista will be back in Denver to enter the fall semester of her junior year of college. The duel between jiu-jitsu and academia will challenge her every day. But she's more than ready after being away from school.

In high school, my peers and teachers alike would question why I would do it. Simple. I love both of them. I love being that insanely busy and stimulated by two different passions in my life. Without school, I don't train as well. Without jiu-jitsu, I don't study well. It's all about finding balance.

The social aspect of being ahead in school and also a jiu-jitsu athlete was hard, and Evangelista struggled to find friends that could relate to her. There were times when, at the age of 14, she wanted to quit the college classes she was taking and go back to regular high school, but she knew that the path she had taken was beneficial in the long run. She prioritized school over "filler" friends and now reaps the rewards for it. Today, her friends are often much older than her, but Evangelista said they "share the same goals as me and get my nerdy, awkward humor."

Evangelista is currently nominated for a scholarship from the Daniels Fund, one of the largest foundations in the Rocky Mountain region. Once she secures her bachelor's degree, she plans to take one more year off and prepare herself to attend Stanford Law School if she is accepted.

Her goals on the mat are not without equal expectations. On her mind is a black belt world title, although she acknowledges there are purple and brown belt championships she must win first (and the promotion to black belt).

In order do all this, she relies on her support system, which is comprised of coaches, friends, teammates, and most importantly, her mom and dad. Evangelista credits her parents for not only building her character but also for her success academically and athletically.

When asked what achievement she is most proud of, she responded: "I'm not proud of any of my accolades. I've never really focused on the medals, but just enjoying the sport.

Life is a journey, not a destination. Don't get me wrong, I want to win. I'm highly competitive and a perfectionist. But I'm more proud of the person I've become through jiu-jitsu.

Watch more jiu-jitsu videos of Nicole Evangelista in action in the FloGrappling archive.

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