Vedha Toscano was born on October 17, 1995, in New York City. Growing up, Vedha spent countless hours on the mats with her brother Zata, even living inside the academy for a few years. Nevertheless, this did not translate into love for the sport during her childhood, and instead, Vedha turned to volleyball and capoeira for a short period. Although a sporting lifestyle was strongly advocated for in her family, Vedha was never forced to enter the tournament circuit, nor to train BJJ in particular. Seeing her brother and father consistently compete and win at an international level, however, did inspire Toscano’s return to the gi during her mid-teens. A natural guard player, Vedha’s quickly gained success on the tournament scene but was encouraged by her father to complete her studies before diving into the world of professional grappling. As a purple belt, Toscano started investing more of her time in BJJ, and by the time she finished her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hunter College, Vedha was living the lifestyle of a competitor. Her outstanding results in the colored belt divisions, particularly as a brown belt, a division she competed in for 2 years, earned her her black belt in June 2019, from her long-term coach and father, Fabio Clemente. She is the 2019 IBJJF World No-Gi black belt champion.