15 Best Female BJJ Fighters in the World

Women always play an important role in sports. The amazing thing about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is that it offers equal opportunities for men and women to emerge as successful athletes. There are countless amazing female fighters in the history of BJJ. Below are the top 15 female BJJ fighters in the world.

Born in Brazil in 1982, Michelle Nicolini stepped into the world of martial arts at the tender age of 14. After a few years, she shifted her attention toward Jiu-Jitsu. She received all the belts including the auspicious black belt from Robert Drysdale. An eight time IBJJF World Champion and an equally accomplished fighter in No-Gi BJJ, Nicoline is among the most outstanding BJJ fighters.

• World Champion (8x)
• Pan American Champion (3x)
• European Champion (3x)
• Brazilian National champion (3X)
• World No-Gi Championship Champion (4x)
• Pan Ams No-Gi Championship Champion (2x)

Michelle Nicolini vs Marina Ribeiro

Michelle Nicolini vs Ida Hansson

Beatriz Mesquita, best known as Bia is a name to reckon with.  An exceptional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter she received 24 titles in four Gi Championships. At the tender age of 9, she showed interest in Judo and by 1996 she became more inclined to learn BJJ. She won various titles in her early career including state championships and Brazilian National Junior titles. She shifted her attention to wrestling at the age of 15. Leticia Ribeiro (Bia’s coach) awarded her the brown belt at the age of 18. She received her black belt at the hands of the same coach in 2011.

• World Championship Champion (10x)
• Pan American Championship Champion (7x)
• European Championship Champion (4x)
• Brazilian National Champion (3x)
• World No-Gi Championship Champion (5x)
• Brazilian Nationals No-Gi Championship Champion (7x)

Beatriz Mesquita vs Luisa Monteiro 

Michelle Nicolini X Beatriz Mesquita 

Being the daughter of Wellington “Megaton” Dias, a BJJ legend and 7th-degree coral belt, Mackenzie Dern is a powerful name in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Dern was born in Arizona and started training BJJ at the age of three under her father’s supervision. Her stepmother, Luciana Tavares, who is a black belt, helped her a lot in her BJJ career. She received a black belt from her father at the age of 19, and after winning multiple BJJ Championships, she moved on to make a name for herself in the UFC

• IBJJF World Championships (2015)
• IBJJF World Championships NO-GI (2015)
• IBJJF Pan American Championships (2016, 2015)
• FIVE Super League Championships (2015)
• IBJJF European Open (2016, 2015)
• AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2015)

Mackenzie Dern vs Michelle Nicolini 

Mackenzie Dern vs. Bodybuilder Mandy Polk 

Gabi Garcia is a professional martial arts expert. She was born in Brazil in 1985 and started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 13. Her uncle helped her a lot in training and growing her BJJ career. She won various titles in her career till now including Pan American Champion and World Champion. 

• ADCC World Champion (2011, 2013, 2015, 2019)
• IBJJF World Champion (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
• IBJJF Pan Champion (2010, 2011, 2019)
• IBJJF European Open (2011, 2015)
• IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2008, 2009)

Gabi Garcia vs Carina Santi 

Gabi Garcia vs Mackenzie Dern 

Ana Carolina Vieira was born in Brazil in 2001 and is considered one of the great Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters of today's generation. She started learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Gabriel Marinho, who helped her hone her grappling skills. She won a silver medal in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics Event.  To fulfill her dream of becoming a successful athlete, Ana Carolina started training along with trainer Luiz Fernando. She received her black belt from Master Julio Cesar in 2006.

• IBJJF World Champion (2017, 2018, 2019)
• IBJJF Pan Champion (2021)
• IBJJF World Champion No-Gi (2018)
• 1st Place at 3CG Kumite 7 Grand Prix (2020)

Ana Carolina Vieira vs Shannon Montgomery 

Kyra Gracie started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training at the age of 11. Only two women in the Gracie family achieved the coveted black belt level, and Kyra is one of them. She received her black belt at the age of 21 from Carlos Gracie Junior, one of her uncles. Later, she also started boxing training with Claudio Coelho, a famous coach in Brazil, to expand her horizons.

• World Championship Champion (4x)
• Pan American Championship Champion (2x)
• Brazilian National Champion at Black Belt level (3x)
• ADCC World Champion (3x)
• BJJ New York State Champion (5x)

Lolo Cousin Vs Kyra Gracie 

Kyra Gracie vs Erica Montoya 

Bianca Barbosa Basilio is famous as Bia Basilio and is among the top grappling fighters of her generation. Bianca Barbosa Basilio practiced gymnastics for three years at the start of her career. Bianca Basilio and her brother joined Jiu Jitsu class in 2008. She won her first World Championship title at the age of 15 at the blue belt juvenile level.

Master Caio Almeida elevated Basilio to black belt in December 2016 after she won back-to-back medals at the top grappling competitions around the globe.

• IBJJF World Champion (2022)
• Brazilian National Champion (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
• IBJJF Pan American champion (2017, 2021)
• Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2018, 2019, 2021)

Bianca Basilio v Elisabeth Clay 

Bianca Basilio v Gabrielle McComb 

Mayssa Bastos was born in Brazil in 1997 and she started her Jiu-Jitsu journey with Judo training in 2009. This was the start of her glorious BJJ career as Judo introduced her to the world of martial arts and opened doors of success for her. At the tender age of 11, she devoted all her attention to enhancing her skills in grappling and started learning from Jair Court, a famous trainer in Marica.

Her dedication and hard work lead her to a blue belt. With every passing year, she continued to ascend the ladder of success finally, in 2019, Bastos got her first World Championship title as a BJJ black belt.

• IBJJF World Champion (3x)
• IBJJF Pans Champion (3x)
• IBJJF European Open Champion (3x)
• IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (3x)
• IBJJF Pans Championship NOGI Champion (2x)
• ADCC 2nd South American Trials winner (2022)
• CBJJ Brazilian Nationals No-Gi Champion (2018)
• IBJJF Pan Championship (2021)

Mayssa Bastos VS Pati Fontes 

Mayssa Bastos vs Serena Gabrielli 

Grace Gundrum was born in China in 2002 and is one of the youngest Jiu Jitsu fighters. She was interested in sports from a very young age. Gundrum’s brother had an interest in martial arts, and he introduced Gundrum to the world of Jiu-Jitsu. While her brother soon lost interest, Gundrum pursued a career in BJJ.

Grace was into sports from her early school days, she started playing basketball and kickboxing. At the age of 16, she moved her attention toward freestyle wrestling which eventually enhanced her Jiu-Jitsu skills. Robert Villafane was the first trainer of Grace who helped her to become a successful BJJ fighter. Her outstanding performance and dedication lead her to the black belt title in 2020.

• 1st Place at WNO
• 1st Place at F2W
• 1st Place Quintet Team Tournament
• 1st Place Finishers Sub-Only
• 1st Place Onnit Invitational

Grace Gundrum vs Alex Nguyen 

Grace Gundrum vs Stella Davison 

Leticia Ribeiro is considered among top fighters in Brazilian jiu Jitsu. Leticia Ribero started her Brazilian Jiu Jitsu career in the Gracie Tijuca Academy under the supervision of Marcelo Machado. She started training just for fun but she fell in love with the martial art and couldn’t go back.  

Eventually,  she started training under a famous instructor, Royler Gracie. Under Royler Gracie's guidance, Leticia Ribeiro developed her grappling skills and managed to earn a black belt. A lot of national and international titles are associated with her name.

Furthermore, she also leads a famous organization, the Gracie Humaita. The purpose of this organization is to team up with talent around the world and support them.

• IBJJF World Champion (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2006, 2002, 2000)
• IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2010, 2008)
• IBJJF Pan American Champion (2004, 2003)
• Brazilian National Jiu Jitsu Champion (1996,1997,1999)

Leticia Ribero vs Michelle Nicolini 

Letícia Ribeiro vs Livia Rocha 

Hannette Staack has a successful career in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She started learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 18 under the supervision of Fernando Cruz and Flavio Figueiredo. She has a lot of titles associated with the name and has won the ADCC Championship three times.  Fernando Cruz awarded her with purple and blue belts.

2002 was the lucky year for Hannette when she won her first World Championship. Andre, who is Hannette’s husband now, was a great inspiration for her Brazilian Jiu Jitsu career.

• ADCC World Championship (2007, 2007, 2009, 2011)
• World Champion (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
• IBJJF World Champion No-Gi (2007)

Hannette Staack VS Fernanda Mazzelli 

Hannette Staack VS Monica Silva 

On the international sports stage, Claudia do Val is considered among top BJJ athletes. Claudia was an athletic child, and she started training Judo at the age of 18. After a few years, she discovered Jiu Jitsu and reached great heights of success by winning multiple competitions.

Ricardo De La Riva, her instructor, helped her in improving Jiu-Jitsu skills. Soon she developed a strong relationship with Jiu Jitsu and decided to fully focus on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She has a lot of titles linked to her name. Her passion and love for Jiu Jitsu led her to a black belt. Ricardo was awarded her black belt after winning double gold (Rio Winter and European Open) and World Championship. She joined the Soul Fighters Association in 2019.

• IBJJF World Champion (2017,2018,2019, 2020)
• IBJJF Pans Champion (2018)
• IBJJF South American Champion (2016)
• IBJJF South Brazilian Champion (2016)
• IBJJF Asian Open (2018)
• IBJJF European Open (2018)
• IBJJF Spanish Nationals (2017, 2018)
• IBJJF Spanish Nationals NoGi (2017, 2018)

Claudia Doval VS Venla Luukkonen 

Claudia Do Val vs Monique Elias 

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Yvone was the first female to get black belt title. She entered the world of Jiu Jitsu in 1978 after her brother, Pascoal Duarte, managed to convince her to start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training. So following her brother’s advice, she started Jiu Jitsu training at Osvaldo Alves Academy.

Yvone devoted her life to BJJ, she raised her voice to introduce female divisions in sports which was a totally new concept. Her efforts bore fruit in 1985 when the first female division opened. 

Osvaldo Alves, her trainer, awarded her a black belt in 1990. She received all her belts from Osvaldo Alves.

• Rio de Janeiro State Champion (1985, 1986, 1987)
• Brazilian National Champion (1991, 1992, 1996)

Luiza Monteiro started her martial arts career with Muay Thai training. At the age of 12, she started training in Thai boxing and after one year, she visited a Jiu Jitsu academy and fell in love with grappling techniques.

She immediately joined the Equipe Luiz Paulo team and learned BJJ techniques from Junior Duarte, who later on awarded her a blue belt. Her journey of learning never stopped, she continued to learn from different coaches and finally received a black belt from coach Cavaca in 2010.

• World Champion (2015, 2017)
• Pan-American Champion (2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019)
• European Champion (2016, 2019)
• Brazilian National Champion (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
• World No-Gi Champion (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014)

Luiza Monteiro vs Megan Ann Nevill 

Luiza Monteiro vs Megan Ann Nevill 

Jessica D Flowers entered the world of martial arts at the age of 15. She started her career in Muay Thai, pursued martial art for a short period, and then shifted her attention to wrestling. After going through all these phases, she finally entered Jiu Jitsu.

Jessica D Flowers is an accomplished BJJ black belt. She received her black belt from Henrique Machado who is the head of ASLE Academy. A lot of national and international titles are linked to her name including Brazilian National Champion, European Champion, and IBJJF World Gi and No-Gi Golds.

• IBJJF Pan Champion (2017)
• IBJJF World Champion No-Gi (2017, 2019)
• IBJJF European Open (2020)
• ADCC World Champion (2015, 2017)
• IBJJF World Champion (2018, 2019)

Jessica D Competing at purple belt 

Ffion Davies VS Jessica Flowers 

The fighters listed above are among the top BJJ competitors around the globe. These athletes serve as outstanding examples of how perseverance and hard effort can pay off.