Alexa Yanes - The North American Best Female Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt

Alexa Yanes is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt grappler under Rodrigo Pinheiro competing out of Rodrigo Pinheiro Jiu-Jitsu Academy, Texas. She is a top Light Featherweight Fighter famous for her Guard passing techniques in BJJ. Yanes has won multiple national and international medals throughout her BJJ career.

Alexa Yanes was born July 02, 1994, in Houston, USA. From an early age, she was very enthusiastic and loved to do gymnastics. She also participated in her school’s athletic sports competition. When Yanes was eight, she joined a Jiu-Jitsu training class with her friend at an institute near her house. She joined it just for fun but eventually got attracted to the sport. She got her white belt in 2014, became more dedicated to the sport, and worked hard to achieve her goals.

In 2017, Yanes, for the first time, met Thiago Augusto Araujo Macedo, a BJJ black belt and tough featherweight grappler of his generation, at the Houston Open. They started dating and got married in 2019. They are one of the best BJJ couples.

Yanes started as a white belt and competed occasionally, but she quickly became highly committed. After joining the Rodrigo Pinheiro Jiu-Jitsu Training Academy, she was promoted to the all-colored belt rank and won medals in numerous national and international BJJ competitions. Her coach awarded her a black belt on her birthday in 2021. She traveled the world for competitions, guidance, and training. Yanes received the title of North American Best Female Player for the third time. She has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, the Pan American, the World No-Gi Championship, and the IBJJF Open. She loves passing on her knowledge of martial arts to other female athletes and feels honored to have made jiu-jitsu her profession.

In the 2022 New Orleans Open Finals, Alexa Yanes had an electrifying fight against Rachel Nelson. The match started with Yanes' close guard technique. Both competitors fought aggressively, but Yanes made some flexible moves. She won the bout and was awarded a gold.

In the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu Competition, Alexa Yanes and Gabriela Pereira held an interesting five-minute fight. Pereira turned down her opponent with a guard reverse armlock, applying too much pressure on Yanes. Yanes tried to opt for Kimura but lost the match by points. She won a bronze medal in this tournament.

In the 2021 Charleston Summer Open, a tough competition occurred between Alexa Yanes and her opponent, Taylor Sausser. Alexa Yanes won the match by taking hold of her opponent using arm and leglock variations.

In 2022 Who’s Number One, athletes Alexa Yanes and Jessica started a fifteen-minute grappling fight quite aggressively. Yanes attempts an open guard. She then uses a triangle to grab her opponent, but Crane counterattacks her with an inside heel hook and wins the match.

Photo credit: @alexayanesbjj