Maria Eduarda Tozoni - Rising Star of BJJ

Maria Eduarda Tozoni, also known as "Duda," is a rising star of Jiu-Jitsu. Born and raised in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Throughout her colored belt career, Duda quickly excelled and gained a prominent spot in TMC (The Match Champ). In June 2021, she was promoted to the Black Belt under his Jiu-Jitsu instructor, Marcos Cunha. With her exceptional talent and impressive record, Duda is considered one of the top emerging and talented grapplers in the world of Jiu-Jitsu.

Maria Eduarda Tozoni Ono was born on 3 September 2001 in Brazil. She grew up in the flowery fields of Brazil (Blumenau, Santa Catarina) due to which Duda has developed an immense love for nature.

Growing up, Maria Eduarda Tozoni was neither a passionate athlete nor had a love for martial arts. However, her father had a deep-seated passion for Jiu-Jitsu that he had carried since his own teens.

Maria’s father believed that martial arts has immense benefits for both physical and mental health, and he was determined to introduce his daughter to combat sports for all the good reasons. However, Duda enrolled in the trial classes of Jiu-Jitsu at the beginning of 2013.

No one could imagine that a simple trial class of BJJ would inspire an 11-year young girl. Duda gravitated towards Jiu-Jitsu during her trial classes in the academy. This love for BJJ led her to become one of the most promising young athletes in the sport today.

With a spark of enthusiasm, Duda decided to start her journey as a grappler from her early teens. With each passing year, her dedication to training elevated. And ever since, she has been devoted to mastering the art of Jiu-Jitsu and making a name for herself in the competitive circuit of martial arts.

Maria got the chance to avail the proficient guidance of Marcos Cunha who was his first instructor at "The Match Champ" academy. Under Cunha's guidance, Duda quickly excelled in the sport and became a key member of TMC's successful female division, alongside athletes such as Ana Carolina Schmitt and Anna Negri.

Duda's impressive performances on the mat earned her a reputation as one of the top purple belt grapplers of modern Jiu-Jitsu. Her dedication to the BJJ paid off as she continually beat opponents and proved herself to be a formidable opponent.

She displayed and proved her extraordinary command of Jiu-Jitsu techniques by defeating the seasoned black belts in her purple belt division. Her athleticism and technical proficiency were truly remarkable which makes her a force to be reckoned with in the purple belt division. Her performance became an inspiring and motivational source in her professional grappling career.

This remarkable performance of the Duda led her to another milestone of success. She was promoted to brown belt by her Luminary coach, Marcos Cunha. Brown belt elevated her motivation level and she started to compete regularly in the AJP Tour in both brown and black belt divisions, facing off against some of the sport's international champions. This was a time when Duda really demonstrated herself as a top competitor of the new Jiu-Jitsu generation.

In 2017, as a brown belt athlete, she won a gold medal in Curitiba Open Championship. Her performance sparked and attracted a lot of attention and cleared that Duda has a bright future ahead of her in the world of Jiu-Jitsu.

After a successful colored belt career, in June 2021, Master Marcos Cunha, promoted Duda to Black Belt. This was a significant milestone in her grappling journey. As reaching black belt rank in the twenties is truly a testament to one’s hard work, hearty dedication, and exemplary approach to grappling skills. As a black belt, Duda still continues to push herself and strive for excellence in the BJJ.

At such a young age, Duda has already accomplished what many seasoned veterans in the combat sport have yet to achieve. Her performances on the mat are nothing short of extraordinary, leaving audiences in awe of her skill and athleticism.

But Duda's achievements extend beyond just her victories on the mat. Her dedication to BJJ and relentless training has made her a role model for young grapplers. Her hard work and determination serve as inspiration for those looking to follow in her footsteps.

It's clear that Duda's career is just getting started and her potential is limitless. Her fans and fellow competitors are curious to see what she will accomplish next as she continues to dominate in all belt divisions and make a name for herself in the world of Jiu-Jitsu.

As she continues to train and compete, there's no doubt that Duda will continue to rise in the world of Jiu-Jitsu. However, one thing is clear: she is destined for greatness.

Thamires Aquino received her black belt in 2016 from Master Julio Cesar Pereira at the age of 22. She faced the rising star of Jiu-Jitsu Maria Eduardo Tozoni in the semi-final of Grand Slam Miami 2022. This was an intense fight in Grand Slam tournaments between the emerging fighters of Jiu-Jitsu.

Maria Eduardo controlled the leg joints of Thamires Aquino with an extraordinary takedown. Thamires tried her best to escape from the powerful grip of Maria Eduardo, but all her efforts were nullified when Maria Eduardo set up a leg lock from the standing position. Maria’s firm grip on the leg joints of her opponent proved a significant attack.

After 10 minutes, the match ended and Maria Eduardo won the match by points.

The semi-final of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Championship was held between Thais Felipe from the “Atos” and Maria Ono from the “The Match Champ”.

Maria Ono started the fight with the prompt attack of the closed guard. She dominated her position against Thais Felipe by maintaining her guard. However, Thais Felipe showed her high-level defensive skills by passing Maira’s close guard.

This interesting match between the talented grapplers reached its peak point when Maria Eduardo again set a close guard from a standing position. All the fans gave big applause for the outstanding performance of Maria Eduardo. In the last second, Maria Ono won the fight by points.

Brenda Larissa, a renowned BJJ world champion in the blue and purple belt divisions faced Maria Eduarda On the mat in the 2021 IBJJF open championship. Brenda and Duda came on the mat with winning passion which could be seen in their interesting performance on the mat.  

Brenda Larissa started the fight with great zest and zeal and controlled her opponent through a lapel guard. Maria tried her best to resist but in vain. After that Maria Eduardo came top on the scoreboard by successfully executing a foot lock. Both grapplers continued their struggle to defeat each other. However, Maiar Eduardo Tozoni became the champion by securing more points on the mat.

MARIA ONO vs THAIS FELIPE - RIO GRAND SLAM JIU JITSU (2021 2022)

Maria Eduarda - PINA BJJ | KONK BJJ | NOVA ERA

Photo Credit: @dudatozoni