Sarah Black at the 2015 Worlds Masters

Sarah Black’s resume already includes World Championship titles at purple and brown belt. Now, as a brand new Gustavo Dantas black belt she has already made her presence known at the highest level of BJJ competition.

Sarah started her competitive black belt career this year at the IBJJF American Nationals where she earned the National title in her division for both Gi and No-Gi. She won a third National title for the No-Gi absolute division.

The rookie black belt participated this past weekend in 2015 IBJJF World Masters Championship where she won the Master 1 World Championship in the light weight division. She earned a silver medal in the Master 1 absolute division.

Her resume so far is inspiring. Already a second degree Black Belt in Judo Sarah is no stranger to high level competition. Currently, at 36 years old Sarah qualifies as a Master 2 competitor, but competes in the Adult division. She is a full-time software developer and the Women’s and Kid’s coach and program director at GD Jiu-Jitsu Headquarters in Tempe Arizona.

With the Adult and Master World Championships combined she has accumulated seven gold medals in the last 4 years:

• 2012 – World Masters – Double Gold (Light & Open) Blue Belt
• 2013 – World Adults – Purple Belt World Champion (Light)
• 2013 – World Masters – Double Gold (Light & Open) Purple Belt
• 2014 – Out due to injury
• 2015 – World Adults – Brown Belt World Champion (Light)
• 2015 – World Masters – Black Belt World Champion (Light)

We spoke to Sarah about her success and advice for other girls competing in Jiu-Jitsu.

“If you want to compete do it. If nerves are keeping competitions from being fun then keep signing up for tournaments until the nerves are manageable (it gets better). Don’t worry about winning so much as performing like you train. Then train. Just train. Show up. Show up injured and do what you can. Study. Fail. Focus on a topic and get good at it. Take care of your body so that you can train. There is not much of an off-season to thrash your body because it will affect your training and thus effect your competitions. Take off only a few days when needed and train lighter when you need rest.

Technique and conditioning, although critical, are not the only areas to focus on. Make sure you don’t neglect the mental aspect of your training. I constantly utilize the BJJ Mental Coach to make sure my mindset for training and competition is as strong as possible.”

Women first competed in the World Jiu-Jitsu championship in 1998.

First they all competed in the same division, without any separation of belts.

In 2007, the first open class division took place and Michelle Nicolini grabbed the gold medal.

Only in 2012, black belt women had a division exclusive to them, without the presence of brown belts.

In 2014, the IBJJF inducted its first ever Hall of Fame class and six ladies received the highest honor in Jiu-Jitsu: Gabrielle Garcia, Kyra Gracie, Michelle Nicolini, Bianca Andrade, Leticia Ribeiro and Hannette Staack.

The IBJJF prepared a video to honor them and now you remember that.

Don’t forget to register for the 20th edition of the Worlds, next May 27-31, in Long Beach, California.

Click here to register.

Some of the women at GMA C3 Athletics/Cesar Pereira. Photo: Personal archive

Women don’t always need their very own class to start training but it certainly helps. The women who train at GMA C3 Athletics/Cesar Pereira in Stamford, CT earned their very own class two months ago and now the total of girls training is 13.

While some were already training with the guys in the regular classes, there were the ones who joined just recently given that they had each other and only each other to begin their Jiu-Jitsu journey. It helps when women have other women to train with because men can be intimidating. We know that Jiu-Jitsu was made for the weaker, smaller person however it takes a few lessons before realizing this. And an introduction can be scary without someone your own size.

Cesar Pereira has created an atmosphere for the women where they can learn and face similar challenges with similar people who will know what they’re going through.

He says, “Everything started with beginners/ fundamental class. As I had women in this class, I decided to open a women’s class, because some women felt more comfortable training among each other than with guys, also women who never tried BJJ before, and watched the class felt less intimidated. I’m always saying to them that BJJ is a self-defense for itself, that they can get self-confidence to face the problems even outside of the mat and get in shape, of course.”

Watch this highlight of the women’s program at C3 Athletics/Cesar Pereira and learn more about the program at www.c3athletics.com

Women’s open mat. Photo: Erin Herle

Ladies, don’t miss the chance to gather with fellow females on the east coast to train and learn from one another. This Sunday, Nov. 23, GMA Renzo Gracie Academy will be open for an all-female open mat.

Training will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The X, Y & Z open mat will feature snack bags available from chef Dana Minuta Palmer of Tembatoo Granola.

You can also donate while you’re there to Safe Horizons, an organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic abuse.

You can roll in both gi and no-gi and the event promises surprises during the event.

RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/781443081922739/

Renzo Gracie NYC is located at 224 W 30th St. NY, NY 10001.

One of the biggest stars in female MMA, Tate has a 14-5 record and had her last appearance in the UFC octagon last April 19.

She defeated Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision at UFC on Fox 11.

She is scheduled to fight again next September 20, against Rin Nakai, at the Saitama Super Arena, in Japan.

Here’s one of her finest moments in MMA, when she defeated Julie Kedzie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia-IJmmqN6Q

Klara Tibbling won the purple belt adult female open class. Photo: Pasando Guardia

The females took to the mats at the 2014 IBJJF Rome Open even though their numbers were small. Most categories were not filled and some were not able to fight in their weight classes. But the attendants took up their opportunities for what they were and did what they came to do– compete.

Here is Oliver Geddes’ gathering of the main female results:

Despite traveling all the way to Rome from Denmark, Checkmat’s Shanti Abelha was the only black belt female present, taking her weight and open titles unopposed.

In the women’s brown belt division, the final came down to Poland’s Irena Preiss against Olga Lyashevska of Carlson Gracie Holland. Although both had been the only fighters within their weight classes, they were in Italy to fight and seized their opportunity in the open class. After two fights each, Olga took the gold, defeating Irena by a single guard pass.

Sweden’s Klara Tibbling took gold in the purple belt Female open class, adding that medal to her gold in the female heavyweight category. She defeated middleweight champion Sofia Nordenö to secure the open weight title.

You can check out the full results here.

Brazilian Claudia Gadelha is one of the athletes to join the UFC’s 115lb female divison

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that the Invicta FC women’s mixed martial arts organization has assigned the contracts of 11 women’s strawweight (115 pounds) competitors to the UFC. Terms of the assignment were not disclosed.

The 11 fighters are: Carla Esparza, Claudia Gadelha, Felice Herrig, Joanne Calderwood, Tecia Torres,Rose Namajunas, Bec Hyatt, Emily Kagan, Alex Chambers, Julianna Lima, and Paige Van Zant.

In May, these 11 competitors will report to Las Vegas and participate on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter® in the first-ever all-women’s edition of the show. And for the first time ever, The Ultimate Fighter® will crown a UFC champion, as the winner of season 20 will become the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion.

Coaches for the show have not yet been determined. An additional five fighters will be selected for The Ultimate Fighter via a tryout set to be held in 2014.

“The women’s 135-pound division in the UFC has been amazing and we know there are a ton of talented women’s mixed martial artists out there,” UFC president Dana White said. “Now, you’ll see even more great women’s bouts in the UFC with the addition of the 115-pound division. We’re excited to crown the first-ever UFC women’s strawweight champion in 2014 after a historic season of The Ultimate Fighter.”

It applies to the ladies and also the boys.

Watch closely.

A new all-female opportunity in Mexico City is scheduled for November 6-13 as organized by a member of GMA Brasa Mexico Academy. Six-time world champion Mackenzie Dern will be leading a training camp that will support Jiu-Jitsu in Mexico and the females who are involved.

The community of females in Jiu-Jitsu is steadily growing in Mexico with the help of a purple belt named Itzel Bazua Aguilar. With the help of her boyfriend, they created a place to train at their house called Promahos BJJ where she teaches women-only Jiu-Jitsu classes. The government supports the already existing Mexican Federation of Jiu-Jitsu and in turn, the program and its athletes have been helped financially to promote Jiu-Jitsu and compete internationally.

Itzel’s goal with the 2nd Female BJJ Training Camp is to promote female BJJ by helping them to improve and believe in themselves. She says, “Because I had the hardest time as a white belt (I was the only girl, the smallest and the youngest, and they never took me seriously),  I didn’t believe that I could achieve something. Then my instructor Tomas Salgado came to the academy and psyched me up, demanded commitment from me and guided me to become the athlete I am now.” It is the influence of her coach that she hopes to extend to the females of Jiu-Jitsu in Mexico.

Her future events are more female camps with Mackenzie, seminars, tournaments (all female), free open mats and classes given by black belts, and maybe a money fund to sponsor girls that don’t have enough money to dedicate to the sport as they would like to.

The costs of the camp cover training and lodging. Before Oct. 4 the cost is $160 with advance payment of $80. For more information email: itzelbazuabjj@gmail.com

Gabi at the 2013 Worlds absolute black belt final

– Gabi Garcia is my idol!

– Gabi Garcia has no technique, she’s only muscles!

– Gabi Garcia is an example to all girls, Jiu-Jitsu practitioners or not!

– Gabi Garcia should compete with guys!

– Gabi Garcia is so brave to go out there and compete while the crowd only wants to see her fall!

– Gabi Garcia is full of steroids!

– Gabi Garcia tested negative for all PEDs after the Pan and the Worlds in 2013!

The career of Gabi Garcia in Jiu-Jitsu could easily be defined in the seven sentences above.

The 27-year-old from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, always generates heated emotions, in favor and against.

Three times absolute black belt champion (although she also counts the 2010 title, when she closed out the division with Luanna Alzuguir and placed second), and many other titles including ADCC and WPJJC, Gabi is undisputed the owner of the female black belt division in recent years.

Blessed with generous genetics, the Alliance star knew from the start that it would not be enough and tirelessly looked for the best training she could find, for technique, cardio and power.

With that improvement, a defeat like the one she suffered to featherweight Ana Carol Vidal in the 2007 Worlds purple belt absolute semifinals would be hard to happen again.

Since 2009, she lost only three times: to Ana Laura Cordeiro, Lana Stefanac and Hillary Williams.

Today, Gabi is the undisputed IBJJF Female Ranking leader, with 1,413 pts, 300 more than second place Luanna Alzuguir.

Gabi is now training for the 2013 ADCC, this October, in Beijing, China, where she will be after her second title.

And other than that, she has already signaled that an MMA career could be in her future.

Who can doubt that Gabi would be amazing to watch inside an octagon.

Well, like everything else in her career, opinions will be heated and divided.

But she’s used to that. 

Watch Gabi’s final against Bia Mesquita at the 2013 Worlds (with subtitles):

Ana Laura with Master Carlos Gracie Jr after receiving her black belt

The landscape of female competition Jiu-Jitsu is missing one piece since 2009.

Gracie Barra’s medium-heavy Ana Laura Cordeiro has been absent of competitions since she suffered a pretty serious injury to her lower back.

GRACIEMAG.com talked to Ana Laura earlier today and got some promising news about a possible return to competitions.

“I finally had my operation last June in Brazil and now I’m in the recovery process. I’ve already been able to work out, walk, climb stairs without feeling the pain I was feeling for the last four years”, told us Ana Laura.

She also told us about the surgery itself: “It lasted five hours! The doctor had to cut the muscle on my back and then reattach it with 50 stiches. Now I have four titanium pins and a thing called a cage, that helps the discs to stay apart, preventing it to pinch the nerve.”

Ana Laura also talked about the importance of finding the right doctor for the surgery: “I talked to a lot of doctors and most of them said that it was too risky to try it and that there was a big chance that I could never train again. But this guy had a 30-year experience with this kind of surgery and assured me that it could be done and that I was gonna be able to train and compete again”.

The recovery will take 6 months, but Ana already has goals set for the near future: “I want to be back at competitions at the 2014 Pan! The doctor said that I have to wait six months to be back at hard training, but in two months I will be already drilling in the gi”.

Watch Ana Laura competing against Gabi Garcia in the 2009 Pan, still as a brown belt, her last competition.

Check out Sophia teach a finishing technique from spider guard: