How Competition Has Changed for Women Over the Years: A Conversation with Professor Ana Laura Cordeiro

Professor Ana Laura Cordeiro is a 3rd-degree black belt and the owner of Gracie Barra Upland with her husband, Professor Rafael Navais. As a teen in Brazil, Professor Ana Laura developed a passion for Jiu-Jitsu competition. At an early age, Ana Laura dreamt of becoming a World Champion, and so she trained to become one.

Often having to travel many hours by bus to find training partners that would help her improve her Jiu-Jitsu.

She realized that dream for the first time after winning the IBJJF World Championship as a Blue Belt in 2006. She competed and won the following years as a Purple Belt in 2007 and as a Brown Belt in 2008. Ana Laura then won the IBJJF Worlds No-Gi Championship in 2008 as a Brown Belt in a mixed Brown/Black Belt Division. After being promoted to Black Belt, she won the Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship in 2009.

Shortly after her 2009 Championship title, she found out that she had a severe back condition that required surgery and would take her out of competition. After careful consideration, she opted for surgery and rehabilitation. In 2014, she returned to competition. She wrapped up several more titles; IBJJF World Championship (2014, 2015), Pan Championship (2015), and ADCC Championship (2016).

When Professor Ana Laura started competing in her teens, the competitions looked a lot different than they do today. The brackets for women were very small. She said she would often get only one fight because only one or two other females were in her bracket. She also mentioned that there was never an “absolute/open division” for women in the early years of competing.

She recalled that when she was competing as a blue belt, she would notice that the purple, brown, and black belt women were all lumped into one bracket due to the lack of advanced belt women. She remembers feeling that it was going to be her soon. She would be “thrown to the sharks” when she became a purple belt.

She had a deep passion for competition, so she would find different ways to pay for travel to either Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo for tournaments in the hopes of getting more fights. She recalled winning her first championship as a blue belt in a big city. She actually had 3 matches that day, but there was still no open division.

Through the years, she witnessed things change, both as a competitor and a coach. The brackets started to grow, the belt divisions were no longer lumped together, and the level of Jiu-Jitsu was becoming more advanced. The women were beginning to show they were just as passionate about competing as the men were.

Where Professor Ana Laura believes we are headed:

As the level of competition has increased for women, people are starting to pay attention and notice that women are quite skilled at the practice of Jiu-Jitsu, and doors are opening for them. Being a full-time athlete is finally becoming a possibility and a reality for some women. Professor Ana Laura feels that this will lead to even more skilled female athletes who will create more opportunities for women in years to come.

It used to be that only men were invited to teach seminars or get sponsorships after winning titles, which was how they made a living so that they could train full time. That has not been a reality for women, but it is beginning to be a possibility. Seeing women in a place of authority and being invited to teach seminars is the next step to advancing women’s opportunities in the sport of Jiu-Jitsu.

In fact, Professor Ana Laura has recorded some seminars that are available on the Gracie Barra Online platform. Check them out, as this is a milestone for women and all of Gracie Barra to be at the forefront of innovation in the Jiu-Jitsu community. To find out more about Professor Ana Laura’s Newest GB Online Course, Click Here: 12 Ways to Win with Single Leg X-Guard.

Professor Ana Laura hopes that there will be an increase in social media awareness and sponsorships for women in the near future so that more women can realize their dreams of making a living through the practice of being a Jiu-Jitsu athlete.

I believe that I represent all women in saying a huge THANK YOU to Professor Ana Laura for the groundwork she laid on her Jiu-Jitsu path as a Gracie Barra Athlete. May the future generations of GB Athletes benefit from the fruits of her labor!

Blog Written by Dawn Korsen, a Gracie Barra Brown Belt