Mia Funegra

Mia Funegra got her black belt on a Thursday and was a world champion by Sunday. She was 18 when she won the light-featherweight final, on June 1, 2025, and left Long Beach as the youngest athlete ever to win Worlds at black belt, according to the IBJJF.

The promotion came from Guilherme Mendes on May 29, in time to put her in the black belt bracket. Mia had not yet spent the minimum time at brown belt, but the No-Gi Worlds title she won at brown, in December 2024, opened the exception. Her twin sister, Ashlee, was promoted hours later, on the podium, after winning Worlds at brown belt.

The two were born on November 20, 2006, and grew up in Lakewood, California. They came to Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) in 2014, in the kids program, after their father, Michael, started training at the academy, and have competed since January 2015. Their younger sister, Natalee, followed the same path.

At the 2025 Worlds, Mia got past Amanda Monteiro and Ann Wright without giving up a point, submitted Jessica Caroline with a guillotine in the semifinal and faced Andressa Guirau for the title. The final ended 0-0, with a 3-2 edge on advantages.

In 2026 she moved up to featherweight in search of a second title and left light-featherweight to Ashlee, who won the division. At the Brazilian Nationals, in May, Mia took gold with three submissions in three matches. She came to Worlds as the No. 1 seed and stopped in the quarterfinals, beaten 3-0 by Sabrina Gondim, who went on to win the title. It was her first loss as a black belt.

Less than a month later she was back on top of the podium at the American Nationals, with Ashlee in second. A guard passer, she usually finishes from the back or with an armbar.