Nathalie “Tatá” Ribeiro

Nathalie Ribeiro won the biggest tournaments on the calendar at lightweight, but her world title came one division down. After winning Europeans, Pans and the Brazilian Nationals in 2022, she moved to featherweight in 2023 on the advice of her coach, Lucas Leite, and the next year became world champion in her new division, beating Anna Rodrigues by referee decision in the final.

Born on November 6, 1992, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in Rio de Janeiro, she started Jiu-Jitsu at 8, after trying gymnastics, swimming and trampoline. Her father was a black belt and her mother a blue belt. After reaching blue belt, in 2009, she spent about three years away from the mats after her son was born and started over as a white belt under Sylvio Behring, who gave her the blue and purple belts.

In 2015 she went to the United States to compete at Pans and Worlds, on a scholarship from brothers João and Aloísio Silva. João gave her the brown belt, and Lucas Leite, from CheckMat La Habra, in California, gave her the black belt on March 12, 2018. A year earlier, at brown belt, she had been world champion in the gi and in no-gi.

At black belt she won Pans in 2021 and 2022 and, in 2022, also Europeans and the Brazilian Nationals, plus a No-Gi world title. At the gi Worlds, though, she kept collecting bronzes, in 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Her 2024 run, now at featherweight, included a kimura on Maria Luiza in the quarterfinals, a 6-4 win over Margot Ciccarelli in the semifinal and the decision over Anna Rodrigues in the final.

After the title she also began competing in the Master 1 division. In September 2026 she won the World Master at featherweight, registered under Lucas Leite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.