Karen Antunes

In 2018 Karen Antunes won Pans and, months later, the featherweight world title, beating Ana Schmitt on a referee decision in the final. The CheckMat athlete’s title came two years after her bronze at the 2016 Worlds, where Mackenzie Dern won the division.

Born on December 9, 1985, in Brasília, she was introduced to Jiu-Jitsu by her brother and began training in April 2009, encouraged by her younger sister. She has had one coach for her entire career, Mayko Araújo, who is also her husband. Her rise was fast: gi and no-gi world champion at purple in 2012, European and No-Gi Worlds champion at brown in 2013, then Pans and Brazilian Nationals champion and world runner-up at brown in 2014. Mayko gave her a black belt on July 28, 2014.

At black belt she won the 2015 No-Gi Worlds and, that same year, took silver at the Five Super League, with wins over Luiza Monteiro and Nijah Rollins. In 2016 she took silver at Pans and bronze at Worlds, before her 2018 title. She later moved with Mayko to Minnesota, in the United States, where they opened an academy.