Tayane Porfírio

In 2017, a year after receiving her black belt, Tayane Porfírio won Pans, the Europeans, the Brazilian Nationals and Worlds, each time in her division and the open class. In the Worlds open class she submitted Fabiana Borges with an americana, also submitted Alison Tremblay, got past Bia Mesquita on advantages after a 2-2 and beat Nathiely de Jesus in the final. At super-heavyweight she took gold over Finland’s Venla Luukkonen.

She was born on December 11, 1994, in Sobral, Ceará, and moved with her family to Rio at age 2, growing up in Jacarepaguá. She started in late 2010 at Márcio Rodrigues’s academy, following her sister and also to lose weight. She received her purple belt from Eduardo Brigadeiro, met Alexandre Paiva in 2013 and joined Alliance Leblon in 2014. She earned her black belt in June 2016 on the Worlds podium. The omoplata is her favourite position.

In 2018 she repeated her double at Worlds but lost the titles. In May 2019 USADA announced that a sample taken at the tournament had tested positive for nandrolone metabolites (VF Comunica story in Portuguese). Tayane accepted a four-year suspension, starting in June 2018, while maintaining her innocence, and her results from May 30, 2018 onward were disqualified. During the suspension she took bronze at ADCC 2019 over 60 kg and left Alliance for Gracie Barra UK.

She returned to IBJJF events in February 2023 with double gold at the London Open and, that same year, took silver at The Crown, beaten by Gabi Pessanha, the opponent who would come to define her career. She rejoined Alliance in late 2024. In 2025 she beat Gabi 4-2 in the Brazilian Nationals super-heavyweight final, ending her rival’s long unbeaten run, and took silver in her division and the open class at Worlds, losing both finals to her.

In 2026 she reached both world finals, again against Gabi. In September, USADA reported that a sample taken at the tournament had tested positive for a THC metabolite. The suspension was three months, reduced because the use was out of competition and unrelated to sport performance, and her 2026 Worlds results were disqualified.