Ariel Barbosa reaches 100 wins at age 7 and defends her title at the No-Gi Pan Kids
A four-time Pan Kids champion, the Marcio Andre Jiu-Jitsu gray belt wraps up another gold-filled season and returns to the mats on October 18.
Ariel Barbosa is 7 years old and just earned her 100th win in bracketed competition. She hit the milestone in October, the same month the Marcio Andre Jiu-Jitsu gray belt from Phoenix, Arizona, took home two gold medals at the Southwest Classic. Next up: on October 18, she competes at the IBJJF No-Gi Pan Kids to defend the title she won in 2025.
The numbers stand out. Of her 100 wins, 55 came by submission and 30 came in no-gi. Her record covers IBJJF, ADCC, JJWL and Arizona circuit brackets since June 2023, a stretch in which she collected 58 gold medals across 51 tournaments.
Four Pan Kids, four golds
The Pan Kids is the IBJJF’s biggest kids tournament, and it is where Ariel has made her name. She won the 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions, every one she entered. The latest, held in July in Kissimmee, Florida, drew about 3,000 kids, and Ariel left with gold in the Mirim 1 medium-heavy division.
The IBJJF has taken notice. Before the event, the federation named her among the athletes to watch on Marcio Andre’s team. Afterward, it listed Ariel among the standout performers of the 2026 Pan Kids.
When there’s no one in her bracket, she moves up
A good part of her record was built in brackets that weren’t originally hers. When no girls are registered in her division, Ariel moves up in age, as high as the 9-year-old category, and in weight when needed. She has also faced boys and won. That is why her titles are spread across so many divisions, from lightweight to super-heavy, always with the same result at the end of the bracket.
Gold in Europe, Brazil and the United States
Her 2026 season opened in April with gold at the Kids Europeans. In June she won the CBJJ Kids Brazilian Nationals and, later that month, the American Nationals Kids. July brought her fourth Pan Kids title, and September added two Jiu-Jitsu CON Kids titles, gi and no-gi.
It mirrors her 2025 run, when, on top of the Pan Kids, she won the No-Gi Pan Kids, the American Nationals Kids and the Jiu-Jitsu CON Kids in both gi and no-gi.
Built in Marcio Andre’s room
Ariel trains at the academy Marcio Andre runs in Phoenix. A No-Gi World Champion, Marcio has put much of his career into developing the next generation of competitors, and it shows on the mats. Ahead of the Pan Kids, the IBJJF described Marcio Andre Jiu-Jitsu as one of the most exciting academies on the international circuit.
Next up: the No-Gi Pan Kids
On October 18, Ariel returns to competition at the IBJJF No-Gi Pan Kids, entered at gray belt, medium-heavy. As the 2025 champion, she arrives with her 100th win fresh on the record and a full season of gold behind her.
Follow Ariel’s titles, stats and next tournament on her full athlete profile at VF Comunica, updated every week.
