Amanda Monteiro

Amanda Monteiro needed only one year at black belt to repeat what she had done at brown. A brown belt featherweight world champion in 2017, she dropped to light-featherweight at the 2018 Worlds and won the title, beating Ana Talita Alencar in the final. It was the start of a run of finals: she would reach three more black belt world finals.

Born on December 5, 1994, in Brasília, she grew up in São Paulo state and was scouted by Juventus as a football player before training Muay Thai at the Ryan Gracie academy in Capão. She switched to Jiu-Jitsu in December 2011, received her blue belt from Sérgio Soares and her purple belt from Renato Dominguez, already at GF Team. In 2015 she moved to the team’s headquarters in Méier, Rio, and in June 2017, right after her brown belt world title and double gold at the Brazilian Nationals, she received her black belt from Master Júlio César Pereira.

At black belt she won the 2017 No-Gi Pans, the 2018 Europeans and Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, and the 2019 No-Gi Worlds. At the 2019 gi Worlds she returned to the light-featherweight final and lost to Tammi Musumeci on advantages after a 0-0. In 2022 she moved up to featherweight and took silver behind Bianca Basílio. In 2024, back at light-featherweight, she reached another final, against GF Team teammate Thamires Aquino, and took silver.

In 2019 she married fellow GF Team black belt Jaime Canuto and took the name Canuto. Fast-paced guard passing is the signature of her game.