Ana Laura Cordeiro

Ana Laura Cordeiro went almost five years without competing and came back to win two straight world titles. In 2014, on her return to Long Beach, she won the medium-heavyweight final against Hannette Staack, a 2-2 match settled 2-1 on advantages. In 2015 she defended the title with a kimura on Karen Peterson in the semifinal and a 4-0 win over Andresa Correa in the final.

Raised in Unaí, Minas Gerais, she started Jiu-Jitsu at 17, partly to lose weight, and used to ride a bus for three hours to train at Gracie Barra Brasília. She won Worlds at blue belt in 2006, purple in 2007, in her division and the open class, and brown in 2008. In 2009, at Marcio Feitosa’s invitation, she moved to the United States to teach at Gracie Barra Yorba Linda in California, and received her black belt from Carlos Gracie Jr.

After the 2009 Pans she was diagnosed with a degenerated disc between the L5 and S1 vertebrae, which forced her to stop training and competing and later required fusion surgery. “My last tournament was in 2009 at the Pan Ams,” she said in 2013, while preparing her return. The following year she came back and won Worlds.

In 2015, besides her second world title, she won Pans and ADCC over 60 kg, beating Jessica Oliveira 12-0 in the final. Today she is a fourth-degree black belt, runs Gracie Barra Upland in California and teaches women’s seminars. At one of them she shared the mat with more than 450 women.