Janaína Lebre

Janaína Maia de Menezes Lebre was born on December 14, 1995, in Eusébio, in the Brazilian state of Ceará. She played handball on the regional circuit until age 17, when she went to help a friend at a Jiu-Jitsu class and stayed. A month later, in December 2013, she entered her first tournament and won gold.

She got her blue belt from Hamilton Caminha, in Eusébio, and her purple belt from Sérgio Cardoso, at SAS, in Fortaleza. In 2018, when she traveled to the United States for Worlds, she looked up coach Régis Lebre to train in San Diego. The two got married, and he gave her her brown and black belts, the black in August 2019, after she won Pans and Worlds at brown belt.

As a black belt she represented Gracie Humaitá and collected podiums before her title: she was Worlds runner-up in 2022 and 2023, losing to Ffion Davies in both finals. In 2022 she won the first IBJJF Women’s Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas, with wins over Luiza Monteiro and Anna Rodrigues. In 2024, now with Art of Jiu-Jitsu, she won Pans and reached the Crown final, where she lost to Brianna Ste-Marie.

In 2025 she won all four IBJJF majors in the same year: Europeans, Pans, the Brazilian Nationals and Worlds, all at lightweight. She ended the year back in the Crown final, decided by one advantage in favor of Sarah Galvão.

“Being seen or getting more attention was never my goal. If it comes, great, but that’s not what drives me.”

Janaína Lebre, to VF Comunica, October 2026. Translated from Portuguese. Read the story

In 2026 she lost the Pans final to Sarah Galvão by referee decision and got her revenge in the Worlds final, also decided by the referees after a 0-0 score. Along the way she submitted Mayara Melo and Giovanna Parmisano with straight ankle locks. She now represents Alliance in San Diego, where she also teaches. In September she won the Master Worlds in the Master 1 division.

The Crown is the one big title she is missing. On November 8 she enters the lightweight bracket for the fourth time.