Janaína Lebre asks for more opportunities for women in jiu-jitsu and says real investment is still missing
In an exclusive interview with VF Comunica, the black belt points to fewer matches at events, less space on the cards and lower pay
More and more women are training, competing and having great matches. For Janaína Lebre, the next step is to create more chances for them to show this level. The black belt talked about it in an exclusive interview with VF Comunica.
Lebre said there are many women who train, compete and have matches of a very high level. She said the next step is to give them the same chances to show it.
She says real investment is still missing
VF Comunica asked Lebre what she would change in the way women’s jiu-jitsu is promoted today. Her answer was direct.
She said women’s jiu-jitsu still needs a lot of real investment. For her, it is not only about promotion. It is about opportunity. She said women often have fewer matches at events, less space on the cards and much lower pay than the men.
Who is Janaína Lebre
Lebre speaks as someone who has won the main tournaments on the calendar. In 2025, the athlete from Eusébio, in the Brazilian state of Ceará, won the European, Pan, Brazilian and World championships at lightweight. These are the four biggest tournaments of the IBJJF, the main jiu-jitsu federation, and she won all of them in the same season. In 2026, she won the World Championship again in Long Beach and became a two-time black belt world champion.
She also won the first women’s IBJJF Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas. And she is one of the athletes invited to the Crown, an IBJJF tournament scheduled for November 8 in Long Beach, California.
Equal prize money is part of the debate
The difference in pay that Lebre talks about is the subject of another recent VF Comunica interview. Max Gimenis, the organizer of Brave Challenge, decided to pay the same amount to the champions of the men’s and women’s tournaments at his event, which takes place this Saturday, October 10.
Read also: Janaína Lebre talks about recognition.
Do you agree with Janaína Lebre? What does women’s jiu-jitsu need to get more space? Leave your opinion in the comments.
