Lauriane Stavacz is in no hurry for the black belt: “I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew”

Lauriane Stavacz has more than enough results to think about the black belt, but she would rather leave that to the people who coach her. With three straight double golds at brown belt, the latest at the Pan No-Gi, the Gracie Barra Curitiba athlete spoke exclusively to VF Comunica about her season and about her promotion.

“When my coaches say I am ready and tie the black belt around my waist, I will be ready. I trust them a lot. For now, my focus is on the brown belt,” she said.

Ten months as a brown belt

Stavacz received her brown belt on December 6, 2025. She opened 2026 as the European champion in Lisbon, where she also took silver in the open class, finished second at the Pan and reached both finals at the World Championship in Long Beach, taking silver in her weight class and in the open class.

After that, she won her weight class and the open class at the American National, at Jiu-Jitsu CON No-Gi and, last Friday, October 2, at the Pan No-Gi in New Jersey, where she had five matches and submitted all three opponents in the open class.

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“I am very happy with the results I am getting at brown belt. I have a lot to learn and improve, and I am not in a hurry. I want to grow both in my technical level in jiu-jitsu and as a person,” she said.

The work with Nika and Pimpolho

She credits her progress to the work with Nika Schwinden and Rodrigo “Pimpolho” Fajardo at Gracie Barra Curitiba. They handle the technical adjustments, the strategy and the support through the season. At the Pan No-Gi, Schwinden was in her corner as her coach for the whole tournament.

She leaves the decision about the next step with the two of them. “I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. We still have a lot to win,” she added.

What did you think of Lauriane Stavacz’s season at brown belt? Leave your opinion in the comments.