Gabriel Almada 
Brenda Larissa is in the final preparations to test herself at the Grand Slam Miami, to be held this weekend, September 16 and 17, in Florida. Brenda will mark the start of a new phase in her career. The three-time World Pro champion will be competing in her first international competition since announcing her return to the Alliance team in July.
The black belt became the -49 kg champion of the Grand Slam Miami last year and will have to overcome opponents from the elite of professional Jiu-Jitsu to repeat the feat. Names such as Mayssa Bastos, Eliana Carauni, Thamires Aquino and Duda Tozoni are entered in the category and promise to make the competition fierce. In an interview with VF Comunica, Brenda Larissa celebrated the restart of her journey at Alliance and analyzed her key in the championship.
“I’m excited to be competing for Alliance for the first time, I’ve prepared myself in the best way possible here and I’m ready to represent my team. The bracket is good, I’ve already fought most of the girls and I’m ready to fight for the title once again,” said the 24-year-old.
Brenda Larissa is a versatile athlete with progressive Jiu-Jitsu. She often stars in exciting duels and uses her refined technique to outshine her opponents. She relies on her bold guard-passing game as one of her assets to become champion at the AJP event.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve my game, so I believe I have the Jiu-Jitsu to develop against my opponents and become champion. My guard passes are a key factor in my game. I like to pass and take the back to finish,” says Brenda.
AJP is a benchmark in organizing events and caring for athletes. The Federation will pay out around R$7,5 million in prizes to fighters this season. The organization’s aim is to promote the professionalization of Jiu-Jitsu, to value fighters and treat them like true champions. Brenda has a winning record with AJP. As well as being a three-time World Pro champion, she won the Grand Slams in London, Abu Dhabi, Moscow and Rio de Janeiro.
The Alliance black belt shared the importance of the AJP tournaments for the development of her professional career.
“The AJP championships have been the ones where I’ve stood out the most so far. The prizes from the competitions have helped me a lot financially in building my career,” Brenda recalled.
