BJJ

Janaina Lebre - An Elite BJJ Black Belt Champion

Janaina Lebre - An Elite BJJ Black Belt Champion

1. Janaina Lebre’s Details

Janaina Lebre’s Details

Name Janaina Maia de Menezes Lebre
Nickname N/A
Birth Place Eusebio, Ceara, Brazil
Date of Birth December 14, 1995
Weight Division Lightweight/ 64 kg / 141.5 lbs
Last Weight in N/A
Height 5 ft 1 inch/ 155cm
Disclosed Career Earnings N/A
College N/A
Rank Black Belt
Last Fight N/A
Favorite Position Lapel Guard & Straight Ankle Lock
Head Coach Regis Lebre
Lineage Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Royler Gracie > Régis Lebre > Janaina Maia Lebre
Fighting out of N/A
Team Association Gracie Humaita team

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2. Janaina Lebre’s Biography

Janaina Lebre’s full name is Janina Maia De Menezes Lebre, and she is a top Black Belt fighter associated with the team Gracie Humaita under coach Regis Lebre, her husband. She won several Competitions of the International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation and secured her gold medals. She is one of the best fighters among lightweight and won the IBJJF Pan, European Nationals, American Nationals, and Grand Prix tournaments.

2.1. Janaina Lebre’s Childhood

Janaina Lebre was born in a small town Eusebio in Ceara, Brazil on the 14th of December, 1995. Since she was a child, she was very good at sports. She played handball in her teens before practicing Jiu-Jitsu properly.


In her teens, she used to practice with her boyfriend, Nordestina, because all the other students were too shy to train with her. On the very first day of practice, she felt at home on the mats and decided to go for Jiu-Jitsu.

2.2. Janaina Lebre’s First Academy

Janaina started her career in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by signing herself up at a local academy in Eusebio called HC Team. There she trained under Hamilton Caminha, who was so kind and supportive and made her fall in love with this martial art. It was all because of her coach that Janaina Lebre achieved her Blue belt. After one month of training, she participated in a competition at the age of 17 and won her first gold medal which increased her enthusiasm towards this game.

2.3. Janaina Lebre’s Journey at SAS

After achieving her Blue belt, Janaina Lebre moved to the Capital of her state to train at a more competitive and advanced academy. She joined SAS Academy in Fortaleza under trained under coach Sergio Cardoso. Again because of her love and passion for this game, she trained hard in this academy and achieved her Purple belt.

2.4. Janaina Lebre’s Journey at Gracie Humaita Team

Janaina Lebre participated in the IBJJF Worlds Championship and went to the USA to fight. During her time in the USA, she decided to come and train in the USA soon. That’s why she asked the coach of Gracie Humaita's team, Regis Lebre, to make arrangements for her stay in the USA. After that, she permanently moved to the USA joined the Gracie Humaita Team, and started training there.

2.5. Janaina Lebre’s Personal Life

After moving to the USA, Janaina Lebre started training under Regis Lebre who was already a top Black Belt Champion at the age of 24. Both of them found themselves so compatible with each other that they decided to get married. Now they had a beautiful son and they lived in the USA.

2.6. Janaina Lebre’s Black Belt Promotion

After joining his husband’s academy, Janaina Lebra practiced so hard and she got so many opportunities that she never got before. Hence, first, she raised her belt level to the Brown belt by winning gold medals in the IBJJF Tournaments in 2019. After that, in August 2019, she was promoted to the Balck Belt category.

2.7. Janaina Lebre’s Affiliation with the AOJ Team

In January 2024, Janaina Lebre announced that she was going to leave the Gracie Humaita Team and join the AOJ Team under the Mendes Brothers. She shared the news on social media by saying that it would be the best decision for her personal growth as well as for the AOJ Team. She said,

“It is with mixed feelings that I share an important decision. After careful reflection, we have decided to disconnect from the GRACIE HUMAITÁ team. This was not an easy choice, but I believe it’s the right step for our personal and professional growth. I want to express my deepest gratitude to every one of you for the incredible journey we share. Experiences, friendships, and lessons learned have shaped who I am today. I will always cherish these memories. Will announce the team I will be representing soon”

3. Janaina Lebre’s Top Fighting History

3.1. Janaina Lebre Vs Heather Woods

In the quarter-final of the IBJJF American National Championship 2021 in the Open Class Janaina Lebre fought with another top Black Belt fighter, Heather Woods. The whole fight lasted for almost one and a half minutes in which Janaina Lebre initiated the match with a closed guard and applied several submissions to defeat the opponent. At last, she won by Armbar Submission.


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2021 American National Heather Woods W Armbar 4F Absolute Weight

3.2. Janaina Lebre Vs Claire North

In the semi-final of IBJJF American Nationals 2021 for Absolute Class, Janaina Lebre fought with Claire North, another elite Black belt champion. In the beginning Janaina Lebre brilliantly takedowns the opponent. After that, both the players tried to defeat each other. But Janaina Lebre won the match by Straight Ankle Lock which she was attempting from the start of match. The fight lasted for almost 6 minutes.


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2021 American National Claire North W Straight Ankle Lock SF Absolute Weight

3.3. Janaina Lebre Vs Anna Rodrigues

In the final of the IBJJF Flo Grappling GP for Black Belt in the Lightweight division, Janaina Lebre competed with another black belt Champion, Anna Rodrigues. At the very start, Janaina Lebre got 4 points of back control. After that, both the players applied different submissions to win the fight. In the last Janaina Lebre secured two points of sweeps and won the fight by 6x0 and became the first woman ever to win the Flo Grappling GP.


Year Event Opponent W/L/D Method Stage Weight Class
2022 IBJJF Flo Grappling GP Anna Rodrigues W Pts:6x0 F Lightweight

4. Janaina Lebre’s National and International Achievements

Year Event Medal/Position Weight Division
2023 IBJJF Place World Championship SilverSilver Medal Icon Lightweight
2023 IBJJF Pans Championship BronzeBronze Medal Icon Lightweight
2023 San Diego Summer International Open GoldGold Medal Icon Middleweight
2023 Los Angeles International Open GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2022 IBJJF Place World Championship SilverSilver Medal Icon Lightweight
2022 IBJJF Grand Prix GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2022 IBJJF American Nationals GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2022 IBJJF European Open SilverSilver Medal Icon Lightweight
2022 IBJJF Place Pan Championship BronzeBronze Medal Icon Lightweight
2022 World Cup Podium SilverSilver Medal Icon Lightweight
2022 IBJJF Flo Grappling GP GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2021 IBJJF American Nationals BronzeBronze Medal Icon Lightweight
2021 New Orleans Open GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2021 Jiu-Jitsu CON International SilverSilver Medal Icon Lightweight
2021 New Orleans Open GoldGold Medal Icon Absolute weight
2019 IBJJF World Championship GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2019 IBJJF Pan Championship GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2019 IBJJF American Nationals GoldGold Medal Icon Middleweight
2019 Orange Country International Open GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2019 BJJ PRO Los Angeles GoldGold Medal Icon Lightweight
2019 BJJ PRO Los Angeles GoldGold Medal Icon Absolute weight
2018 IBJJF Pan Championship GoldGold Medal Icon Middleweight
2018 IBJJF World Championship BronzeBronze Medal Icon Middleweight
2018 Las Vegas Summer International Open GoldGold Medal Icon Middleweight
2018 Las Vegas Summer International Open GoldGold Medal Icon Absolute weight
2018 Washington DC Spring International Open GoldGold Medal Icon Middleweight
2018 Washington DC Spring International Open GoldGold Medal Icon Absolute weight
2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam GoldGold Medal Icon Middleweight

5. Janaina Lebre’s Main Achievements

Year Event Belt Position
2023 IBJJF Place World Championship Black 2nd
2023 IBJJF Pans Championship Black 3rd
2022 IBJJF Place World Championship Black 2nd
2022 IBJJF Grand Prix Black 1st
2022 IBJJF American Nationals Black 1st
2022 IBJJF European Open Black 2nd
2022 IBJJF Place Pan Championship Black 3rd
2022 World Cup Podium Black 2nd
2021 IBJJF American Nationals Black 3rd
2021 New Orleans Open Black 1st
2021 New Orleans Open Black 1st

5.1. Janaina Lebre’s Main Achievements( Colored Belt)

Year Event Belt Position
2019 IBJJF World Championship Brown 1st
2019 IBJJF Pan Championship Brown 1st
2019 IBJJF American Nationals Brown 1st
2018 IBJJF Pan Championship Purple 1st
2018 IBJJF World Championship Purple 3rd

6. Janaina Lebre’s Professional Record Breakdown

31 Matches 21 Wins 10 losses
By Points 8 7
By Advantages 1 0
By Submission 11 2
BY Decision 1 1
By Penalties 0 0
By DQ 0 0

6.1. Method of Submissions W/L

Method 11 Win 2 Loss
Straight Ankle Lock 5 1
Ezekiel Choke 2 0
Armbar 2 0
Choke From Back 2 0
Kneebar 0 1

7. Janaina Lebre’s Fight History

Opponent W/L Method Event Weight Stage Year
Heather Woods W Armbar American Nats ABS 4F 2021
Claire North W Straight ankle lock American Nats ABS SF 2021
Elisabeth Clay L Straight ankle lock American Nats ABS F 2021
Andressa Cintra L Pts: 11x2 Pan American 69KG 4F 2021
Maria Malyjasiak L Pts: 4x0 Pan American ABS 4F 2021
Luiza Monteiro L Referee Decision World Champ. 63KG 4F 2021
Amandine Layec W Ezekiel choke European Open 64KG SF 2022
Nathalie Ribeiro L Pts: 10x0 European Open 64KG F 2022
Janine Mutton W Choke from back Pan American 64KG 4F 2022
Nathalie Ribeiro L Pts: 11x4 Pan American 64KG SF 2022
Laura Gedeon W Straight ankle lock World Champ. 64KG 8F 2022
Gabrielle McComb W Straight ankle lock World Champ. 64KG 4F 2022
Nathalie Ribeiro W Pts: 4x2 World Champ. 64KG SF 2022
Ffion Davies L Pts: 2x0 World Champ. 64KG F 2022
Tracey Goodell W Armbar American Nat. 64KG SF 2022
Luciane Santos W Choke from back American Nat. 64KG F 2022
Emily Fernandez W Pts: 8x2 JJ Con 64KG SF 2022
Gloria Armas W Straight ankle lock JJ Con 64KG F 2022
Luiza Monteiro W Pts: 8x6 IBJJF GP 64KG SF 2022
Anna Rodrigues W Pts: 6x0 IBJJF GP 64KG F 2022
Nathalie Ribeiro W Pts: 3x2 IBJJF GP 64KG SPF 2023
Amanda Bruse W Points LA Open 64KG F 2023
Luiza Monteiro L Kneebar Pan American 64KG SF 2023
Thamires Monteiro W Pts: 5x0 World Champ. 64KG 8F 2023
Sabrina Ataide W Referee Decision World Champ. 64KG 4F 2023
Brianna Ste-Marie W Pts: 0x0, Adv World Champ. 64KG SF 2023
Ffion Davies L Pts: 6x0 World Champ. 64KG F 2023
Mayara Melo W Straight ankle lock SDiego SMO 64KG SF 2023
Thamires Monteiro W Pts: 6x0 SDiego SMO 64KG F 2023
Emily Fernandez W Ezekiel choke IBJJF GP 64KG SPF 2023
Nathalie Ribeiro L Pts: 6x2 The Crown 64KG SF 2023

8. Janaina Lebre’s Top Fights

Janaina Lebre v Heather Woods / American National 2021

Janaina Lebre v Claire North / American National 2021

Janaina Lebre v Anna Rodrigues / IBJJF FLO GRAPPLING GP 2022

Photo credit: @janainalebre

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