At just 18 years old, Mia Funegra has rewritten the history books of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, capturing gold at the 2025 IBJJF World Championships in Long Beach California to become the youngest black belt world champion in the sport’s history. Her remarkable achievement came just three days after receiving her black belt promotion, marking one of the most meteoric rises in competitive grappling.
The AOJ prodigy’s path to the historic moment began with careful planning between her and her coach Professor Gui Mendes. Originally the team had mapped out a traditional progression through the belt ranks with Funegra competing at brown belt across multiple major tournaments before making the jump to black belt.
“We had a plan when I was promoted to brown belt like we knew that ever since when you get when you win worlds you can get promoted to the next belt from there,”
Funegra explained in a recent interview.
“We were like okay so there’s a possibility that we could win nogi worlds and then compete the next year as a black belt.”
However those plans shifted dramatically just weeks before the World Championships.
“It was probably like three weeks before worlds like professor gee came up to me and ashley and said like oh like what do you think about like you doing, like, the black belt division,”
Funegra recalled.
The conversation sparked immediate excitement for the teenage sensation.
“From there, like, I got really excited, like, really, really excited, because it’s, like, something I’ve been waiting for, like, my whole entire life, and to be able to have the opportunity to do that, and, like, perform in the adult division, also knowing that I’m, like, probably the youngest one to, like, in the division was really cool.”
The decision created a unique promotional scenario, as Funegra’s twin sister Ashlee was also competing at the World Championships in the brown belt division. Professor Mendes orchestrated a special moment, waiting until both sisters had completed their competition runs before promoting them together on the podium.
“He wanted to wait until Ashley was done competing in her world, and then compete, or promote us both together, so that way, like, we’ve been promoted with each other throughout our world,”
Funegra shared. The synchronized promotion maintained a tradition the twins had experienced throughout their competitive journey.
The announcement of Funegra’s black belt competition entry sent shockwaves through the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community. Social media buzzed with anticipation as fans and fellow athletes recognized the historical significance of her potential achievement.
“I was, like, in bed, I remember, I was about to go to sleep, and then I got a post notification saying, like, they’re announcing it, and I was like, oh, this is going to be good. So I went to sleep, turned on my phone, and I woke up to, like, a bunch of posts,”
Funegra described the community’s reaction.
The overwhelming response validated her years of dedication to the sport.
“I think it’s super cool for the jitsu community to react like that, because it just shows that, like, I did a lot of work in the color belts, and for people to be able to be excited to see me competing in the black belt, and to see that big reaction was really cool, because, like, I know I made an impact, and I know that people like watching my jiu-jitsu.”
Despite the excitement surrounding her historic opportunity, Funegra faced natural moments of doubt during her preparation.
“There are days where, like, maybe I didn’t perform the best, and I was a little bit more nervous for the competition,”
she admitted. However, having her sister Ashlee by her side provided crucial emotional support throughout the process.
“Having Ashley there with me really helped, like, she always was talking with me throughout the whole entire process.”
When competition day arrived at the Walter Pyramid, Funegra delivered on the immense expectations, claiming gold in the light featherweight division. Her victory not only secured her place in the record books but also announced the arrival of a new generation of elite grapplers in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The 2025 World Championships proved to be a showcase of both emerging talent and established excellence. While veterans like Diego “Pato” Oliveira captured his sixth world title and Gabi Pessanha secured her fifth consecutive double gold, it was Funegra’s breakthrough that captivated the grappling world’s attention.
Her rapid ascension from promising prospect to world champion represents more than just individual achievement—it signals the evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training and competition. The success of athletes like Funegra demonstrates how modern training methodologies and early specialization can accelerate development while maintaining the technical precision the sport demands.
Looking ahead, Funegra expressed her commitment to maintaining the dynamic style that has endeared her to fans worldwide.
“I hope to keep continuing that forward into the black belt division. I feel like I kind of did that in the world’s run, and I hope that everyone loved it and enjoyed it, and I hope to keep putting forth that energy and the action that I bring with my jiu-jitsu.”
