Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Carina Santi, a decorated competitor with medals from prestigious tournaments including the IBJJF European and South American Championships, has courageously spoken out about the harassment she endured throughout her career in the male-dominated sport. Her revelations shed light on the darker side of BJJ culture and the challenges women face in martial arts spaces.
During a candid podcast interview, Santi disclosed experiencing multiple forms of harassment that went far beyond typical training intensity.
“I didn’t know what was happening,”
she admitted, reflecting on a time when such behavior wasn’t openly discussed or recognized as inappropriate. The harassment she experienced included unwanted smelling of her neck, groping and being purposefully choked out. These actions were driven by toxic gym culture that prioritized dominance over safety and respect.
“And I don’t want to keep stirring things up and naming names. It’s over. It’s over, it’s over. I’m not going to dwell on it, but not just once — several times, okay? Eh, heavy like that — like smells on the neck, groping. I suffered prejudice, I was purposefully slept in chokeholds due to machismo. I suffered several things.”
Santi described training environments where hygiene was neglected and respect for women was virtually non-existent. Her first exposure to BJJ involved watching men train shirtless in poorly ventilated rooms with unwashed mats, creating an atmosphere that was both physically uncomfortable and unwelcoming to women.
“There wasn’t a woman,”
she recalled of those early days, emphasizing how isolated female practitioners were in what was essentially an all-male space.
The harassment extended beyond physical violations to systematic sabotage. Santi revealed instances where male instructors deliberately undermined her professional opportunities, including scheduling seminars and failing to promote them or even attend. She also experienced prejudice-fueled aggression, with male training partners purposefully choking her out due to machismo rather than legitimate training purposes.
Perhaps most troubling was the culture of rivalry that was deliberately fostered among the few women who did train. Rather than building a supportive community, male instructors encouraged female students to view each other as enemies, turning every training session into an aggressive competition.
“It was a training match, like a world championship final every time we trained,”
Santi explained.
“We didn’t have that energy exchange of exchanging ideas after being friends with each other.”
Her mission now focuses on creating the spaces and support networks she wished had existed during her own journey.
“What others say about you does not define you,”
she says, offering advice to her younger self and other women facing similar challenges.
“You are not what they say. You are what you want to be.”
