Adriana Martins

Born on January 23, 1983, in Brazil, Adriana Martins — also known in BJJ records as Adriana Pinto, the name she carries following her marriage to Beto Carmona — began her Jiu-Jitsu journey at 15 when she first stepped onto the mats at the legendary academy of the late Carlson Gracie. Though formative, the experience lasted just three months before she made a pivotal decision to join Akxe Jiu Jitsu in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro — a move that would define the entire trajectory of her career.

Coaches, Ranks, and Identity at Akxe

At Akxe, Adriana found the mentorship and competitive environment that would shape her into a high-level athlete and instructor. She trained under two highly regarded coaches: Vinicius Campelo, known within the community as "Vini," and Octavio Couto, widely referred to by his nickname "Ratinho." Under their guidance, she progressed steadily through the ranks, earning her black belt in 2006.

Within the BJJ community, she carries two nicknames — "Quebra-Ossos" (Bone Breaker) and the more informal "Dri" — reflecting both her competitive edge and the personal bonds she forged within her team. She competes in the Middleweight division, known in Brazilian competition as Peso Médio, with a weight limit of 69 kilograms (152 lbs). Her affiliation with Akxe has remained a constant throughout her career, anchoring her lineage and community ties even as her own professional chapter expanded.

Adriana Martins built a consistent and respected competitive record across state, national, and international tournaments throughout the mid-2000s — a period when structured opportunities for women in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu were considerably more limited than they are today. That context makes her podium appearances across multiple organizations and divisions all the more significant.

Early Titles and Regional Dominance

Her earliest notable results came at the state level, where she claimed double gold in 2002, winning both her weight division and the absolute — a strong early indicator of her competitive ceiling. She reinforced that standing with a Rio de Janeiro State Championship title at the Carioca tournament in 2004, establishing herself as one of the top regional competitors of her era.

National and International Success

As she advanced through the brown belt ranks and into black belt competition, the titles continued to accumulate. In 2006, she captured the Brazilian National Cup championship in the brown/black belt division under the CBJJE, one of Brazil's major sanctioning bodies. The following year proved to be her most active at the national and international level: she earned a World Cup silver medal in the brown/black belt division under CBJJE, and also finished as a silver medallist at the Brazilian National Championship under the CBJJ — two high-level results in the same calendar year that demonstrated both her competitive consistency and her ability to perform across different organizational formats. Her sustained record across CBJJE and CBJJ events reflects a genuine commitment to testing herself at the highest available levels throughout her career.

Adriana Martins' contributions to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu extend well beyond the competitive arena. In 2005, still competing as a brown belt, she took on her first role as a BJJ instructor, working with an initial group of 15 girls. That early commitment to women's Jiu-Jitsu development — at a time when female participation in the sport was far less mainstream — established a thread of advocacy and education that would run throughout her career. After receiving her black belt in 2006, she continued teaching, cementing her identity as both a competitor and a leader within her academy.

Marriage, Co-Founding Morada do Sol, and Lasting Legacy

It was through their shared training environment at Akxe Jiu Jitsu that Adriana met Beto Carmona, a Jiu-Jitsu fighter originally from Brasília. The two married in 2009 — the same year they co-founded Morada do Sol in the Botafogo neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. The academy maintains strong ties to Akxe Jiu-Jitsu, preserving the lineage and community connections that shaped Adriana's own development as an athlete. Her visibility as a representative of women's Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil was further recognized through a feature on the television program "Premiere Combate," where she appeared in a documentary segment dedicated to women in the sport.

From a teenager stepping onto the mats at a Carlson Gracie affiliate for the first time, to co-owning and operating her own academy while remaining connected to the team that developed her, Adriana Martins' arc represents a full and enduring engagement with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ecosystem.