Ana Beatriz Santos Silva

Ana Beatriz Santos Silva was born in March 2002 in Campos do Jordão, a city nestled in the mountainous interior of the Brazilian state of São Paulo. From an early age, she demonstrated a natural inclination toward sport, competing in scholastic leagues across football, basketball, and volleyball before discovering a deeper calling in martial arts. At 13, she was introduced to judo — a sport that would set the course for her entire athletic life.

Her early competition experience in judo was defined by defeat, yet those losses proved formative rather than discouraging. Instead of stepping away, Ana Beatriz responded by doubling her commitment and identifying the gaps in her game. That search led her to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which she initially adopted as a complementary discipline to sharpen her ground-fighting skills within a judo context. For approximately two years, she competed in both sports simultaneously under the guidance of coach Mario Henrique.

Around her 16th birthday, Ana Beatriz made a defining choice: to abandon judo entirely and dedicate herself exclusively to BJJ. The decision reflected a deepening affinity for the jiu-jitsu ruleset and a clear-eyed recognition that her competitive future lay on the grappling mats.

Finding the Right Environment

The most significant turning point in Ana Beatriz's development came when, as a blue belt, she left her original training environment and joined Paulo Rezende's Casa do Atleta — the Athlete's House — in Minas Gerais. Casa do Atleta serves as the training base for Vision, a professional BJJ squad with a storied legacy of producing elite competitors, including Marcelo Garcia and Matheus Diniz. The structured, high-level environment gave Ana Beatriz the platform she needed to evolve into a consistent international competitor.

A Decorated Journey Through the Colored Belts

Under Rezende's guidance, she built a compelling résumé across the colored belt divisions. Her blue belt career featured gold at the 2019 IBJJF South American Championship and the 2021 AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro, establishing international competitiveness from the earliest stages of her career. At purple belt, she reached the pinnacle of her division by claiming gold at the 2022 IBJJF World Championship — a result that firmly placed her among the sport's elite prospects. The brown belt years proved equally productive, with a gold medal at the 2023 IBJJF American Nationals and multiple podium finishes at the IBJJF European Championship and CBJJ Brazilian Nationals reinforcing her consistency at the top of the competitive ladder.

On May 21, 2024, Paulo Rezende awarded Ana Beatriz her black belt — a ceremony that recognized both her technical maturity and the competitive achievements she had accumulated across years of disciplined training within the Casa do Atleta program.

Navigating the Black Belt Transition

The transition to black belt did not come without its difficulties. In the period following her promotion in May 2024, Ana Beatriz experienced genuine doubt about whether to continue pursuing a professional career in the sport. That uncertainty proved temporary, however, and its resolution came through a new training environment that reignited her drive.

Regular visits to the Calasans Camargo gym in São José dos Campos — a high-performance training group led by Claudio Calasans — proved transformative. The competitive atmosphere and caliber of preparation available there restored her sense of purpose and reaffirmed her commitment to competing at the highest level. Ana Beatriz maintained her affiliation with Vision throughout this period, integrating Calasans Camargo as a key preparation base, particularly ahead of major events.

Early Black Belt Results

Competing in the medium weight division — Peso Médio, at 69 kg / 152.5 lbs — her black belt career took shape with a gold medal at the 2024 IBJJF South American Championship, her first major title at the elite level and a result that validated her decision to remain in the sport. The 2025 IBJJF Pan Championship offered a further glimpse of her potential, as she advanced to the final of her weight division. There, she faced Gisele Tavares of GF Team in a tightly contested match decided by a 3-0 points margin in Tavares's favor, leaving Ana Beatriz with the silver medal. The result underscored her standing as one of the more formidable competitors in the medium weight division at the black belt level, pointing toward a career trajectory with considerable room still to develop.