Ana Carolina Schmitt

Ana Carolina Schmitt was born on January 6, 1990, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Her path to becoming an elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor began not on the mats but on the gymnastics floor. Before jiu-jitsu, Schmitt built her athletic foundation in rhythmic gymnastics, reaching a significant competitive level that demanded extraordinary body awareness, flexibility, and physical discipline — qualities that would translate directly into her grappling game.

At age 12, a spinal injury brought her gymnastics career to an abrupt end. Rather than stepping away from competitive sport, Schmitt channeled her drive into jiu-jitsu, beginning her training at age 14. The physical intelligence developed through years of gymnastics gave her an early advantage on the mats, and her willingness to rebuild an athletic identity from scratch after injury revealed the competitive resilience that would define her career.

Building the Foundation

Schmitt's jiu-jitsu journey began under Professor Guilherme Neves, who introduced her to the art at age 14. As her game developed and her competitive ambitions grew, she came under the tutelage of Juliano Wandalen, who guided her through the intermediate stages of her development and awarded her both the purple and brown belts. Wandalen's coaching proved instrumental in shaping her competitive foundation during a period of important tournament experience and technical growth.

A Defining Move and Black Belt Promotion

When Wandalen shifted his professional focus toward MMA, Schmitt sought a new home capable of sustaining her competitive jiu-jitsu goals. She joined the academy of Marcos Cunha, under whose guidance her game reached its highest level. The move proved defining: following her gold medal performance at the CBJJE World Championship at brown belt in 2014, Cunha promoted her to black belt — a recognition that marked her arrival as an elite competitor.

Training Abroad and Return to Brazil

Schmitt broadened her development through time spent training in the United States. A visit facilitated by her sponsor Fabrício Camões brought her to Gracie Humaitá in San Diego, where she absorbed technical perspectives from one of the sport's most storied academies. She subsequently trained with Letícia Ribeiro's team in the US, further expanding her exposure to high-level competition environments. In 2017, Schmitt returned to Brazil and rejoined Team Marcos Cunha, re-establishing the partnership that had already produced her black belt promotion.

Colored-Belt Foundations

Ana Carolina Schmitt competes in the Peso Pena (featherweight) division at 58.50 kg / 129.0 lbs, and her record at that weight class places her among the most decorated Brazilian competitors of her generation. Her colored-belt résumé foreshadowed what was to come — she claimed gold at the IBJJF South American Championship at brown belt in 2013 and won the CBJJE World Championship at brown belt in 2014, the performance that directly triggered her black belt promotion.

Rapid Ascent at Black Belt

Schmitt's rise on the international circuit at black belt was rapid and sustained. She took gold at the 2014 IBJJF South American Championship and earned podium finishes at the 2015 IBJJF Pan American Championship and 2015 IBJJF European Open in her early black belt years. By 2016, she had added the IBJJF American Nationals title to her record, building momentum toward the signature achievement of her career.

World Championship Glory

In 2017, Schmitt won the IBJJF World Championship — her first world title at black belt and a result that validated the full arc of her development. She returned to the world championship final in 2018, finishing as runner-up in a fiercely contested featherweight division. That same year, she claimed gold at the 2018 IBJJF Pan-Pacific Championship and the 2018 IBJJF Rio International Open, and added a podium appearance at the UAEJJF Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro. In 2019, Schmitt reclaimed the IBJJF World Championship title, cementing her status as one of the sport's elite featherweight competitors with back-to-back world championship gold medals bookending an already prolific career.