Cindy Hales

Cindy Hales began her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey in the spring of 2001 under the instruction of Marcelo Alonso in Tacoma, Washington. When Alonso relocated to Brazil for an extended period, Hales transitioned to training with Rodrigo Lopes and Márcio Laudier — the latter widely known by his nickname "Mamazinho." Under their guidance, she deepened her technical foundation and sharpened her competitive edge, earning her black belt from Márcio Laudier in 2006.

Affiliated with Gracie Barra, Hales has grown into a 3rd degree black belt — a rank that reflects years of dedication on the mat, sustained competitive drive, and meaningful contributions to the art. Known by the nickname "Sleeper," she embodied a quietly formidable presence, the kind that opponents routinely underestimated to their own detriment.

Hales carried her grappling expertise into mixed martial arts, compiling a 2-1 professional record that demonstrated the real-world effectiveness of her BJJ skill set. Her two victories highlighted the direct applicability of high-level submission grappling in an MMA context, with her ground-based game consistently proving difficult for opponents to navigate or escape.

Her sole defeat came against Megumi Fujii, one of the most accomplished and dominant figures in the history of women's MMA. Facing Fujii placed Hales squarely against elite-level competition, and rather than diminishing her record, the matchup underscored her willingness to test herself against the very best in the sport — the hallmark of a competitor driven by genuine growth over a carefully managed win-loss column.

ADCC 2007

Hales' competitive legacy extends well beyond MMA into the highest levels of submission grappling. In 2007, she competed at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, one of the most prestigious no-gi grappling events in the world and a proving ground for the sport's elite. Her participation in ADCC 2007 placed her among the top submission grapplers on a global stage at a time when opportunities for women in the sport were still being carved out.

The Women's Dirty Dozen

Complementing that achievement, Hales holds membership in the Women's Dirty Dozen — a distinction reserved for the pioneering women who helped establish and elevate women's BJJ and submission grappling during the sport's formative era in North America. This recognition places her among the foundational figures of women's competitive grappling, athletes whose contributions helped pave the way for the broader participation and visibility that women's BJJ carries today.