Fernanda Mazzelli

Fernanda Mazzelli was born on September 27, 1988, in Guarapari, a coastal city in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Growing up in this seaside municipality shaped her sense of identity and community — values that would later define her parallel careers in sport and public service. She discovered jiu-jitsu at the age of 11, an unusually early entry point for female practitioners of her generation, and one that set the trajectory for a decorated athletic life.

Her first instructor, Flávio 'Dente' Ferreira, provided the technical foundation upon which she built one of the most accomplished careers in Brazilian female jiu-jitsu. Training under Ferreira in her hometown forged a direct connection between her jiu-jitsu origins and the place where she was raised — reinforcing a bond between sport and community that would prove central to her identity.

That community connection carries a dimension of public legacy as well. Her grandfather, Oswaldo Epaminondas de Almeida, served as Guarapari's first Mayor, establishing a family tradition of civic leadership that would eventually extend to Mazzelli herself. The discipline instilled through jiu-jitsu from childhood, combined with that inheritance of public service, forms the dual foundation of everything she has built since.

Mazzelli's rise through the belt ranks was defined by a consistent pattern of competitive dominance. Competing under Striker Jiu-Jitsu Academy, she accumulated six Brazilian national titles across the lower belt divisions — a record that marked her as one of the most accomplished colored belt competitors of her era in the women's divisions.

Her colored belt campaign at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals was particularly impressive: gold at blue belt in both 2003 and 2004, followed by first place at purple belt in 2005, and again at brown belt in 2008. A silver medal at the IBJJF World Championship at purple belt in 2005 further confirmed her standing as both a national and international contender well before reaching black belt.

A Black Belt Earned on the Podium

The culmination of her colored belt journey came on May 10, 2008, when Thiago de Oliveira promoted Mazzelli to black belt — a promotion earned in the most decisive fashion possible. On that same day, she had won both her weight class and the absolute division at the Brazilian Nationals, a rare double that made the promotion a reflection of demonstrated mastery rather than time served.

The significance of receiving the black belt from de Oliveira carried personal weight as well: he is also her brother-in-law, weaving together family ties and competitive lineage in a single defining moment. With the promotion confirmed, Mazzelli transitioned into the black belt medium-heavy and heavyweight divisions, where she would go on to redefine expectations for Brazilian female competitors.

Fernanda Mazzelli's black belt career stands as one of the most sustained competitive records in Brazilian female jiu-jitsu, with podium finishes spanning more than a decade at the sport's highest levels. Competing in the Peso Pesado division (79kg/175lbs), she demonstrated that technical precision and a well-developed game could consistently overcome physically formidable opposition.

Building to the Summit

Her ascent began with bronze medal finishes at the IBJJF World Championship in 2009, 2010, and 2011, establishing her immediate relevance at the top of the international rankings. The year 2012 marked a turning point: Mazzelli claimed gold at the IBJJF World Championship in both gi and no-gi formats within the same calendar year, signaling her arrival as the definitive force in her division. That year also saw her reach the final of the IBJJF European Open and earn silver at the IBJJF Brazilian Nationals in the absolute — a volume of elite competition that ran parallel to her academic studies.

Sustained Excellence at the Highest Level

Silver medal finishes at the IBJJF World Championship in 2013 and 2014 preceded a return to the top of the podium in 2015 and again in 2016 — the latter year also seeing her reach finals at the IBJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro and the IBJJF Pan American Championship. A silver medal at the 2019 IBJJF World Championship demonstrated that her competitive level had not diminished years deep into her black belt career.

Her record at the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals at black belt is equally remarkable. She claimed national titles in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 — then, after a period away from the competitive circuit, returned to claim gold again at the 2022 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals. That title arrived during her tenure as an elected public official, underscoring the extraordinary breadth of her commitments.

Beyond the mats, Fernanda Mazzelli pursued a formal academic path that reflected a deep commitment to professional development in sport and human performance. She earned a degree in physical education from Vila Velha University, graduating second in her class in 2012 — the same year she claimed both her first IBJJF World Championship gi title and the IBJJF World Championship No-Gi gold medal.

The simultaneity of those achievements is a defining detail of her profile. While managing an elite competition schedule that included international travel and multiple major tournaments, she completed a rigorous academic program at a high level of distinction. The degree in physical education reflects a professional engagement with sport science, athlete development, and health principles that complements her identity as a practitioner and competitor — and signals the broader intellectual discipline that characterizes her approach to both sport and public life.

Fernanda Mazzelli occupies a singular position in the landscape of combat sports: an elite-level athlete who simultaneously holds elected public office. She serves as a councilwoman — vereadora — for Guarapari's town hall, representing Brazil's PSD (Partido Social Democrático), a prominent center-right party with significant reach in Brazilian politics. Her election places her among a very small group of high-level jiu-jitsu competitors who have pursued and secured positions of democratic accountability while remaining active in their sport.

A Legacy Written in Two Arenas

The political dimension of Mazzelli's career is inseparable from her family history. Her grandfather, Oswaldo Epaminondas de Almeida, was Guarapari's first Mayor, making her political involvement a continuation of a multi-generational legacy of civic leadership in the same city where she was born and first stepped onto the mats at age 11. Her election represents both personal ambition and a return to a family tradition of public service.

What distinguishes Mazzelli's case is her refusal to treat politics and competition as mutually exclusive. The 2022 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals title — claimed while serving in elected office — stands as the clearest evidence of her continued commitment to competing at the highest level of the sport. Rather than stepping away from jiu-jitsu upon entering public life, she has maintained active participation in both worlds, managing the demands of civic responsibility alongside the physical and logistical requirements of elite competition. In doing so, Mazzelli has established a model that is as uncommon in combat sports as it is in Brazilian politics.