Janaiana Lebre

Janaina Maia de Menezes Lebre was born on December 14, 1995, in Eusébio, a small town in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará. Before discovering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, she channeled her natural athleticism into handball, competing in the regional circuit throughout her adolescence. Her path to grappling arrived by chance at the age of 17, when a shy friend asked her to tag along to a first jiu-jitsu class at a local club — one attended almost exclusively by male students.

Despite having no prior grappling experience, Janaina felt immediately at home on the mats. The environment resonated with her in a way that handball never had, and she committed to the sport on the spot. Within a single month of training — still largely unfamiliar with the ruleset — she entered her first competition. Her lifelong athletic foundation shone through on the tournament floor, and she walked away with a gold medal. That early victory cemented her connection to jiu-jitsu and set the course for everything that followed.

Blue and Purple Belt Development

Janaina's early technical foundation was built under Hamilton Caminha at team HC in her hometown of Eusébio, where she earned her blue belt. Seeking a more competitive training environment, she relocated to Fortaleza — the capital of Ceará — and joined Sérgio Cardoso at SAS, earning her purple belt under his tutelage.

Marriage, Mentorship, and a Championship Run

In 2018, Janaina traveled to the United States to compete at the IBJJF World Championships. Before making the trip, she reached out to Régis Lebre — a celebrated Ceará-born coach and one of the finest competitors the state has ever produced, who had since established himself in the United States — to arrange training and accommodation. What began as a practical request evolved into something far greater: Janaina and Régis connected deeply both on and off the mats, and their relationship grew into marriage.

Under Régis Lebre's coaching, Janaina earned both her brown and black belt promotions, receiving the black belt in August 2019. Her colored belt career had already signaled the trajectory ahead — she won IBJJF World Championship gold at brown belt in 2019 and captured Pan Championship titles at both the purple belt level in 2018 and the brown belt level in 2019, demonstrating consistent excellence across the final stages of her belt progression.

Building a Black Belt Résumé Under Gracie Humaitá

At the black belt level, Janaina Lebre established herself as one of the most dependable competitors in the Peso Leve division (64 kg / 141.5 lbs), representing the United States on the international stage. Competing under Gracie Humaitá, she built an impressive résumé during the early years of her black belt career. In 2022 alone, she claimed the IBJJF Grand Prix title and the IBJJF American Nationals title, while also reaching the final of the IBJJF World Championship — a result she replicated in 2023, earning back-to-back silver medals at the sport's most prestigious annual event.

A New Chapter at Art of Jiu-Jitsu

On January 24, 2024, Janaina departed Gracie Humaitá and joined Art of Jiu-Jitsu under the Mendes Brothers. The move placed her within one of the most technically distinguished academies in the sport and marked the beginning of the most title-rich phase of her competitive career.

Representing AOJ at the 2024 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship, she captured gold in one of the most coveted events on the IBJJF calendar. She carried that momentum forward into 2025, winning the 2025 European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship while continuing to represent AOJ. Her 2024–2025 run stands as a defining statement — the two most significant titles of her black belt career both achieved under the AOJ banner.