Kennedy Franklin

Kennedy Franklin was born in October 1996 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA. Her path to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was shaped as much by adversity as by ambition. At 16, following experiences with bullying, Franklin channeled her energy into martial arts, choosing taekwondo as her entry point into combat sports. The discipline and confidence she found on the mat proved transformative, and she soon supplemented her training with powerlifting — a combination that forged both her physical foundation and competitive drive.

For several years, Franklin competed seriously in both taekwondo and powerlifting, building a well-rounded athletic identity. By 2016, ready for a new challenge, she stepped onto the mats at a local Gracie Barra academy for the first time. The transition marked a pivotal shift in her athletic career. Under the guidance of coach Jamie Gomez, Franklin approached the sport with purpose and structure from the outset. Gomez served as the cornerstone of her early development, establishing the technical and competitive foundation that would fuel her rise through the ranks.

Kennedy Franklin's competitive trajectory announced itself emphatically in 2021, when she claimed gold at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship at purple belt — a result that signaled her potential to compete at the sport's highest tier. The title served as a turning point, prompting Franklin to pursue jiu-jitsu with a professional mindset and to seek out an environment that could match her ambitions.

With that goal in mind, she joined the academy of Erick Raposo, where she believed she would find the best opportunity to develop into an elite competitor. The move proved to be the right one. Franklin carried her purple belt momentum into the brown belt division, earning a silver medal at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship. She continued to stack podium finishes throughout 2023, claiming bronze medals at the IBJJF Pan Championship, the IBJJF World Championship, and the IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship — all at brown belt.

After two and a half years under Erick Raposo's guidance, on December 14, 2023, Franklin received her black belt — a milestone that recognized both her technical growth and her string of competitive achievements. The promotion brought no slowdown in results. Franklin made an immediate statement at the top level, earning a bronze medal at the 2024 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship and a bronze at the 2024 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship, before adding another third-place finish at the 2025 IBJJF Pan Championship. Franklin competes under the Inicio Jiu-Jitsu banner in the Peso Médio division (69.00 kg / 152.5 lbs).