Patricia Fontes dos Santos

Patricia Fontes dos Santos was born on November 9, 1990, in Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, Brazil. During her early childhood, the Fontes family relocated to Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where Patricia was raised and where her athletic identity took shape.

Long before she set foot on a jiu-jitsu mat, Patricia devoted over 15 years to ballet, beginning at the age of 3. The discipline demanded precision, body awareness, and physical control — qualities that translated directly to her development as a grappler. At 15, her path shifted decisively when she discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu under coach Fabricio "Bicudo" Medeiros in Niterói. She also trained under Ricardo Vieira in Rio de Janeiro during these formative years, building a technical foundation across two influential training environments.

By 18, Patricia faced a defining choice. Rather than pursue a promising future in dance, she made a deliberate commitment to jiu-jitsu — abandoning ballet entirely to focus on becoming an elite grappling athlete. That decision set the course for a decorated international career.

In 2012, Patricia Fontes relocated to the United States with a clear objective: compete at the highest levels of the sport and establish herself among the best women's competitors in the world. She joined Lucas Leite's Checkmat academy in La Habra, California, finding in Leite both a technical mentor and the high-performance environment she had been seeking.

Her progression through the ranks was swift and consistent. Patricia earned her brown belt in April 2013, and her colored belt years were defined by steady results on the international circuit. At purple belt, she reached the final of the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in 2012 and claimed third place at the IBJJF Pan American Championship in 2013. The momentum continued at brown belt, where she finished runner-up at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in 2014, earned third place at both the 2013 IBJJF World Championship and the 2013 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, and reached the final of the IBJJF Pan American Championship in 2015.

The culmination of her colored belt career arrived at the 2015 IBJJF World Championship, where Patricia won gold in the Peso Pluma division as a brown belt. What followed became one of the most memorable moments in her career: Lucas Leite promoted her to black belt immediately after her victory, conducting the ceremony on the podium itself on May 29, 2015 — a fitting tribute to years of relentless dedication to the art.

Patricia Fontes established herself as one of the most accomplished competitors in the women's Peso Pluma (53kg/118lbs) division throughout her black belt career. Her transition to the black belt ranks was immediate and emphatic: later in 2015, she captured the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship title, becoming a two-time World Champion within the same calendar year she received her black belt.

Three Consecutive No-Gi World Titles

What followed was a period of sustained dominance in the No-Gi division. Patricia successfully defended the World No-Gi title in 2016 and again in 2017, securing three consecutive IBJJF World No-Gi Championships — a remarkable run that cemented her reputation as one of the premier women's competitors of her generation under Checkmat. These back-to-back title defenses reflected not only technical consistency but a rare ability to perform at peak level year after year against an evolving field of opponents.

Continued Presence at the Elite Level

At the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, Patricia returned to the final once more, finishing as runner-up — a result that underscored her continued presence among the division's elite. Her competitive longevity was further demonstrated in 2021, when she claimed third place at the IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Championship, confirming that her drive to medal on the international stage remained firmly intact well into her black belt career.