Rose El Sharouni

Rose El Sharouni was born on September 28, 1991, in Heerlen, Netherlands, and grew up in Utrecht. Her martial arts journey began at age 6 with judo — a discipline she practiced for six years without ever developing a genuine passion for it. The real turning point came during her pre-teen years, when she discovered traditional jiu-jitsu (TJJ), a discipline that resonated far more deeply and quickly became her primary training focus.

At 16, a BJJ workshop hosted at her TJJ gym changed the trajectory of her career. El Sharouni attended out of curiosity, but what she experienced on the mats that day proved far more compelling than she had expected. She soon committed to BJJ with the same seriousness she had brought to TJJ, training under Mathieu Peters, who guided her through the technical and competitive foundations that carried her all the way to purple belt — instilling the work ethic and attention to detail that would define her long-term development.

El Sharouni's ambitions extended well beyond the mats. She enrolled in medical school as a blue belt, navigating the demands of a rigorous academic program while sustaining a serious training and competition schedule. Rather than scaling back her BJJ as the pressures of medicine intensified, she continued competing and training through her internship and hospital residency — a clear expression of the discipline she applied to every area of her life.

A pivotal chapter of her sporting progression unfolded alongside teammates Kiren Newadj and Remo Corstjens, who co-founded the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy Amsterdam in 2015 as blue belts. The collaborative training environment they built proved central to El Sharouni's growth, while her affiliation with Checkmat provided the broader competitive structure for her career. On July 14, 2019, Leonardo Vieira — Checkmat's team leader — awarded her the black belt, marking the culmination of years of parallel commitment to sport and medicine.

In 2022, El Sharouni stepped away from her medical career to dedicate herself fully to jiu-jitsu, taking on coaching, training, and competing as her primary professional pursuits. The move coincided with a period of sustained excellence on the international circuit, earning her the #1 AJP European player ranking that year — a testament to her consistency across the continental competition calendar.

Championship Podiums and Elite Results

El Sharouni's results at the sport's premier events reflect the caliber of her competitive output. She reached the podium at the IBJJF World Championship in both 2021 and 2022, claiming third place on each occasion, while a second-place finish at the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship demonstrated her ability to perform across formats and stages. She also earned second place at the AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro in 2021.

Her record at the IBJJF European Open spans multiple belt levels — highlighted by a gold medal at brown belt in 2019, years before back-to-back black belt podium appearances on the same stage in 2022 and 2023. El Sharouni competes in the Peso Pluma division at 53.5 kg (118 lbs).