Recently, the Jiu-Jitsu Times published an article on The 4 Male Americans To Win The IBJJF World Championship.
We certainly hope none of our readers thought we were going to forget about the proud women representing the good old red, white, and blue from highest step on the IBJJF podium.
If you did, have no fear. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. Lana Stefanac IBJJF World Champion 2009
Lana Stefanac is famous for being the first American woman to come in first place in her weight class and the Absolute brown and black belt division at IBJJF Worlds
Besides holding a black belt in BJJ, she is also an undefeated mixed martial artist. As can be expected, most of her wins come by way of submission.
2. Hillary Williams IBJJF World Champion 2010
Hillary Williams got involved in Brazilian jiu-jitsu because she wanted to stay fit for the other sports she loved — volleyball, soccer, and softball, to name a few — but what started out as a way to keep fit turned into a passion.
“Killary” would go on to win gold medals in Worlds and at the Pan-Ams. She is famed for her competitive nature and athletic ability, and holds a black belt under former UFC fighter Roli “The Crazy Cuban” Delgado.
3. Mackenzie Dern IBJJF World Champion 2015/2016
If you’ve paid any attention to competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you are familiar with the name “Mackenzie Dern.” Mackenzie began studying jiu-jitsu under her father — multiple-time gold medalist Wellington “Megaton” Dias — at three years old, and she has been competing since she was 14, winning a gold medal at every belt level.
Last year, Dern made the leap from BJJ to MMA, and she is currently riding a 3-0 record in Legacy Fighting Alliance.
Could Dern go down as one of the biggest female combat sports practitioners in the world? At only 24 years old, she has plenty of time to achieve that goal.
The 4 Male Americans To Win The IBJJF Black Belt World Championship
