Gabrieli 'Gabi' Pessanha is a professional

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

grappler from Brazil.

Early career

At 17 years old, she was the only athlete to win a double grand slam at purple belt in 2018, winning

Mundials The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship (commonly known as the Worlds or Mundials) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held once every year by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. It is widely considered to be the most important and ...

Euros The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . T ...

Pans Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookware ...

and Brasileiros.

Black belt career

At the age of 18, Pessanha was promoted to black belt in June 2019 by Marcio de Deus. Pessanha competed at BJJ Bet 2 on August 1, 2021 where she fought multiple-time world champion Tayane Porfirio in the co-main event, narrowly losing by two points. On September 6, 2021, Pessanha won gold in the super-heavyweight division of the

IBJJF Pan Championship The Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pan American Championship (commonly known as Pan Ams or Pans), is the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held in North America. The event is held annually by the International Brazilian J ...

. She finished the year by winning gold medals in both the super-heavyweight and the absolute division at the IBJJF World Championship on December 12, 2021. Pessanha went 31-5 throughout the course of the year and was awarded ''"Female Grappler of the Year"'' at the JitsMagazine 2021 BJJ Awards as a result.

2022 - First double grand slam

Pessanha experienced an unprecedented year of success in 2022, which she started by winning gold medals in the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions at the

IBJJF European Championship The European Championship or European Open (officially called the European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship) is the most prestigious and largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held in Europe by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) ...

on February 20, 2022. She then repeated that feat at the IBJJF Pan Championship on April 10, 2022, winning gold in the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions once again. In her third major

IBJJF The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Jiu ...

tournament of the year, she won gold in the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions once again at the

Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu The Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu (lit. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship), commonly known as ''Brasileiro'', is an annual Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament held in Brazil by the IBJJF. ''Brasileiro'' has been held annually since 1996, ...

. To finish off the year, Pessanha won another pair of gold medals in the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions at the IBJJF World Championship on June 5, 2022 and completed a double grand slam. She finished the year with over 50 wins in competition and not a single loss, earning her ''"Female Grappler of the Year (Gi)"'' at the Jitsmagazine 2022 BJJ Awards.

2023 - Second double grand slam

Pessanha started out 2023 in the exact same fashion, winning gold medals in the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions at the

on January 29, 2023. She continued her success at the

on March 26, 2023, by winning both the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions once again. Pessanha then competed at the IBJJF Rio Fall Open on April 1, 2023 where she won five matches in a row and took gold medals in the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions. On May 7, 2023, Pessanha returned to the

and once again won both the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions at the event. Pessanha returned to the IBJJF World Championship 2023 on June 3 and 4, winning both the super-heavyweight and the absolute division once again. Pessanha competed in the IBJJF Vitoria Open 2023 on August 5, 2023 and won gold medals in both the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions. She then competed at the IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con International on September 1, 2023 and won gold medals in both the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions. Pessanha then competed in a women's heavyweight grand prix at BJJ Stars 11 on September 9, 2023. She defeated three opponents on the same night and won the title. She returned to IBJJF competition at the IBJJF Curitiba Spring Open 2023 on October 8, 2023, winning gold medals in the super-heavyweight and absolute division. Pessanha won a gold medal in the heavyweight division of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023 on November 10, 2023. Pessanha competed in the women's super-heavyweight division of The Crown alongside Melissa Stricker,

Tayane Porfírio Tayane Porfírio de Araújo (born 11 December 1994 in Sobral, Ceará, Brazil) is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) 4x World Championship black belt champion. In 2017 Porfirio realized the IBJJF Grand Slam after winning her weight category and the a ...

, and

Amy Campo Amy Campo (born January 30, 2000) is an American submission grappler, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt athlete. A multiple time IBJJF World ( Gi and No-Gi), Pans and American national jiu-jitsu champion in colored belts; Campo is a bla ...

on November 19, 2023. She beat both opponents and won the division. Pessanha won ''"Female Grappler of the Year (Gi)"'' at the JitsMagazine BJJ Awards 2023.

2024 - Third double grand slam

Pessanha's coach Marcio de Deus announced that she would be making her no gi debut at some point during 2024. Pessanha started the competitive year by winning gold medals in both the super-heavyweight and the absolute divisions at the IBJJF Rio Summer Open on January 14, 2024. She then won gold medals in both the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions of the

on January 27, 2024. She also won gold medals in both the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions of the

2024 on March 24, 2024. Pessanha won gold medals in both the super-heavyweight and absolute divisions of the IBJJF World Championship 2024 on June 1, 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pessanha, Gabi Living people Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Rio de Janeiro (city) 2000 births Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champions (women)