Alessandra "Leka" Vieira (born March 14, 1976) is a submission grappler and a 6th degree

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 ...

practitioner and coach. Widely regarded as one of the pioneers of women's Brazilian jiu-jitsu, she became in 1999 the first-ever female black belt

World champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. A highly accomplished competitor, Vieira is a three-time World champion, four-time

Pan American Pan-American, Pan American, Panamerican, Pan-America, Pan America or Panamerica may refer to: * Collectively, the Americas: North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean * Something of, from, or related to the Americas * Pan-Amer ...

champion as well as an

ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, is an international submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been held every two years ...

finalist, in 2022 she was inducted in the United States Martial Art Hall of Fame. As a 6th degree black belt, she is one of the highest ranked female jiu-jitsu practitioners in the United States.

Career

Alessandra Vieira de Souza was born on March 14, 1976, in

São Pedro dos Ferros São Pedro dos Ferros is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata and to the microregion of Ponte Nova. As of 2020, the estimated population was 7,706. See also * List of ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, Brazil. At the age of 16, after an

ACL injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

forced her to take time away from

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

, she started training

(BJJ) under Aloisio Silva, a

Carlos Gracie Carlos Gracie (September 14, 1902October 7, 1994) was a Brazilian martial artist who is credited with being one of the primary developers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie and fellow students Luis França and ...

's black belt, founder of ''Dojo jiu-jitsu'' and one of the first BJJ masters to teach women. She was promoted to blue belt after six months of training and two years later was a finalist at the 1994 Brazilian National Championship winning silver. She was promoted to

black belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...

by Silva in 1998 then won the 1999 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship a year later, becoming the first female black belt world champion. She won silver at the 2000 World Championship in the featherweight division, then the following year, she won gold at the

Pan American Championship A Pan American Championship is a top level international sports competition between athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs in the Americas. Typically these championships are recurring, the most ...

. In 2001 she was invited to help start a women's only class at Rigan Machado's academy which resulted in her move to California and representing ''Machado JJ'' in competition. In 2002, Vieira won the World Championship and the Pan American in the same year. After promoting Cindy Omatsu in 2002, she became the first woman to promote another woman to BJJ black belt. She won the Pan championship again in 2003 in the featherweight division. In 2005, she faced Kyra Gracie in the

final losing on points after a 16-minute match for the woman's under title;. that same year, representing

Gracie Humaitá Gracie Humaitá or Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy on Humaitá Street, in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, founded by Helio Gracie. The Academy offers classes in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. History The Academia Gracie wa ...

, Vieira won the World Championship for the third time after defeating Kyra Gracie in the lightweight final. In 2004, Vieira opened her own school out of

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...

. In 2015, she opened ''CheckMat Valencia'' an affiliate of

Checkmat Checkmat is an international Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu association and team, headquartered in Long Beach, California, USA. It was founded in 2008 by Leo Vieira, who leads Checkmat with his brothers Ricardo Vieira and Leandro Vieira. Checkmat currently ...

. In 2014, she became a member of ''

Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine was ...

'' hall of fame after being chosen as Competitor of the Year. In 2018, Vieira launched the Wonder Woman BJJ Project, a program to help promote and expand the role of women in jiu-jitsu. In 2019 Vieira returned to competition to win the Pan Masters championship in the featherweight division. In March 2022, she received her 6th degree from Léo Vieira, and was inducted in the United States Martial Art Hall of Fame.

Championships and recognitions

Championships

Main Achievements: * IBJJF World Champion (1999 / 2002 / 2005) * IBJJF Pan American Champion (2001 / 2002 / 2003 / 2019) * 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2000) * 2nd Place

(2005) * 2nd Place Brazilian National Championship (1994)

Recognitions

* ''

'' hall of fame (2014 Competitor of the Year) * United States Martial Art Hall of Fame (Silver Life Award 2022)

Instructor lineage

Vieira's jiu-jitsu instructor lineage can be traced from

Sr, one of the founders of the art, to Grand Master Aloísio Silva ( 7th degree):

Mitsuyo Maeda ,Virgílio, pp. 22–25 a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda (),Virgílio, p. 9 was a Japanese ''judōka'' (judo practitioner) and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions, also being one of the first documented mixed martial artists of t ...

Sr. >

Robson Gracie Carlos Robson Gracie Sr. (; born August 13, 1935) is the second son of Carlos Gracie. Gracie is a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, affording him the title of Grandmaster. Biography Robson Gracie learned martial arts from his father, ...

> Aloísio Silva > Leka Vieira

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vieira, Alessandra Living people 1976 births Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Sportspeople from Minas Gerais Brazilian submission wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American sportspeople of Brazilian descent Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champions (women)