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Anna Cristina Araújo Rodrigues

Two-time black-belt World champion Anna Rodrigues helped build Dream Art and reached the 2026 ADCC under-55kg final.

Biography

Anna Cristina Araújo Rodrigues wanted to become a professional athlete before she had chosen a sport. She tried gymnastics and volleyball as a child, found jiu-jitsu at 13, and moved to São Paulo on a full scholarship two years later. The competitive career that followed brought World titles on her way through the colored belts and two as a black belt, but it also developed alongside practical work for other athletes: helping shape Dream Art’s identity, leading its women’s group, and coaching while pursuing her own championships. Rodrigues was born in Niterói on December 14, 1998. She spent part of her early childhood with her grandmother in Ceará before growing up in Rio das Pedras. BJJ Heroes, the main source for her early life and belt progression, reports that she wanted to become a professional athlete from the age of eight. She tried gymnastics and volleyball before beginning jiu-jitsu at 13. The profile describes training as an outlet for frustration and connects that experience to her early decision to pursue the sport professionally. Márcio Rodrigues guided her through her first belts. At 15, she moved to São Paulo with a full scholarship at Luiz Guigo’s academy. Lucas Barbosa later helped arrange international training with André and Angelica Galvão at Atos, while Rodrigues continued to represent Guigo in Brazil. Guigo awarded her purple belt with Galvão’s agreement; after another move, to Alliance São Paulo, Fábio Gurgel promoted her to brown belt. Her results traced that progression. Rodrigues’ listed pre-black-belt World titles came as a juvenile in 2015, at adult blue belt in 2016, purple belt in 2018, and brown belt in 2019. In 2018, a new team project added work away from the competition mat. Dream Art provided emerging athletes with training facilities, medical support, English classes, and financial resources. Rodrigues was involved from the beginning. She helped Isaque Bahiense develop the project, contributing to its name, the concept for its logo, and its social-media work. Bahiense also asked Rodrigues to coach and lead Dream Art’s women’s group. She accepted before he awarded her a black belt in September 2019. An IBJJF interview in 2022 described her as both a leading member and a coach, with those responsibilities continuing alongside her own competition schedule. In 2023, Rodrigues spoke of the project as a responsibility shared with Bahiense and Pimentel and connected its ambitions to helping more athletes. Rodrigues won her first black-belt World title in December 2021 and her second in June 2022. She also won the European and Pan championships in 2022. Ahead of the inaugural women’s IBJJF FloGrappling Grand Prix that year, she described the event as an opportunity to represent women and test herself against larger opponents. Her advice to younger women was similarly practical: work to claim opportunities and support other female competitors, rather than measuring their growth against men’s jiu-jitsu. Her own explanation of competitive confidence did not depend on claiming certainty. In 2023, Rodrigues said that accepting the possibility of defeat helped her compete with confidence, while holding herself accountable to the ambitions she had set. Three years later, Rodrigues reached the women’s under-55-kilogram final at the 2026 ADCC World Championships, where Jasmine Rocha submitted her in overtime on September 13. The ADCC silver added a later chapter to a career already defined by movement between roles: scholarship athlete, champion, project builder, and coach. Rodrigues’ Dream Art work was concrete—resources, identity, communication, and responsibility for a women’s group—and it ran beside rather than behind her rise through the belts.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, Anna Rodrigues individual biography, undated(opens in a new tab)

    • Anna Cristina Araújo Rodrigues was born in Niterói on December 14, 1998; she spent early childhood with her grandmother in Ceará before growing up in Rio das Pedras.

      Where in the source: Biography — December 14

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    • Rodrigues wanted to become a professional athlete from eight, tried gymnastics and volleyball, and began jiu-jitsu at thirteen.

      Where in the source: Biography — childhood sports and first class

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes describes jiu-jitsu as an outlet for her frustrations and links that experience to her early decision to pursue it professionally.

      Where in the source: Biography — early training and professional ambition

      Accessed:

    • Márcio Rodrigues guided her through her first belts. At fifteen she moved to São Paulo on a full scholarship at Luiz Guigo's academy.

      Where in the source: Biography — full scholarship

      Accessed:

    • Lucas Barbosa helped arrange her international training with André and Angelica Galvão at Atos while she continued representing Guigo in Brazil.

      Where in the source: Biography — Lucas Barbosa

      Accessed:

    • Guigo awarded her purple belt with Galvão's agreement; later at Alliance São Paulo, Fábio Gurgel promoted her to brown.

      Where in the source: Biography — purple belt

      Accessed:

    • Rodrigues helped Bahiense develop Dream Art, contributing to its name, logo concept and social-media work.

      Where in the source: Biography — logo concept

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    • Bahiense asked her to coach and lead the project's women's group, a role she accepted before earning her black belt from him in September 2019.

      Where in the source: Biography — September 2019

      Accessed:

    • Her listed pre-black-belt World titles include juvenile in 2015, adult blue in 2016, purple in 2018 and brown in 2019.

      Where in the source: Main Achievements (Colored Belts) — 2016 blue

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Anna Rodrigues GP interview, ahead of August 2022 event(opens in a new tab)

    • The Dream Art project, founded in 2018, provided emerging athletes with training facilities, medical support, English classes and financial resources; Rodrigues was involved from its beginning.

      Where in the source: Introduction — resources

      Accessed:

    • The 2022 interview described Rodrigues as a leading member and coach whose responsibilities extended alongside her own competitive career.

      Where in the source: Introduction and Advice for the New Generation — coach

      Accessed:

    • Rodrigues won her first black-belt World title in December 2021 and her second in June 2022, also winning European and Pan titles in 2022.

      Where in the source: Introduction and Grand Prix — December 2021

      Accessed:

    • Before the inaugural women's IBJJF FloGrappling GP, she described the event as an opportunity to represent women and challenge herself against larger opponents.

      Where in the source: Inaugural Female Grand Prix — lightest

      Accessed:

    • Her advice to younger women stressed work to claim opportunities and mutual support among female competitors, rather than treating their growth as competing with men's jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Advice for the New Generation — opportunities

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, Anna Rodrigues interview, ahead of May 2023 Brasileiros(opens in a new tab)

    • In 2023 she attributed competitive confidence to accepting the possibility of defeat and holding herself accountable to her ambitions.

      Where in the source: First two answers — afraid of losing

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    • She described Dream Art as a deep responsibility shared with Pimentel and Bahiense, and connected the team's ambitions with helping more athletes.

      Where in the source: Final answer — responsibility

      Accessed:

  • Allen Catour, FloGrappling, 13 September 2026(opens in a new tab)

    • Rodrigues reached the women's under-55kg final at the 2026 ADCC World Championships, where Jasmine Rocha submitted her in overtime on September 13.

      Where in the source: Opening and overtime — women's -55kg final

      Accessed:

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