Ashlee Funegra
Promoted alongside her twin at the 2025 Worlds, AOJ's Ashlee Funegra took No-Gi World, European, Brasileiro and World gold in her first year at black belt.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Kingz (her gi sponsor), athlete page 'Ashlee Funegra', written in the first person, undated (refers to 2025 events).(opens in a new tab)
Her Kingz profile gives her current team as AOJ, which she joined in Costa Mesa, California.
Where in the source: 'Did You Know?' panel, start and current-team entries
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In her first-person athlete profile on the Kingz site, Funegra states that she was born in November 2006.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph, first sentence; anchor: 'Born on'
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She writes that she first went to the mats to learn self-defense, trying Krav Maga, Muay Thai, boxing and soccer, and that jiu-jitsu was the first sport she felt fully connected to.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph; anchor: 'learn self-defense'
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By age 10 she had given up her other sports to concentrate on jiu-jitsu, and at 12 she decided to train full-time.
Where in the source: Second paragraph; anchor: 'At 12'
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She dates her start in jiu-jitsu to 2013 and says she moved to AOJ in Costa Mesa a couple of months later.
Where in the source: 'Did You Know?' panel, entry on when she started jiu-jitsu
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She calls her purple belt IBJJF World title (listed on the page for 2024), won at the same championships as a title for her twin sister Mia, one of the most unforgettable moments of her career so far, valued not only for the result but for the training and support behind it.
Where in the source: Third paragraph, first two sentences; accomplishments list, purple belt Worlds entry
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Her listed brown belt titles are first place at the 2024 No-Gi World Championship and at the 2025 European, Pan American and Brazilian National Championships.
Where in the source: Accomplishments list, brown belt entries
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She competes at light-featherweight and describes her game as built on pressure and creativity; two of her favourite techniques are the Crazy Dog Pass, which she uses to keep up constant pressure while chaining passes, and the armbar, which she likes for working from many positions.
Where in the source: Fourth paragraph; anchor: 'Crazy Dog Pass'
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She describes a training day of three to four hours on the mat in the morning, a workout, rest and recovery, a couple of hours of teaching, and a last class of her own to end the day.
Where in the source: 'Did You Know?' panel, training-routine entry
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She names Gui Mendes as her person of inspiration and calls her brown belt World title her greatest victory so far.
Where in the source: 'Did You Know?' panel, inspiration and greatest-victory entries
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Her stated dream in jiu-jitsu is to inspire girls who train and to build a strong women's team; she describes a champion's mindset as consistency, doing the hard things when she does not feel like it, and caring about who she becomes rather than only medals.
Where in the source: 'Did You Know?' panel, dream entry, and closing paragraphs on mindset
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IBJJF, '2026 World Championship Black Belt Recap', by Kaelan Crisosto, published 4 June 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Ashlee Funegra won the female black belt light-featherweight title at the 2026 IBJJF World Championship in Long Beach, California, her first black belt World title in the gi.
Where in the source: Female Divisions, Light-Featherweight paragraph, closing part: 'her first World Championship title'
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Her twin sister Mia Funegra, the reigning light-featherweight World Champion, moved up to featherweight for the 2026 World Championship; IBJJF wrote that this opened the way for Ashlee's own black belt Worlds debut in the division.
Where in the source: Female Divisions, Light-Featherweight paragraph, first sentence; anchor: 'twin-sister'
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At the 2026 Worlds she finished her opening match with a lapel choke, beat Yasmin Castro by armbar in the quarterfinal after building a ten-point lead, submitted Andressa Guirau with a lapel choke in the semifinal in under three minutes, and won the final on a single sweep.
Where in the source: Female Divisions, Light-Featherweight paragraph, middle sentences; anchor: 'A single sweep in the finals'
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IBJJF's recap stated that across her one year at black belt she had not lost a match, and listed the No-Gi World, European, Brasileiro and World Championship titles she won in that span.
Where in the source: Female Divisions, Light-Featherweight paragraph, after the final; anchor: 'has not tasted defeat'
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IBJJF, '2025 No-Gi Worlds | Black Belt Day 2 Recap', by Kaelan Crisosto, published 14 December 2025.(opens in a new tab)
In December 2025 she won the black belt light-featherweight title at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship on her first attempt, beating Anne Druckrey 11-2 in the final with sweeps and guard passes; IBJJF described it as the end of her no-gi rookie season.
Where in the source: Female Divisions, Ashlee Funegra paragraph; anchors: 'in her first attempt' and '11-2 victory'
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IBJJF, '2025 No-Gi Worlds | Black Belt Day 1 Recap', by Kaelan Crisosto, published 13 December 2025.(opens in a new tab)
Entered as the eighth seed at the 2025 No-Gi Worlds, she submitted Yasmyn Castro with a darce choke, scored fifteen points before finishing top seed Barbara Souza with a rear-naked choke in the quarterfinal, and beat Josefine Modig by armbar in the semifinal.
Where in the source: Ashlee Funegra paragraph; anchor: 'eighth seed'
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IBJJF, 'Highlight Black Belt Performers | 2026 European Championships', by Kaelan Crisosto, published 29 January 2026.(opens in a new tab)
The 2026 European Championship in Lisbon was her first major gi event at black belt; seeded sixth in a light-featherweight field of nine, she won the division for her first black belt major title in the gi.
Where in the source: Ashlee Funegra section; anchor: 'black belt gi major debut'
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In Lisbon she beat second seed Andressa Guirau in the quarterfinal by holding a one-advantage lead after an exchange of sweeps, choked Rose Sharouni from the back in the semifinal, and in the final swept and passed Josefine Modig's guard before finishing with an armbar.
Where in the source: Ashlee Funegra section, middle sentences; anchor: 'single advantage lead'
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IBJJF, '2026 Pans Black Belt | Female Champions', by Kaelan Crisosto, published 2 April 2026.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2026 Pan Championship, IBJJF wrote that the female black belt light-featherweight division was headed by two AOJ teammates, Mayssa Bastos and Funegra; Ashlee reached the final with two-point wins over Josefine Modig and Brenda Larissa, and Bastos took the title.
Where in the source: Female Light-Featherweight section; anchor: 'two-point victory'
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Kingz (her gi sponsor), '2026 IBJJF Pan Championship Results: Kingz Athletes Dominate in Kissimmee', by Mayara Munhos, 3 April 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Kingz reported that she took silver in the black belt light-featherweight division at her first Pan Championship as a black belt, closing out the final with a teammate (that is, the two teammates did not contest the final).
Where in the source: Entry headed with her name and 'Light Featherweight Division (Silver)'; anchor: 'closing out the finals with a teammate'
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IBJJF, '2026 Brasileiro | Female Black Belt Standouts', by Kaelan Crisosto, published 6 May 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Seeded first, she won the light-featherweight division at the 2026 Brasileiro (Brazilian National Championship): a lapel choke in under ninety seconds in her opening match, eleven unanswered points and a triangle choke against Vitória Assis in the semifinal, and a referee decision over Maria Luiza after a 6-6 final with equal advantages. IBJJF counted it as her second major title of 2026.
Where in the source: Ashlee Funegra paragraph; anchors: 'top-seed' and 'referee decision victory'
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Kingz (her gi sponsor), 'Kingz Athlete Spotlight: Meet the Funegra Twins', by Heather Raftery, 2 June 2025.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2025 IBJJF World Championship in Anaheim, after roughly a decade in the sport, Ashlee and Mia Funegra were both promoted to black belt by Guilherme (Gui) Mendes, who had coached them for years; Ashlee's promotion came soon after she won gold in the brown belt light-featherweight division.
Where in the source: Opening paragraphs; anchor: 'long-time coach Guilherme Mendes'
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Because Mia already held a world title, the IBJJF rulebook allowed her to compete at black belt in 2025 before her promotion; Kingz explained this as a strategic choice that let both twins compete at light-featherweight that weekend without meeting in, and closing out, the same final.
Where in the source: Third paragraph; anchor: 'without having to close out'
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Kingz described AOJ as the academy at which Gui and Rafael Mendes had together built a leading competition program for juveniles, and wrote that the twins stood out even among its young stars.
Where in the source: The Beginning section, second paragraph; anchor: 'AOJ Academy'
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Art of Jiu Jitsu (AOJ), 'Funegra Top Game' masterclass page, undated (refers to the 2026 World Championship).(opens in a new tab)
Art of Jiu Jitsu (AOJ) sells the twins' debut instructional, the 'Funegra Top Game' masterclass, in which Ashlee and Mia teach their guard-passing system: getting past the legs by going around, through or under them with arm-weave, knee-slide and stack passes, linked against common guards and reactions, in nearly 50 classes with match breakdowns and drills.
Where in the source: Page header and course description; anchor: 'Funegra Top Game'
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According to AOJ, the twins started at its Costa Mesa academy at age seven and grew up there side by side, collecting major titles as juveniles and adults; Gui Mendes promoted both to black belt during the 2025 World Championship, Ashlee after her brown belt light-featherweight win, beside the competition mat.
Where in the source: Section on the twins; anchor: 'on the side of the mat'
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AOJ's page states that Ashlee won the black belt IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in December 2025 and the black belt gi World Championship at light-featherweight in 2026.
Where in the source: Section on the twins, third paragraph (December 2025 and 2026 titles)
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Art of Jiu Jitsu (AOJ), athlete page 'Mia Funegra', undated.(opens in a new tab)
AOJ's athlete page for Mia Funegra dates the twins' black belt promotion by Gui Mendes to 29 May 2025, with Ashlee promoted alongside Mia.
Where in the source: Biography paragraph, promotion sentence; anchor: 'alongside Ashlee'
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BJJ Heroes, 'Ashlee Funegra', undated (fight history runs into 2026).(opens in a new tab)
BJJ Heroes lists her team as Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ), the academy of Guilherme Mendes.
Where in the source: Opening sentence and profile list, team entry; anchor: 'Team/Association'
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BJJ Heroes describes her as an American grappler, born in November 2006 in California, USA.
Where in the source: Opening sentence; anchor: 'American grappler'; biography, first sentence
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BJJ Heroes traces her lineage as Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie, Carlson Gracie, André Pederneiras, Ramon Lemos, Guilherme Mendes, Ashlee Funegra.
Where in the source: Profile list, lineage entry
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