Dominyka Obelenyte
Dominyka Obelenyte is a four-time black-belt world champion whose path runs from Marcelo Garcia's mats to an art practice in Los Angeles.
Biography
Sources for this profile
BJJ Heroes, “Dominyka Obelenyte”, accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Dominyka Obelenyte was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, on 30 July 1995 and moved to the United States with her family at age six.
Where in the source: Biography — “born on the 30th of July, 1995”
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BJJ Heroes independently identifies Obelenyte as Marcelo Garcia's first female black belt and records her black-belt World Championship breakthrough.
Where in the source: Profile — “his first female black belt”
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BJJ Heroes associates Obelenyte's competitive game with open guard and pressure passing.
Where in the source: Profile — “Open Guard, Pressure guard passing”
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Dominyka Obelenyte, “Dominyka's Journey”, accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Obelenyte began Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age nine at a Gracie Humaita affiliate in New Jersey.
Where in the source: Journey, paragraph one
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Emily Kwok became an important early mentor and introduced Obelenyte to Marcelo Garcia's academy in New York.
Where in the source: Journey, paragraph two
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Marcelo Garcia promoted Obelenyte through the adult belts from blue to black, awarding her black belt in January 2015 when she was 19.
Where in the source: Journey, paragraph four
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In her first season as a black belt, Obelenyte won both her weight class and the absolute division at the IBJJF World Championship.
Where in the source: Journey, paragraph four
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Her own career summary credits her with four IBJJF black-belt world titles and ten world titles across blue through black belt.
Where in the source: Accolades, first two bullets
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In 2015 Obelenyte campaigned for equal prize treatment for women in IBJJF professional events through a petition that drew more than five thousand signatures.
Where in the source: Equal Pay, first paragraph
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Obelenyte and Callie Brennan founded Rag Doll Camps in 2017 as a women-focused grappling and wellness camp platform.
Where in the source: Rag Dolls, second paragraph
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Stephan Kesting, Grapplearts, “In Depth Interview with Dominyka Obelenyte”, 20 July 2020.(opens in a new tab)
A 2020 long-form interview presents Obelenyte's approach through technique, effective training, competitive mindset and mental resilience rather than results alone.
Where in the source: Introduction — “technique, injury recovery, mindset, effective training”
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Dominyka Obelenyte, “Dom is Dom”, artist biography accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Her current artist biography describes her as a Columbia University graduate who lives and works in Los Angeles, while still identifying her as a ten-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion.
Where in the source: About — “lives and works in Los Angeles”
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