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Injana Greta Goodman

Injana Goodman went from a first class at fifteen to UWW gold, coaching at Grapple Collective, and qualifying for ADCC Worlds in 2026.

Biography

Injana Greta Goodman found jiu-jitsu shortly after turning fifteen and reached the black belt seven years later. Between those points, the British-Spanish athlete moved from enthusiastic gi competition to full-time no-gi training, became Great Britain’s first UWW World Grappling champion, and began coaching at Grapple Collective. Her route to ADCC Worlds added another part to the story: a Trials victory that did not qualify women in 2025, a public campaign for equal opportunities, and a second Trials title that secured her place in 2026. Goodman was born in Alicante, Spain, in August 2003 and spent her formative childhood in a small town near Valladolid. She moved to the United Kingdom at eleven and settled in London. Mixed martial arts was an interest she shared with her brother. After he joined a combat-sports club, he encouraged her to try jiu-jitsu. Her first class came in August 2018, soon after her fifteenth birthday, at Max Bickerton’s London academy. Bickerton remained her coach through every belt promotion. Goodman initially trained and competed avidly in the gi, the traditional uniform used in jiu-jitsu. At purple belt, she chose to focus completely on no-gi. By 2024, that choice shaped most of her week. Goodman said she attended competition practice five or six times and joined evening classes on most days. Her account of the TATAMY 8 final that year also showed how she handled a match when preparation stopped matching events. Martyna took her back and attacked, but Goodman recovered and reversed the course of the contest. She won both the Women’s Gala and the Open at the event. Later in 2024, Goodman produced a result with national significance. At the UWW World Grappling Championships in Astana, she submitted Ekaterina Plitkina in the 64-kilogram final. United World Wrestling identified her as the first athlete representing Great Britain to win gold at the World Grappling Championships. BJJ Heroes lists Goodman as a top player, meaning she prefers to work from the position above an opponent. Her later ADCC Trials performances made that preference visible through body locks, pressure from the top, guard passing, and control from the back. She also repeatedly finished with the rear-naked choke, an attack applied from behind around the opponent’s neck. Bickerton promoted Goodman to black belt on June 30, 2025. In her first black-belt season, she won the European No-Gi middleweight title and took silver in the open class. She added silver in both divisions at the Pan No-Gi and bronze in both at the World No-Gi Championship. The results showed her working effectively in her own weight division and in the open class, where athletes of different weights can meet. Her role had also grown beyond her own competition schedule. Grapple Collective currently lists Goodman as both a full-time professional grappler and a coach. The academy describes her classes as welcoming and energetic and identifies the same team that appears on her current IBJJF athlete record. The first European, Middle Eastern and African ADCC Trials of the 2026 cycle created an unusual turning point. Goodman won the women’s tournament in 2025, but the structure for that stage did not award women’s winners invitations to the World Championship. Her gold medal was therefore a Trials title, not a qualifying result. Goodman responded by organizing a campaign for equal qualifying opportunities. She called for women to receive the same number of qualifying Trials as men, for women’s World Championship brackets to expand to sixteen athletes, and for five women’s weight classes by 2028. The UKBJJA board publicly supported the campaign. These were proposed changes rather than policies already adopted. She then returned to competition and secured the invitation herself. At the second EMEA Trials on February 14, 2026, Goodman won the 65-kilogram division for Grapple Collective and officially qualified for ADCC Worlds. Her later rounds included rear-naked-choke victories over Selma Vik and Rana Willink. Against Ane Svendsen in the final, Goodman used a body lock to reach top position, pressured and passed the guard, took the back, and won 3–0. Even after qualifying, Goodman continued to argue for equal conditions. In February 2026, she said that smaller women’s brackets—created by fewer available places and weight classes—should not then be used to justify lower compensation. Later that year, she also earned middleweight and open-class silver at the Brazilian No-Gi Championship. Her ADCC Worlds debut took place on September 12–13, 2026. Entering the women’s 65-kilogram bracket as the seventh seed, Goodman faced second seed Joslyn Molina in the quarterfinal. Molina won 4–0 and later took bronze, ending Goodman’s first Worlds run in the quarterfinal round.

Sources for this profile

  • Grapple Collective, “Our Coaches” (accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Grapple Collective presents Goodman as a coach and full-time professional grappler whose positive attitude and work ethic carry into welcoming, energetic classes.

      Where in the source: Our Coaches — Injana Goodman

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Injana Goodman” (complete rendered profile; accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Injana Greta Goodman was born in August 2003 in Alicante, Spain, and spent her formative childhood in a small town near Valladolid.

      Where in the source: Biography — birth month, year and Spanish childhood

      Accessed:

    • Goodman's birthplace is explicitly identified as Alicante, Spain.

      Where in the source: Biography — Alicante birthplace

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes explicitly describes Goodman as Spanish and British.

      Where in the source: Profile introduction — explicit Spanish and British description

      Accessed:

    • Goodman moved to the United Kingdom at eleven and settled in London. She and her brother had followed mixed martial arts; after he joined a combat-sports club, he encouraged her to try jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Biography — London move and brother's influence

      Accessed:

    • Her first jiu-jitsu class came in August 2018, shortly after her fifteenth birthday, at Max Bickerton's London academy. Bickerton then guided her from white belt through every promotion to black belt.

      Where in the source: Biography — first class and continuous coaching relationship

      Accessed:

    • Although now known for no-gi, Goodman trained and competed avidly in the gi until purple belt, when she shifted to full-time no-gi training.

      Where in the source: Biography — transition from gi to full no-gi

      Accessed:

    • Bickerton promoted Goodman to black belt on 30 June 2025.

      Where in the source: Biography — black-belt date and coach

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists Goodman's preferred position as Top Player.

      Where in the source: Profile facts — Favorite Position/Technique

      Accessed:

  • MP, “It Didn't Always Go as Planned,” TATAMY, 29 March 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • After winning both the Women's Gala and Open at TATAMY 8 in 2024, Goodman recalled that her final had turned against her when Martyna took her back and attacked, but she recovered and reversed the course of the match.

      Where in the source: Interview — final-match adversity and recovery

      Accessed:

    • In the same 2024 interview, Goodman said she trained only no-gi, typically joining competition practice five or six times per week as well as evening classes on most days.

      Where in the source: Interview — weekly no-gi training routine

      Accessed:

  • Vinay Siwach, “World Grappling Championships: AINs Shine, Great Britain Wins First-Ever Gold,” United World Wrestling, 12 October 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2024 UWW World Grappling Championships in Astana, Goodman submitted Ekaterina Plitkina in the 64 kg final and became the first athlete representing Great Britain to win a World Grappling Championships gold medal.

      Where in the source: Women's Grappling / 64 kg and event report

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, “Athlete Results: Injana Goodman” (complete current record; accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • In her first black-belt season, Goodman won the 2025 European No-Gi middleweight title and placed second in the open class.

      Where in the source: No Gi Grand Slam / Middle and Open Class — European 2025

      Accessed:

    • The same IBJJF record lists Goodman as the 2025 Pan No-Gi silver medalist in both middleweight and the open class.

      Where in the source: No Gi Grand Slam / Middle and Open Class — Pan 2025

      Accessed:

    • At the 2025 World No-Gi Championship, Goodman took bronze in both middleweight and the open class.

      Where in the source: No Gi Grand Slam / Middle and Open Class — World 2025

      Accessed:

    • The current IBJJF record lists Goodman as the 2026 Brazilian No-Gi silver medalist in both middleweight and the open class, showing continued activity beyond her 2025 rookie season.

      Where in the source: No Gi Grand Slam / Middle and Open Class — Brasileiro 2026

      Accessed:

  • UKBJJA, “Petition for ADCC to Offer Equal Opportunities for Women,” 20 October 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Goodman won the first 2025 European, Middle Eastern and African ADCC Trials, but that women's first-stage victory did not carry a 2026 World Championship invitation under the cycle's qualifying structure.

      Where in the source: Petition report — first Trials victory and missing invitation

      Accessed:

    • That outcome prompted Goodman to petition for equal numbers of qualifying trials, sixteen-person women's brackets matching the men's field, and five women's weight classes by 2028. The UKBJJA board publicly endorsed the campaign.

      Where in the source: Petition demands and UKBJJA board support

      Accessed:

  • ADCC, “2nd ADCC European, Middle East & African Trials 2026 — Official Results.”(opens in a new tab)

    • Goodman returned for the second EMEA Trials on 14 February 2026, won the women's 65 kg division for Grapple Collective and officially qualified for ADCC Worlds 2026.

      Where in the source: Official Results — qualifiers and women's professional 65 kg

      Accessed:

  • Joe Gilpin, “2026 ADCC European Trials Live Results,” FloGrappling, 15 February 2026 (event 14 February).(opens in a new tab)

    • In the 2026 Trials final, Goodman defeated Ane Svendsen 3–0 after using top pressure, a guard pass and back control; her displayed quarterfinal and semifinal victories over Selma Vik and Rana Willink both came by rear-naked choke.

      Where in the source: Women's 65 kg — quarterfinal, semifinal and final

      Accessed:

  • Alex Lindsey, “Opinion: ADCC Has Shown How Much They Value Female Athletes,” Jits Magazine, 27 February 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • After securing her invitation, Goodman continued her advocacy. In February 2026 she argued that smaller brackets created by fewer places and weight classes should not then be used to justify lower compensation for women.

      Where in the source: Three Half-Size Divisions — Goodman's interview response

      Accessed:

  • R. R. Ellis, “ADCC 2026 Results: Full Brackets, Champions and Medal Winners,” FloGrappling, 13 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • At ADCC Worlds on 12–13 September 2026, Goodman entered the women's 65 kg bracket as the seventh seed and lost her quarterfinal 4–0 to second seed Joslyn Molina; Molina later won bronze.

      Where in the source: Women's 65 kg quarterfinals and medalists

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2025ADCC European, Middle Eastern & African TrialsSource: digitsu.comNo-giVerifiedGoldNo-giVerified
2025IBJJF No-Gi European ChampionshipSource: digitsu.comNo-giVerifiedSilverNo-giVerified
2025IBJJF No-Gi European ChampionshipSource: bjjheroes.comNo-giVerifiedGoldNo-giVerified
2025IBJJF No-Gi World ChampionshipSource: bjjheroes.comNo-giVerifiedBronze (3rd place)No-giVerified
2025IBJJF No-Gi World ChampionshipSource: bjjheroes.comNo-giVerifiedBronze (3rd place)No-giVerified
2025IBJJF Pan No-Gi ChampionshipSource: bjjheroes.comNo-giVerifiedSilverNo-giVerified
2025IBJJF Pan No-Gi ChampionshipSource: digitsu.comNo-giVerifiedSilverNo-giVerified

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage