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Nadia Frankland

Australian grappler Nadia Frankland won Pan No-Gi gold as a first-year black belt and reached the 2026 ADCC Worlds by winning the Asia and Oceania trials.

Biography

Nadia Frankland is an Australian no-gi grappler, born in 2002, who came through the ranks with one coach, Jeroen Lynders of Peninsula MMA. She was a brown belt world champion in 2022 and 2023, won the IBJJF No-Gi Pan Championship in her first year at black belt, and reached the 2026 ADCC World Championships by winning the Asia and Oceania trials. Before grappling she was a keen gymnast from roughly the age of six to twelve. She took up jiu-jitsu in 2015 at Peninsula MMA, training under Lynders, and the sport became her main focus during her teenage years. The athlete page of her sponsor, AL Leone, says she was 12 when she came to her first class there and that she fought in local tournaments as she moved up through the belts. Lynders opened Peninsula MMA in May 2005. He came to jiu-jitsu from Shukokai karate, in which he holds a fourth dan, trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu under John Donehue from 1999 and was awarded his black belt in 2014. BJJ Heroes traces Frankland's lineage from Lynders back through Donehue and Rigan Machado to Carlos Gracie Jr., Helio Gracie and Carlos Gracie. On the academy website, Lynders places his student's world titles at brown belt among the coaching results he values most. Coloured belts BJJ Heroes dates her international breakthrough to the ADCC Oceania and Asia Trials in Stanhope, New South Wales, in June 2022. ADCC trials are regional qualifying events for the ADCC World Championships in submission grappling. Frankland reached the women's under-60 kg final and finished second to Adele Fornarino, with Margot Ciccarelli third. Later in 2022 she won the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship at brown belt. In 2023 she won both her weight class and the absolute, the open-weight division, at the brown belt No-Gi Worlds. The same year she won her division at the IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship and took silver in its absolute. Black belt Lynders promoted her to black belt on 7 June 2024. That year she switched to training full-time and travelled abroad to work with professional teams, among them Atos HQ in San Diego. At the second ADCC Asia and Oceania trials of 2024 she won three matches in the women's 65 kg division and lost the final to Sula Loewenthal, who caught her in a triangle armlock. At the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Pan Championship, her first season at the top belt, she won the middleweight division with three victories. The final against Gabriele Schuck ended with a rear-naked choke, a finish from the back, which BJJ Heroes names as her favourite position to attack. In the absolute she beat Hannah Harjo and Salla Simola, then lost the semi-final to Maria Ruffatto by kimura and left with bronze. Her sponsor's page also credits her with a gold medal at the 2024 ADCC Open in Las Vegas. At the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship that year she beat Gamila Kanew and Julia Boscher, the latter by triangle, to reach the middleweight final. There she met Elisabeth Clay in a close match fought largely around leg locks; Clay won 2-0 on points for her fourth world title, and Frankland took silver. In 2025 she won the black belt medium-heavyweight division at the No-Gi American National Championship in June, ahead of Katrina Schmale, and added bronze in the absolute. At the No-Gi European Championship later in the year she took bronze in both the middleweight division, won by Injana Goodman, and the absolute, won by Gabrieli Pessanha. At the No-Gi World Championship in December she won bronze in the absolute, where Elisabeth Clay beat Pessanha in the final. Her IBJJF athlete page now lists her as a black belt competing for Atos JJ International. ADCC 2026 On 21 June 2026 she won the women's under-65 kg division at the ADCC Asia and Oceania Trials, winning four matches; Gase Sanita finished second and Lara Dempsey third. FloGrappling noted that it was her first trials title and that it secured the World Championship place she had missed in earlier attempts. At the ADCC World Championships in Krakow, Poland, she was the eighth seed at under 65 kg. She lost her quarter-final 2-0 on points to the top seed, Ana Carolina Vieira, who went on to win the division.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, 'Nadia Frankland' fighter profile (page metadata modified 2025-02-25).(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes describes Nadia Frankland as an Australian grappler and a jiu-jitsu black belt under Jeroen Lynders of Peninsula MMA.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph of the profile — 'an Australian grappler'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes gives her birth year as 2002 and her birthplace as Melbourne, Australia.

      Where in the source: Biography section, first sentence (birth date and place)

      Accessed:

    • Before grappling she was a keen gymnast from about age 6 to 12.

      Where in the source: Biography section, second paragraph — 'avid gymnast'

      Accessed:

    • She started jiu-jitsu classes in 2015 at Peninsula MMA under the instruction of Jeroen Lynders, and the sport became her main focus in her teens.

      Where in the source: Biography section, second and third paragraphs — 'In 2015'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists her lineage as Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr., Rigan Machado, John Donehue, Jeroen Lynders, Nadia Frankland.

      Where in the source: Fact box, 'Lineage' line

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes names attacking the back as her favourite position.

      Where in the source: Fact box, 'Favorite Position/Technique' line

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes says her international breakthrough came with the 2022 ADCC Asia & Oceania trials silver, followed later that year by the IBJJF World No-Gi title at brown belt.

      Where in the source: Opening paragraph — 'first made waves'

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes lists her coloured-belt titles as IBJJF World No-Gi champion in 2022 and in 2023 (weight and absolute, brown belt) and Pan No-Gi champion in 2023 (brown belt), with a Pan No-Gi absolute silver in 2023.

      Where in the source: 'Main Achievements (Colored Belts)' list with its footnote key

      Accessed:

    • Jeroen Lynders promoted her to black belt on 7 June 2024.

      Where in the source: Biography section, third paragraph — 'June 7, 2024'

      Accessed:

    • In 2024 she moved to full-time training and travelled abroad to train with professional teams, including Atos HQ in San Diego.

      Where in the source: Biography section, fourth paragraph — 'full-time training'

      Accessed:

    • At the second 2024 ADCC Asia & Oceania trials she won three matches in the women's 65 kg division before losing the final to Sula Loewenthal by triangle armlock.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, the four rows for the second 2024 Asia & Oceania trials (65 kg)

      Accessed:

    • Her 2024 No-Gi Pan final was a rear-naked-choke win over Gabriele Schuck at 67 kg; in the absolute she beat Hannah Harjo and Salla Simola before losing the semi-final to Maria Ruffatto by kimura.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, the 2024 No-Gi Pan rows (weight division and absolute)

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes records her 2024 World No-Gi run at 68 kg as wins over Gamila Kanew and Julia Boscher (by triangle) before a 2-0 points loss to Elisabeth Clay in the final.

      Where in the source: Fight history table, the 2024 World No-Gi rows in her weight division

      Accessed:

  • AL Leone (apparel sponsor), athlete page 'Nadia Frankland' (undated; still describes her as a brown belt).(opens in a new tab)

    • Her sponsor AL Leone's athlete page says she began jiu-jitsu in 2015, aged 12, after a first class at Peninsula MMA, then competed in local tournaments while moving through the ranks.

      Where in the source: Athlete bio, second paragraph — 'first class at Peninsula MMA'

      Accessed:

    • Her sponsor's athlete page says she began competing internationally after receiving her brown belt at 19.

      Where in the source: Athlete bio, third paragraph — 'at the age of 19'

      Accessed:

    • Her sponsor's athlete page lists a gold medal at the 2024 ADCC Open in Las Vegas.

      Where in the source: 'Main Achievements' list — 'ADCC Open Las Vegas (2024)'

      Accessed:

  • Peninsula MMA, instructor page 'Jeroen Lynders' (undated).(opens in a new tab)

    • Jeroen Lynders founded Peninsula MMA in May 2005; he came from Shukokai karate (4th dan) and trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu under John Donehue from 1999, receiving his black belt in 2014.

      Where in the source: Instructor page 'Jeroen Lynders', biography paragraphs — 'Founded Peninsula MMA'

      Accessed:

    • On his academy page, Lynders counts coaching Nadia Frankland to gold at the IBJJF No-Gi brown belt Worlds in 2022 and to double gold in 2023 among his most prized achievements.

      Where in the source: Instructor page, last biography paragraph — 'most prized achievements'

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, 'ADCC Oceania And Asia 2022 Trials Results' (event of 19 June 2022).(opens in a new tab)

    • At the ADCC Oceania and Asia Trials on 19 June 2022 in Stanhope, New South Wales, she reached the women's under-60 kg final and took second place behind Adele Fornarino, with Margot Ciccarelli third.

      Where in the source: Section '-60 KILOS FEMALE', 'Division Podium' list

      Accessed:

  • FloGrappling, Corey Stockton, '13 First Time Champs Crowned At No-Gi Pans | 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Pans Recap', 4 November 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • She won both her weight class and the open-weight division at brown belt at the 2023 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship.

      Where in the source: Paragraph on Frankland — 'brown belt double gold champion'

      Accessed:

    • As a first-year black belt she won middleweight gold at the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Pan Championship with three wins in the division, the final ending in a rear-naked choke, and took bronze in the absolute.

      Where in the source: Paragraph beginning 'Rookie black belt Nadia Frankland'

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, 'Athlete Results: Nadia Frankland' (read 28 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Her IBJJF athlete page lists her as a black belt representing Atos JJ International.

      Where in the source: Athlete Results header — name, 'Atos JJ International', 'Black'

      Accessed:

  • FloGrappling, Joe Gilpin, 'Full Results: The Final Day Of IBJJF No-Gi Worlds', 15 December 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • She reached the black belt middleweight final at the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship, a close leg-lock contest in which Elisabeth Clay won her fourth world title, leaving Frankland with silver.

      Where in the source: Live-updates paragraph on the women's finals — 'Middleweight now up'

      Accessed:

  • Jits Magazine, 'IBJJF No Gi American National Championship 2025 Full Results And Highlights', June 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi American National Championship (27 June 2025) she won the black belt medium-heavyweight division, ahead of Katrina Schmale, and took bronze in the absolute.

      Where in the source: 'Women's Divisions' results: 'Medium-Heavyweight' and 'Absolute Division' lists

      Accessed:

  • Jits Magazine, 'IBJJF No Gi European Championship 2025 Full Results And Highlights', November 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi European Championship (29 October to 2 November 2025) she took bronze in the women's middleweight division, won by Injana Goodman, and bronze in the absolute, won by Gabrieli Pessanha.

      Where in the source: 'Women's Divisions' results: 'Middleweight' and 'Absolute Division' lists

      Accessed:

  • Jits Magazine, 'IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025 Full Results And Highlights', 14 December 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship (11 to 13 December 2025) she won bronze in the women's absolute division, which Elisabeth Clay won over Gabrieli Pessanha.

      Where in the source: 'Women's Divisions' results: 'Absolute Division' list

      Accessed:

  • FloGrappling, Joe Gilpin, '2026 ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials Recap: 8 Qualify In Australia', 21 June 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • She won the women's under-65 kg division at the 2026 ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials, her first ADCC trials title, earning the ADCC World Championship place that had eluded her before.

      Where in the source: Paragraph beginning 'At -65kg, Nadia Frankland'

      Accessed:

  • Jits Magazine, 'ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials 2026 Full Results And Highlights', 22 June 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Jits Magazine reports that she won four matches to take the under-65 kg title at the ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials on 21 June 2026, with Gase Sanita second and Lara Dempsey third.

      Where in the source: Intro, 'Rounding out the women's champions'; results list 'Under 65kg'

      Accessed:

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

    • At the 2026 ADCC World Championships in Krakow, Poland, she was the eighth seed in the women's under-65 kg division and lost her quarter-final 2-0 on points to top seed Ana Carolina Vieira, who went on to win the division.

      Where in the source: 'Women's Quarterfinals', '-65kg Quarterfinals' first line; '-65kg' champions list

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2024IBJJF Pan No-Gi ChampionshipSource: bjjheroes.comNo-giVerifiedGoldNo-giVerified
2024IBJJF World No-Gi ChampionshipSource: bjjheroes.comNo-giVerifiedSilverNo-giVerified

Lineage

No teaching connections are shown on this page.

Open lineage