South Africa's very first jiu jitsu black belt World champion, Penny Thomas was one of the most accomplished competitors of her generation, in Jiu Jitsu's female division. A black belt under Luis Herédia, Thomas won against a 'who-is-who' of elite grapplers, having achieved gold medals at important tournaments such as the World Championship, Abu Dhabi Combat Club(ADCC), World No-Gi, Pan American and many others.