Skip to content
The BJJ Story
Search
Back to people
Penny Thomas

Creator credit recorded on the linked source page: Tracy Kraft Leboe · CC BY-SA 4.0

Penny Thomas

South African pioneer Penny Thomas left software development for competition, earning major ADCC, World, Pan American and World No-Gi titles.

Biography

Penny Thomas is a South African Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor whose path ran from gymnastics and software development to major international titles. In 2003, a contemporary Durban report described her as the first woman in South Africa to earn a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt. She was then part of the local Novagen academy group, placing her among the early women to establish a presence in the country’s developing jiu-jitsu scene. BJJ Heroes — the source carrying most of the later career detail in this profile — reports that Thomas traveled to Brazil to train and compete, opened a grappling academy in her garage, and left software development to pursue competition. The same record credits her with the 2007 ADCC championship, the 2007 World No-Gi and Pan American titles, and the 2009 World Championship. Luis Heredia awarded Thomas her black belt in 2008. She later trained with Letícia Ribeiro, a connection that led her to relocate to San Diego.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, “Penny Thomas,” accessed 8 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • BJJ Heroes says Penny Thomas was born on 2 July in Durban, South Africa.

      Where in the source: Biography section identifying her birth date and place

      Accessed:

    • Thomas moved from gymnastics into jiu-jitsu, traveled to Brazil to train and compete, opened a grappling academy in her garage, and left software development to pursue competition.

      Where in the source: Biography — gymnastics, entry to jiu-jitsu, garage academy and career change

      Accessed:

    • Luis Heredia awarded Thomas her black belt in 2008, and her later training with Letícia Ribeiro led her to relocate to San Diego.

      Where in the source: Biography — black belt from Luis Heredia and move to San Diego

      Accessed:

    • BJJ Heroes records major titles including the 2009 World Championship, the 2007 ADCC championship, the 2007 World No-Gi title and the 2007 Pan American title.

      Where in the source: Main achievements list for the selected 2007 and 2009 titles

      Accessed:

  • Renelle Naidoo, “Fight club craze comes to town,” Independent Online, 30 May 2003.(opens in a new tab)

    • A 2003 Durban report identified Thomas as a South African woman, the first woman in the country to earn a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt, and a member of the local Novagen academy group.

      Where in the source: Passage introducing Thomas and her blue-belt milestone

      Accessed:

Competition results

Recorded tournament results, newest first
YearEventResultDivision
2011ADCC 2011Source: adcombat.com+60 kgNo-giVerified4th place+60 kgNo-giVerified
2009ADCC 2009Source: adcombat.com+60 kgNo-giVerified2nd place+60 kgNo-giVerified
2009IBJJF World ChampionshipSource: en.wikipedia.org-74 kgGiVerified1st place-74 kgGiVerified
2007ADCC 2007Source: adcombat.com+67 kgNo-giVerified1st place+67 kgNo-giVerified
2007IBJJF World ChampionshipSource: en.wikipedia.org-80 kgGiVerified1st place-80 kgGiVerified

Lineage

View in lineage tree

Trained under