Venla Orvokki Luukkonen

Finnish grappler who found jiu-jitsu through capoeira and won a 2014 IBJJF world title in what she called her first competition in the black belt division.

Last updated: 5 October 2026

Biography

Venla Luukkonen won the women's super-heavyweight division at the 2014 IBJJF World Championship in Long Beach, California, in what she described as her first competition in the black belt division. Finland's public broadcaster Yle reported it as the country's first black belt world title in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The Finnish grappler, born in 1984, had taken up the sport six years before, after dance and capoeira. She taught at her club in Jyväskylä and later co-founded one in Örebro, Sweden. She was born in Espoo and grew up in Kuopio, where her family moved when she was one. BJJ Heroes describes an active childhood of track and field, floorball, jazz, modern and flamenco dance, and the saxophone. Her first martial art came after secondary school. At 20 she moved to Jyväskylä to study to become a primary school teacher, and there she found capoeira, a single practice that brought dance, fighting and music together for her. She trained capoeira for four years before trying Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2008. A fellow capoeira practitioner also trained jiu-jitsu, a few of them went to a beginners' course together, and by her own account she was the one who stayed. A BJJ Heroes study of world champions' starting ages named her and Karen Antunes as the oldest beginners, at 23, among the women champions whose starting age it could establish. For a while she kept up both arts, but once she was competing more it grew difficult to keep them both going; in 2014 she still went to the occasional capoeira class or roda. She began regular classes at Jyväskylän Fight Club, founded in 2003 and known abroad as Hilti BJJ Jyväskylä. When she started, she told Yle, she had only two other women as clubmates, and in training her partner could be a man or a woman; she said that working with people of different sizes teaches you to defend with some and to attack with others. According to BJJ Heroes, Finland had few black belts in those years, so her promotions came from different coaches. Kimmo Rautiainen gave her the blue belt in 2009, Sauli Heilimö the purple in 2010 and Marko Leisten the brown in 2012. Pedro Duarte, whose line BJJ Heroes traces back through Murilo Bustamante and Carlson Gracie, promoted her to black belt on 22 February 2014. In 2010 Hanna Hirvonen moved to Jyväskylä and soon became Luukkonen's main training partner. The same year Luukkonen won the blue belt heavyweight division at the IBJJF European Championship, was second in the open class there, and took silver at the World Championship. At purple belt she won the European heavyweight title in 2011 and 2012, adding a world bronze in 2011 and a world silver in 2012. At brown belt in 2013 she was second at the Europeans, won the heavyweight division at the World Championship and took the open class at the European No-Gi Championship, and at the 2014 European Championship she won her weight division and the open class. She later told Yle she believed it had helped to compete steadily through the lower belts without her competitive career ever breaking off. She enjoyed competing without the gi as well, she told BJJ Scandinavia, and had finished second at the ADCC European trials in 2011 and 2013. Alongside the sport she pursued an academic career. She had qualified as a primary school teacher, and in 2014 she was a doctoral student in education at the University of Jyväskylä, training part-time while working on her thesis. Research, she said, was easier to fit around training than classroom teaching because she could plan her own schedule, and she valued having both physical and mental work. Her preparation for the 2014 World Championship, she said, was the worst she had ever had. She had meant to concentrate on work through March before turning to training, but in early April she fell ill with a fever that would not go away and spent more time recovering than training. At the Finnish Open in early May she lost twice to the Swedish grappler Klara Tibbling, which she counted as good mental preparation. She trained mostly with Hirvonen, then a brown belt; before big events the two looked for the best partners at their academy, women and men, and that spring a few visiting women also trained with them ahead of the Europeans, Rome and the Worlds. That year the IBJJF added two women's weight classes, and the top category moved from over 74 kg to over 79.3 kg. Luukkonen said she was not a fan of the change, since it left even fewer competitors in the heavy and super-heavy divisions, and by her account only three women were present in hers. At black belt, she explained, the competition began with the open class. She won her first open-class match, lost the second to Beatriz Mesquita and treated it as a warm-up for her weight division. In the semi-final against Leticia Lalli she went two points up early, then spent a long time in the turtle position trying to get past a strong defense, and took the back only near the end to win on points. The final against the Brazilian Andréa Mc Comb Pereira of Gracie Humaitá began in much the same way, but this time Luukkonen reached side control, moved to mount and finished with a submission, an arm lock according to Yle. She called it "a dream game plan coming true". She also recalled that the announcer at the finals left out the name Jyväskylä because he could not pronounce it, and joked that the audience might know the club now. She said the best part had been the support of the Finnish jiu-jitsu community, at the venue and at home, where people followed every Finn regardless of team. By her count nine Finnish women competed at those Worlds and brought home three golds, among them the purple belt titles of Outi Järvilehto and Jonna Konivuori. BJJ Scandinavia, which interviewed her that month, noted that Janni Larsson of Sweden had also won black belt gold that year. Looking ahead, she told Yle her next goal was the women's black belt open class world title, and she told BJJ Scandinavia she planned to win the ADCC European trials and reach the main ADCC event. In the long run, she said, she wanted to keep training for as long as possible, even as a gray-haired grandmother. Speaking to Yle, she said she liked grappling on the mat. She compared the sport to a dance in which you must keep your opponent in mind, and said she was fond of its descriptions as the gentle art and the chess of grappling. On the mat, she said, she had to keep weighing which technique would work best in each situation, a different kind of mental exercise from her research. Looking after training partners was part of the sport, in her view, and each colored belt also marked growth as a person. The sport was still little known in Finland: people often joked that they were safe in her company, and she found it simpler at times to say she went wrestling. She had watched women's jiu-jitsu in Finland grow. When she began, she said, the women in the sport amounted to a single purple belt and a handful of blue belts; more than 60 women competed at the 2013 Finnish Championship, and in February 2014 she became the first woman in Finland to hold a black belt, a distinction her current club also credits to her. She described yearly women-only seminars at different academies, visits from instructors such as Ida Hansson and Michelle Nicolini, plenty of open mats and women traveling to train at one another's clubs, and said women were training, teaching, competing and refereeing as men did. Her own academy, by her description one of Finland's oldest for jiu-jitsu, submission wrestling and MMA, had about 80 members and ran on volunteer work, so that those who had trained longer started teaching. It also had a strong group of 10 to 15 women, and she said that she and her clubmates called themselves the Jyväskylä "Fight Like a Girl" Club. Hilti BJJ Stockholm gave her a share of the credit. Inviting women to train with her at its club in January 2016, it described her as a very active seminar instructor in Finland who had done a great deal to bring more girls and women into training and competition there. The next month it announced a seminar with Luukkonen and Hirvonen for 23 April 2016, open only to girls and women from all clubs and split between gi and no-gi, followed the next day by one for Hilti members, men and women. At black belt the World Championship brought her bronze in 2015 and silver in 2016 and 2017; the IBJJF results list her as the 2018 winner of the super-heavyweight division, and in 2019 she was second to Claudia Fernanda Onofre Valim Doval. At the European Championship she was second in each year from 2015 to 2018 and third in 2019 and 2020. Without the gi she won the super-heavyweight division and the open class at the 2015 European No-Gi Championship. In September 2017 she competed at the ADCC World Championship, held that year in Espoo, the city where she was born, and lost on points to Talita Nogueira in the first round of the women's over-60 kg division. At Polaris 7 in London in July 2018 she beat Samantha Cook by referee decision in a women's no-gi match on the main card. In March 2017 Hilti BJJ announced that the club Akademi Nord was joining its team, and named Luukkonen and Hirvonen, both black belts by then, among the people running it. From 2019 the IBJJF results list her under Hilti Akademi Nord. In early 2022 the two were among the four founders of Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling club in Örebro, Sweden, that belongs to the Hilti BJJ team. The club lists her as a third-degree black belt and head instructor for children and youth. Its group for 8- to 13-year-olds trains twice a week, working on technique, the rules of the sport, wrestling and play meant to build confidence, strength, balance and coordination, and the children may compete or simply train. The club encourages members to compete, holding that progress usually shows sooner that way, while also welcoming those who train for exercise. In September 2022, at 38 and representing Grapplingverkstan, she won the Swedish championship in the women's over-79.3 kg class in Stockholm. Her club describes her as still competing, and as training and coaching there with Hirvonen, whom it calls her coach.

Sources for this profile

IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2013» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2013 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult brown belt heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Brown / Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Timo Hytönen, «Tuore jujutsu-maailmanmestari: Tykkään nujuta matossa», Yle Uutiset, 12 June 2014.(opens in a new tab)
- In June 2014 the Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported that Jyväskylä-based Venla Luukkonen had won the black belt world title in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in California, the first black belt world title ever won for Finland in the sport.
  Where in the source: Yle article, photo caption under the headline — «ensimmäisen maailmanmestaruuden»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- According to Yle, Luukkonen received her black belt only early in 2014 and became world champion at the beginning of June the same year.
  Where in the source: Yle article, standfirst — «vasta alkuvuodesta»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Her opponent in the 2014 world championship final was the Brazilian Andréa Mc Comb Pereira, and the final was decided by an arm lock.
  Where in the source: Yle article, paragraph beginning «Finaalikamppailussa»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- In 2014 Luukkonen competed in the super-heavyweight division, had trained in jiu-jitsu for six and a half years, and her home club was Jyväskylän Fight Club, founded in 2003.
  Where in the source: Yle article, paragraph on her weight class and home club — «superraskaassa sarjassa»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen told Yle that competing steadily through the lower belts, without a break in her competition career, helped her reach the black belt title; Yle notes she had competed in the blue belt division in 2010.
  Where in the source: Yle article, paragraphs on the road to the title — «sinisen vyön»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Alongside her sport she was preparing a doctoral dissertation at the University of Jyväskylä in 2014, and she described jiu-jitsu as a different kind of mental training, in which she constantly weighs which technique fits each situation.
  Where in the source: Yle article, section on the sport as mental training — «väitöskirjaa»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- When Luukkonen started the sport, she had only two women as clubmates, and her training partners could be men or women; she said training with people of different sizes teaches both defence and attack.
  Where in the source: Yle article, paragraph on women in the sport — «vain kaksi naista»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- After her 2014 title Luukkonen named the women's black belt open-class world title as her next goal, and said her long-term aim was to keep training for as long as possible, even as a grey-haired grandmother.
  Where in the source: Yle article, section on her next goals — «avoimen luokan»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen told Yle she likes to grapple on the mat, compared the sport to a dance in which the opponent must be taken into account, and said she liked its description as the gentle art or the chess of grappling.
  Where in the source: Yle article, closing answer on the appeal of the sport — «muistuttaa tanssia»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said the sport was still little known in Finland, that people often joked they were safe in her company, and that it was often easier to say she went wrestling.
  Where in the source: Yle article, section on how little the sport is known in Finland — «käyn painimassa»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen described respect for and care of training partners as part of the sport, and said each coloured belt also signals growth as a person.
  Where in the source: Yle article, paragraph on respect between training partners — «pidetään huolta»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Yle’s 2014 report says that Luukkonen, from Jyväskylä, became world champion in her sport as the first Finnish woman to do so.
  Where in the source: Yle article, standfirst — «suomalaisena naisena»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF, «Om oss», club website.(opens in a new tab)
- Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling club in Örebro, Sweden, was founded in early 2022 by four practitioners: Venla Luukkonen, her coach and training partner Hanna Hirvonen, black belt Erik and purple belt Kalle Evertsson.
  Where in the source: About page (Om oss), first paragraph — «grundades i början av 2022»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Grapplingverkstan, which Luukkonen co-founded and where she trains and coaches, belongs to the Hilti BJJ team and represents Hilti BJJ International at international competitions.
  Where in the source: About page (Om oss), closing paragraph on team membership — «teamet Hilti BJJ»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Her club describes Luukkonen as having become Finland's first female black belt in 2014, having won the world championship twice, in 2014 and 2018, having competed at the ADCC world championship and in Polaris Pro Grappling superfights, and as still competing while training and coaching at Grapplingverkstan with her coach Hanna Hirvonen.
  Where in the source: About page (Om oss), section presenting Luukkonen — «första kvinnlig svartbältare»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF, «Instruktörer», club website.(opens in a new tab)
- Grapplingverkstan's instructor page lists Venla Luukkonen as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, third degree, and head instructor for children and youth.
  Where in the source: «Instruktörer» page, entry «Venla Luukkonen» — «BJJ svartbälte (3 grad)»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Grapplingverkstan's instructor page gives Luukkonen's Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt rank as third degree.
  Where in the source: «Instruktörer» page, entry «Venla Luukkonen», belt line
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF, «In English», club website.(opens in a new tab)
- Grapplingverkstan's kids and youth group takes children aged 8 to 13, trains twice a week, and aims to build self-confidence, strength, balance and coordination through play alongside grappling skills.
  Where in the source: «In English» page, section «Kids & youth group»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Grapplingverkstan describes itself as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling academy in Örebro, Sweden, and names Luukkonen, a two-time IBJJF black belt world champion, as one of its founders.
  Where in the source: «In English» page, opening paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2014» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2014 World Championship list Venla Orvokki Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in first place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division, with Andréa Mc Comb Pereira (Gracie Humaitá) second.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 1
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2015» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2015 World Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in third place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 3
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2016» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2016 World Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2017 World Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2018» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2018 World Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in first place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 1
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2019» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2019 World Championship list Luukkonen, now under Hilti Akademi Nord, in second place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division, behind Claudia Fernanda Onofre Valim Doval.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2015» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2015 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2016» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2016 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2017 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2018» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2018 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2019» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2019 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti Akademi Nord) in third place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 3
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2020» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2020 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti Akademi Nord) in third place in the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy», place 3
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2015» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2015 European No-Gi Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in first place in both the women's adult black belt super-heavyweight division and the black belt open class.
  Where in the source: Results page, divisions «Female / Adult / Black / Super Heavy» and «Open Class», place 1 in each
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2010 European Championship list Venla Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ) first in the women's adult blue belt heavyweight division and second in the blue belt open class.
  Where in the source: Results page, divisions «Adult / Blue / Female / Heavy» (place 1) and «Open Class» (place 2)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2010» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2010 World Championship list Venla Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ) in second place in the women's adult blue belt heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Adult / Blue / Female / Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2011» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2011 European Championship list Venla Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in first place in the women's adult purple belt heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Adult / Purple / Female / Heavy», place 1
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2011» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2011 World Championship list Venla Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ) in third place in the women's adult purple belt heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Adult / Purple / Female / Heavy», place 3
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2012» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2012 European Championship list Venla Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ) in first place in the women's adult purple belt heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Adult / Purple / Female / Heavy», place 1
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2012» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2012 World Championship list Venla Orvokki Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) in second place in the women's adult purple belt heavyweight division.
  Where in the source: Results page, division «Female / Adult / Purple / Heavy», place 2
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2013» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2013 World Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) first in the women's adult brown belt heavyweight division and third in the brown belt open class.
  Where in the source: Results page, divisions «Female / Adult / Brown / Heavy» (place 1) and «Open Class» (place 3)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2013» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2013 European No-Gi Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) second in the women's adult brown belt heavyweight division and first in the brown belt open class.
  Where in the source: Results page, divisions «Female / Adult / Brown / Heavy» (place 2) and «Open Class» (place 1)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
IBJJF, «European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2014» results.(opens in a new tab)
- IBJJF results for the 2014 European Championship list Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ Jyvaskyla) first in both the women's adult brown belt heavyweight division and the brown belt open class.
  Where in the source: Results page, divisions «Female / Adult / Brown / Heavy» and «Open Class», place 1 in each
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
BJJ Heroes, «Venla Luukkonen» fighter profile.(opens in a new tab)
- BJJ Heroes gives her birth date as 2 March 1984 and her birthplace as Espoo, Finland, and says her family moved to Kuopio when she was one year old, where she grew up.
  Where in the source: Profile, section «Venla Luukkonen Biography», first paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- According to BJJ Heroes, she was an active child who did track and field, floorball and several kinds of dance (jazz, modern and flamenco), and played the saxophone.
  Where in the source: Profile, biography, second paragraph — «saxophone»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- BJJ Heroes says she first came to martial arts after secondary school: at 20 she moved to Jyväskylä to train as a primary school teacher and took up capoeira, which brought together her interests in dancing, fighting and music.
  Where in the source: Profile, biography, third paragraph — «capoeira»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- According to BJJ Heroes, a capoeira training partner who also practised Brazilian jiu-jitsu showed her its basic principles shortly before she turned 24, after which she began regular classes at Jyväskylän Fight Club (Hilti BJJ Jyväskylä), which remained her main gym.
  Where in the source: Profile, biography, fourth and fifth paragraphs
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- BJJ Heroes says Hanna Hirvonen moved to Jyväskylä in 2010 and quickly became her main training partner.
  Where in the source: Profile, biography, paragraph beginning «In 2010 Hanna Hirvonen»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- BJJ Heroes says that because few black belts trained in Finland when she started, she was promoted by a number of different coaches: blue belt from Kimmo Rautiainen (2009), purple belt from Sauli Heilimö (2010), brown belt from Marko Leisten (2012), and black belt from Pedro Duarte on 22 February 2014.
  Where in the source: Profile, biography, paragraph on her gradings — «22nd of February 2014»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- BJJ Heroes lists her as a black belt under Pedro Duarte, with the lineage Mitsuyo Maeda, Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie, Carlson Gracie, Murilo Bustamante, Pedro Duarte.
  Where in the source: Profile, fact box, line «Lineage»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- According to BJJ Heroes, she trained part-time while working and studying for a PhD in education when she won the 2014 black belt world title.
  Where in the source: Profile, biography, closing paragraph — «part time regime»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- BJJ Heroes gives her favourite technique as the knee slide guard pass.
  Where in the source: Profile, fact box, line «Favorite Position/Technique»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Mayara Munhos, «Timeline, The Development Of The Female Division In The IBJJF World Championships», BJJ Heroes.(opens in a new tab)
- A BJJ Heroes timeline of the women’s divisions at the IBJJF World Championship says the women’s rooster and super-heavyweight divisions were added in 2014, and lists Luukkonen as the black belt super-heavyweight champion in 2014 and 2018 and the brown belt heavyweight champion in 2013.
  Where in the source: Article, section «2014 – Two more new weight classes», and the 2013 and 2018 champion lists
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
BJJ Heroes, «Polaris 7 Results», 14 July 2018.(opens in a new tab)
- BJJ Heroes’ results report from Polaris 7 in London on 14 July 2018 lists Luukkonen beating Samantha Cook by referee decision in a women’s over-55 kg no-gi match on the main card.
  Where in the source: Results report, section «Main Card», bout «Over 55 Ladies (+55 kg) NOGI»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
BJJ Heroes, «ADCC 2017 Day 1 Results: New Australian Star Jones Puts the G Back in Guard», 23 September 2017.(opens in a new tab)
- BJJ Heroes’ day-one results from the 2017 ADCC World Championship, held in Espoo, Finland, on 23 September 2017, list Luukkonen losing on points to Talita Nogueira in the first round of the women’s over-60 kg division.
  Where in the source: Results table (columns Round, Weight, Winner, Loser), row «4F / 60+KG», winner Talita Nogueira
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
BJJ Heroes, «Age Of Success: Analysing The Starting Ages Of Jiu-Jitsu’s World Champs».(opens in a new tab)
- A BJJ Heroes study of the ages at which world champions started jiu-jitsu named Luukkonen and Karen Antunes as having the oldest starting age, 23, among the female world champions whose starting age it could determine.
  Where in the source: Editorial, section «Difference between male and female starting ages» — «Venla Luukkonen (23)»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
BJJ Scandinavia, «Interview with Venla Luukkonen: Finland’s first adult black belt world champion!», 10 June 2014 (Internet Archive copy of 10 September 2014).(opens in a new tab)
- In a June 2014 interview with BJJ Scandinavia, Luukkonen introduced herself as a 30-year-old black belt under Pedro Duarte who trained and taught at Jyväskylän Fight Club (Hilti BJJ Jyväskylä) in Jyväskylä, Central Finland.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 1 — «black belt under Pedro Duarte»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen told BJJ Scandinavia she started Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2008 after four years of capoeira: a fellow capoeira practitioner also trained jiu-jitsu, a few of them took a beginners’ course together, and she was the only one who stayed on.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 2 (her jiu-jitsu story)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- She said she tried to keep up both capoeira and jiu-jitsu for a while, but competing more made it hard to continue with both; in 2014 she still visited capoeira classes and rodas now and then.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 2, closing sentences
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said in 2014 that she had qualified as a primary school teacher and was a PhD student writing a thesis in education, that research was easier than school teaching to combine with training because she could plan her own schedule, and that she valued the mix of physical and mental work.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 3 (on work alongside training)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said the 2014 World Championship was her first competition at black belt, and that the best part had been the support from the Finnish jiu-jitsu community at the venue in Long Beach and at home, where people followed all the Finnish competitors regardless of team.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 4
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- She described her preparation for the 2014 World Championship as her worst ever: she had planned to focus on work until the end of March, then fell ill in early April with a lingering fever and spent more time recovering than training; at the Finnish Open in early May she lost twice to the Swedish grappler Klara Tibbling, which she called good mental preparation.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 5 (on her preparation)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said she trained mostly with Hanna Hirvonen, then a brown belt, and that before big competitions they looked for the best training partners at their academy, both women and men; that spring several visiting women had also trained with them for the Europeans, Rome and the Worlds.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 5, second paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen recalled that at black belt the competition began with the open class, where she won her first match and lost her second to Beatriz Mesquita, which she treated as a warm-up for her weight class.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 6, first paragraph — «perfect warm-up»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- She said the IBJJF introduced two new women’s weight categories in 2014, moving the top category from over 74 kg to over 79.3 kg; she was not a fan of the change because it left even fewer competitors in the heavy and super-heavy divisions, and said only three women were present in her division that year.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 6, first paragraph — «+79,3kg»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen described her 2014 semi-final against Leticia Lalli: she took an early two-point lead, spent a long time trying to pass from the turtle position against a strong defence, and only near the end took the back to win on points.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 6, second paragraph — «Leticia Lalli»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- She said the 2014 final against Andréa Pereira started much like the semi-final, but this time she reached side control, moved to mount and finished with a submission, which she called her game plan coming true.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 6, closing sentences — «dream game plan»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said that when she began, just over six years earlier, there were few women in Finnish jiu-jitsu (one purple belt and a few blue belts); by the 2013 Finnish Championship more than 60 women competed, and in February 2014 she became the first female black belt in Finland.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 7 — «first female balck belt in Finland»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- She described how Finnish women’s jiu-jitsu had grown: yearly women-only seminars at different academies, visits by instructors such as Ida Hansson and Michelle Nicolini, many open mats, and women visiting each other’s academies; she said women were training, teaching, competing and refereeing just as men did.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 7, first paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said nine Finnish women competed at the 2014 World Championship and brought home three golds, naming purple belt champions Outi Järvilehto (rooster) and Jonna Konivuori (super-heavyweight).
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 7, second paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- She described Jyväskylän Fight Club as one of the oldest jiu-jitsu, submission wrestling and MMA academies in Finland and part of the Hilti BJJ team, with about 80 members, run on a voluntary basis so that longer-serving members start teaching, and with a strong group of 10 to 15 women who called it the Jyväskylä ‘Fight Like a Girl’ Club.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 8 (on her academy and team)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said the announcer at the 2014 World Championship finals skipped the name Jyväskylä because he did not know how to pronounce it, and joked that the audience might know the club now.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 8, first paragraph
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- In 2014 Luukkonen said her plans were to finish her thesis, aim for both her weight class and the open class at the 2015 World Championship, and win the ADCC European trials to reach the main ADCC event; in the long run she wanted to compete as long as it was fun and keep training into old age.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 9 (on future plans)
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Luukkonen said in 2014 that she also enjoyed competing without the gi and had placed second at the ADCC European trials in 2011 and 2013.
  Where in the source: Interview, answer to question 1, second paragraph — «ADCC Europeans»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
- Introducing its June 2014 interview, BJJ Scandinavia described Luukkonen as the first Finn to win gold in the adult black belt division at the IBJJF World Championship, noted that it was her first time competing at black belt, and said Janni Larsson of Sweden also won black belt gold that year.
  Where in the source: Interview, introductory paragraph before question 1
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Hilti BJJ Stockholm, «Tjejrull för att fira in 2016», 2 January 2016.(opens in a new tab)
- Announcing a women’s open training session in January 2016, Hilti BJJ Stockholm invited women to train with Luukkonen, calling her one of Scandinavia’s most decorated jiu-jitsu competitors, a very active seminar instructor in Finland, and someone who had contributed greatly to more girls and women training and competing in Finland.
  Where in the source: News post of 2 January 2016, paragraph beginning «Ta chansen att träna med Venla O. Luukkonen»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Hilti BJJ Stockholm, «Seminarium med Venla Luukonen 23-24 april 2016», 24 February 2016.(opens in a new tab)
- Hilti BJJ Stockholm announced a seminar with Luukkonen and Hanna Hirvonen in Stockholm on 23 April 2016 open only to girls and women from all clubs, split between gi and no-gi, followed on 24 April by a seminar for men and women from Hilti clubs.
  Where in the source: News post of 24 February 2016, sections on the Saturday and Sunday seminars
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Hilti BJJ, «Akadami Nord och Storfors MMA blir en del av Hilti», 11 March 2017.(opens in a new tab)
- In March 2017 Hilti BJJ announced that the club Akademi Nord was joining the Hilti team, noting that it was run by, among others, the black belts Venla Luukkonen and Hanna Hirvonen.
  Where in the source: News post of 11 March 2017, closing paragraph — «Akademi Nord drivs i dag bland andra av»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF, «Barn och ungdomar 8-13 år», club website.(opens in a new tab)
- Grapplingverkstan’s page for its group for children aged 8 to 13 says the children train twice a week, practise technique, learn the rules, wrestle and laugh, build confidence, strength, balance and coordination through play, and may compete or train without competing.
  Where in the source: Page «Barn och ungdomar 8-13 år», bullet list under the introduction
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF, «Våra idrotter», club website.(opens in a new tab)
- Grapplingverkstan says it encourages members to compete, because development is usually seen faster that way, while also welcoming recreational members, and that it is a member of both the Swedish BJJ federation and the Swedish submission wrestling federation.
  Where in the source: Page «Våra idrotter», section «Tävling eller motion?»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05
Mats Lilja, «Svenska mästarna i BJJ 2022», Svenska Budo & Kampsportsförbundet, 24 September 2022.(opens in a new tab)
- The Swedish Budo and Martial Arts Federation’s list of 2022 Swedish BJJ champions, decided in Stockholm on 24 September 2022, names Venla Luukkonen of Grapplingverkstan Örebro IF as women’s champion in the over-79.3 kg class.
  Where in the source: Article, list «Svenska mästare (damer)», class «+79,3 kg»
  Accessed: 2026-10-05

Lineage

View in lineage tree

Trained under

Pedro Duarte Source: bjjheroes.com