Elizabeth Mitrovic

Main Achievements

Black Belt Accolades:

• 1st Place — IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2023 Adult Black Belt Champion)
• 1st Place — ADCC North American Trials Champion (2024)
• 1st Place — IBJJF European Championship No-Gi (2023)
• 1st Place — IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi (2023)
• 2nd Place — IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2019 Silver Medalist)
• 2nd Place — IBJJF European Championship Gi (2023 Silver Medalist)
• 3rd Place — IBJJF World Championship Gi (2025 Bronze Medalist)

Masters & Colored Belt Accolades:

• 2x 1st Place — IBJJF World Master Championship (2022 / 2023 Master 1 Champion)
• 1st Place — IBJJF World Championship Gi (2018 brown belt)
• 1st Place — IBJJF World Championship No-Gi (2015 purple belt)

Overview

Elizabeth Katherine Mitrovic, affectionately known across the global grappling landscape by her nickname “Lyzz,” is an elite American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt representing the Precision Jiu-Jitsu banner. Renowned for her lethal, high-percentage submission hunting and unyielding tactical resolve, Mitrovic has ascended to the absolute peak of international sport Jiu-Jitsu. She secured an elusive IBJJF Adult Black Belt World No-Gi Championship title alongside multiple World Master crowns to establish herself as one of the premier heavy-tier grapplers of her generation.

Early Life and Multi-Disciplinary Roots

Born in October 1990 in Upland, California, Mitrovic grew up as the youngest of three daughters. She spent her formative childhood years in San Bernardino County before relocating to the city of Hesperia for her high school tenure.

Throughout her adolescence, she displayed a natural passion for athletic conditioning, competing for four consecutive seasons across regional cross country and track and field meets, where she specialized on the hurdles, shot put, and discus throwing squads. While pursuing her higher education to secure a Bachelor of Science in Entomology, Mitrovic sought out a fresh physical platform to maintain her athletic performance. This pursuit led her to discover traditional Hapkido, sparking an intense dedication to the martial arts that ultimately culminated in her earning a Hapkido black belt in March 2013.

The Shift to Jiu-Jitsu and Rapid Ascent

Eager to explore alternative combat frameworks after graduating from university, a close friend introduced her to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in February 2014. She officially stepped onto the mats at Urijah Faber’s world-renowned Ultimate Fitness facility—the historic headquarters of Team Alpha Male—in Sacramento, California, training under the direct tutelage of coach Dustin Akbari.

Mitrovic threw herself into the competitive fires just three months into her introduction to the sport. When a lack of female registrants threatened to leave her without an bracket at a local tournament, she boldly entered the men’s divisions. While she dropped her initial no-gi matchup, she rallied to defeat one of her male gym partners to capture the tournament’s gold medal in the gi format. Fueled by this foundational competitive experience, she drastically scaled up her technical drilling schedule and secured her blue belt by July of that same year.

Though an early, challenging learning curve on the international IBJJF circuit briefly slowed her momentum, she rebounded in spectacular fashion at the 2015 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, capturing her very first world title as a purple belt. Shortly after this victory, she suffered a catastrophic knee injury while battling in an absolute division bracket. Though the structural damage threatened to prematurely terminate her athletic career, Mitrovic successfully navigated a grueling, multi-month rehabilitation program to return to world-class form.

Reaching the Black Belt Ranks & Master Technical Refinement

Mitrovic maintained an exceptional standard of technical growth under Dustin Akbari for her entire colored belt journey. While managing a demanding full-time professional career off the mats, she simultaneously stepped up to become a core cornerstone of the youth and adult coaching staff at Ultimate Fitness. During this era, she began a close technical partnership training alongside Olympic wrestling silver medalist and MMA icon Sara McMann, as well as McMann’s husband, BJJ black belt Chad Bingham.

On March 27, 2019, Professor Dustin Akbari officially awarded Mitrovic her black belt, marking a major milestone as she became the historic first female black belt student ever graduated under his name. In March 2020, seeking further growth, she relocated alongside McMann and Bingham to integrate her home camp full-time at the Precision Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Citrus Heights, California. Under the strategic eye of coach Rafael Rosendo, her guard configurations and top-pressure loops were masterfully polished.

On the mats, Lyzz Mitrovic is globally feared for her clinical finish mechanics, specifically her signature Armbar system, which accounts for over 40% of her total recorded international submission wins. Whether dominating the adult divisions or dictating the pace of the Master’s brackets, her transition from academic science to world championship grappling honors the pure martial arts legacy of California’s Central Valley.