Ericka Almeida

Main Achievements

Black Belt BJJ Competition Records:

• 1st Place — IBJJF South American Championship (2018)
• 1st Place — CBJJ Brazilian National Championship (2018)
• 1st Place — UAEJJF Brazil National Pro (2019)
• 2x 1st Place — IBJJF Curitiba International Open (2019 Weight & Absolute Double-Gold)
• 2nd Place — UAEJJF Brazil National Pro (2019 Absolute Division Silver Medalist)

Mixed Martial Arts:

• UFC Strawweight Veteran — Competed at the sport’s absolute pinnacle inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (2015).
• Former Jungle Fight Champion — Captured and defended the prestigious Jungle Fight Strawweight Championship, compiling a flawless 7-0 local run.
• Professional Cage Record — Retired from active professional MMA with a highly respected 7-3-0 record.

Overview

Éricka Wannessa Almeida is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, elite grappling competitor, and a veteran of professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Widely recognized for her multi-disciplinary athletic prowess, Almeida broke barriers early in her career as an undefeated regional champion and a strawweight contender inside the UFC Octagon. Transitioning back to pure gi competition under the Gracie Barra banner, she orchestrated a powerful career reinvention, emerging as one of the most formidable female black belt competitors of her generation in South America.

Early Life & Athletic Transition

Éricka Almeida was born on March 5, 1989, in Sorocaba, a prominent municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Throughout her youth, her athletic ambitions were oriented entirely toward high-end track events and team sports, investing years of rigorous physical conditioning into competitive basketball and scholastic athletics.

Her introduction to the world of combat sports occurred strictly by chance at the age of 17. In 2007, she secured a position working at a local fitness center’s front reception desk. As part of her professional responsibilities to better pitch membership packages to prospective clients, management mandated that she personally sample every single discipline listed on the academy schedule. When she stepped onto the mats for her introductory Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu session, the complex spatial mechanics of the art resonated with her immediately, prompting her to establish a permanent, daily training routine.

MMA Pioneer & The UFC Stage

Because her foundational home academy housed a fiercely competitive Mixed Martial Arts fight camp, Almeida’s technical trajectory naturally drifted toward cage combat. Combining her baseline jiu-jitsu with striking systems, she shattered regional boundaries by establishing herself as the very first professional female mixed martial artist to emerge directly from her team.

She tore through the regional Brazilian circuits with absolute authority, weaponizing her ground transitions to capture the highly coveted Jungle Fight Strawweight Championship. After stringing together a flawless, undefeated 7-0 professional record, her dominance caught the attention of international talent scouts. In 2015, she was officially signed to the world’s premier MMA promotion, competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Return to the Gi & South American Dominance

In November 2017, following a decade of dedication to both submission grappling and professional cage fighting, Almeida was officially awarded her black belt. Around the same time, choosing to place her professional MMA career on an indefinite hold to prioritize higher education, she relocated to the city of Curitiba to pursue her university degrees.

Upon arriving in Curitiba, she integrated her home camp into the world-renowned Gracie Barra academy under the direct strategic supervision of legendary competitor and coach Rodrigo Fajardo. Re-focusing her entire training methodology back onto the traditional gi, Almeida experienced a sensational athletic renaissance. She masterfully adapted her explosive MMA athleticism, pressure passing, and specialized Closed Guard systems back into sport jiu-jitsu. By capturing definitive gold medals at the IBJJF South American Championships, the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals, and executing a flawless double-gold performance at the Curitiba Open, Éricka Almeida proved that her technical mastery transitions seamlessly across any combat arena.