Mariana Rolszt is a professional grappler who represents the Gracie Humaitá squad in the sport's global circuit and holds the rank of black belt in jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of Letícia Ribeiro. Mariana is also one of the main roosterweight athletes (48,5kg / 107.0 lbs) of her generation, a reputation earned through her Brazilian Nationals (Brasileiro) and South American titles both with the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro Tour (AJP), the two most established promotions in the sport. Mariana Rolszt was born on January 23, 1998, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she grew up. Not particularly fond of sports during her early childhood, Rolszt had a couple of short-lived experiences with judo and capoeira prior to her jiu-jitsu career. Inspired by her parents - who trained regularly with the gi - Mariana decided to try a BJJ class at the age of 12 and immediately connected with the martial art and became an avid practitioner from then on under the instruction of Gustavo Bretas, Alexandre "Guaraná" and Eduardo Portella at the local neighborhood. As the importance of competition grew to become an integral part of Mariana's development in the sport, so did the desire to compete in bigger events. This led Rolszt to seek a bigger team with a wider range of international aspirations, first with team Caverna and later with a move to Gracie Humaitá with coach Letícia Ribeiro at the helm. Arriving at the Gracie Academy as a brown belt, Mariana quickly became one of the top performers on the squad, earning her black belt from Letícia Ribeiro on January 11, 2021. Cover photo by Vitor Freitas (follow Vitor Freitas @vitorfreitascomunica on IG. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );