Mia Mendoza

By Evelyn Sutton
Photos By IBJJF & Dielle Pike photography

Talent, youth, dedication and passion are some of the traits that all successful athletes have. Mia Mendoza has this and more, in abundance. The wonder girl who trains at Carlson Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Headquarters in Chicago is paving her way as a rising star into the ranks of the new generation of female Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champions.

At 13 years old, Mia is not your typical teenager. Her days revolve around a rigorous training schedule of Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, a new practice she added to her training with hopes of advancing her stand-up skills. An avid competitor, Mia is on the mats at least 4 times a week. With such a demanding training schedule, it can be a challenge balancing school and homework, yet Mia feels she’s got a good grip on it.

“I get my school work done in between training sessions and I spend time with my friends, when I can. My school friends don’t train but they know how important Jiu-Jitsu is for me. They encourage me to keep going and they are proud of me when I do well in competitions.”

One of the main reasons for her success as a young female athlete is the support of her family and her dad’s persistence of keeping her in BJJ. Both her parents train and share her love of Jiu-Jitsu. That alone has a huge impact on Mia.

“I started doing Jiu-Jitsu when I was around six or seven years old. But back then, I didn’t really like it, so I tried out other sports. I played basketball and soccer but they weren’t for me. That’s when my dad decided to put me back into Jiu-Jitsu. This time, I enjoyed it. And ever since then I’ve been training consistently and competing as often as I can.”

“My family actually does Jiu-Jitsu with me. They’re very supportive and it’s so nice to have my mom and dad by my side on the mats, which is really fun and great.”
Mia’s family is from the Philippines. Mom is Filipino, and dad is Mexican. Mia was born in the Philippines, and grew up in the United States.

Her passion for the sport is awe-inspiring, “I really like how martial arts works. It takes a lot of effort and time to learn, but it makes me feel accomplished and that I’m doing something I really want to do.”
As inspiration, Mia looks up to the women who have made a name for themselves in this sport. The 24 year old, Nathiely de Jesus, is one of her BJJ idols. “I’ve met her once before. It wasn’t really a long conversation, but I’ve seen a bunch of her videos, and she’s very inspirational.” She also mentions MacKenzie Dern as an athlete she admires.

When asked about favorite positions and submissions, Mia keeps her cool and shares that she really feels her strength is in guard. “My favorite submission is probably the triangle. But what I really like is open guard. I especially love doing De La Riva. I can get a lot done from there, like sweeps, triangles and arm bars. It’s a great position.”
“I have really good movement, which makes it a lot easier for me. I’m able to follow the person around if they try to pass. I can move with them and block them.”

Competitions are part of her life and she’s comfortable in the arena. “Competing is something I train for a lot. In the beginning, I used to get nervous about it but now I get excited. You know you’re going against other people that are also skillful, so no matter the outcome, you still learn. Other than just going against someone good, you also get to hang out with your teammates and coaches. It’s a great experience and so fun.”

She’s looking forward to competing in all the big tournaments and also teaching. “I think most people just think about competing, but I really look forward to teaching as well.”

Mia likes to travel and the Pan Kids Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship in California is her favorite competition. This year, she took second place in the Teen 1, Feather division.

Her advice for young girls who practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and want to compete is to be consistent, always show up for class, have a lot of patience, perseverance, dedication and “believe in yourself”, she says.

Mia agrees that female athletes are now starting to get more respect and attention in Jiu-Jitsu. “A woman can do anything a man can do. And it’s not about being better than them. It’s just about showing that we can be equal to them. I love seeing women training, teaching and competing.”

“I think a lot of people are still confused about women practicing martial arts. They don’t think this is something a woman should do, they might think Jiu-Jitsu is a sport just for men and boys. So when in competitions I go against boys and I beat them, it feels really good to prove them wrong. It shows that women can do Jiu-Jitsu just as well as men. And that is an amazing feeling.”

Mia, we will be following your career as you pursue your Jiu-Jitsu dreams, we wish you an incredible and successful journey!

Evelyn Sutton

Evelyn Sutton is the publisher and founder of Jiujiteira Magazine. With over 30 years of experience, she brings her editorial and Creative Director knowledge to create a publication that serves the community of women who compete, train, teach and promote Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Contact: jiujiteiramagazine.com