Denise Krahn

Denise Krahn is a German grappler and black belt under Frank Burczynski of the Hilti BJJ team in Berlin. Krahn gained notoriety while competing in the colored-belt division. However, her first major step towards jiu-jitsu’s mainstream came in January 2026, when Denise became the first German athlete to win the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) European title in the adult black-belt division (professional).

Denise Krahn Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Denise Krahn

Nickname: n/a

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie >  Murilo Bustamante > Pedro Duarte > Frank Burczynski > Denise Krahn

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF European Championship (2026)
• 1st Place AJP European Continental Pro (2025)
• 1st Place AJP European Continental Pro NOGI (2025)
• 1st Place AJP Grand Prix, Vienna (2025)
• 2nd Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2022 / 2025)

Main Achievements (Master’s):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2025)
• 1st Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2025)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Masters Championship (2025)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Masters Championship (2025)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

• 2nd Place AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2022 brown & black belt)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Championship (2023 brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Championship NOGI (2024 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF European Championship NOGI (2024* brown)

Main Achievements (Master’s Colored Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Masters Championship (2023 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Championship (2024** brown)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2024*)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2024)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Kneebar

Weight Division: Meio-Pesado (74,00 kg / 163.00 lbs)

Team/Association: Hilti BJJ Berlin

Denise Krahn Biography

Denise Krahn was born in Bonn, Germany, in September 1990, being the daughter of a German father and a Guatemalan mother. She spent the majority of her formative years in Germany with a brief stint in Guatemala, and is a dual national citizen.

Krahn wasn’t particularly sporty growing up, and it was only when she moved to Berlin to study law that she felt drawn to playing sports. She tried boxing in her first semester, but never fell in love with it. Eventually, near the end of the semester, while doing a self-defense class, she had her first experience with grappling maneuvers and discovered she enjoyed it.

After this first interaction with a few basic grappling techniques, she researched jiu-jitsu and decided to give it a try. In October 2015, Denise joined Hilti BJJ Berlin, the gym that guided her from white to black belt.

At Hilti, Denise trained under Frank Burczynski. She competed for the first time shortly after she started and won a medal, her first competitive medal in any sport. This had a big impact on Krahn, who quickly became one of the country’s top performers and was later invited to join the German National Team in the JJIF (Ju-Jutsu) Newaza tournament circuit.

After many years under the guidance of the Hilti BJJ squad, Denise Khran was promoted to black belt in a ceremony led by Frank Burczynski and Pedro Duarte on July 9, 2024.

Alongside her competitive career, Denise also ran a youth program at Hilti BJJ Berlin, a non-profit club located in a low-income area of Berlin. The program, by the time of this interview (Feb 2025), had helped over 130 children and teenagers.

NOTE REGARDING KRHAN’S RECORD

Denise has competed as a Masters athlete (amateur 30+ age group) for most of her black belt career, as such, many of her competitive wins and accolades have been achieved in that division. At BJJ Heroes we only display black belt matches in the adult category (professional), therefore, her matches as a Master are not featured on Krhan’s website record.