Tayane Porfirio

Tayane Porfirio is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Alexandre Paiva and was one of the main representatives of the Alliance Academy’s female team during the late 2010s. Porfirio broke out into the international grappling scene in 2015 by winning the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Grand Slam (which signifies gold medals at the World, Pan American, European Open, and Brazilian Nationals) in both her weight and the absolute division as a purple belt. After winning double gold at the 2018 IBJJF World Championships in the professional division, Porfirio tested positive for two types of anabolic-androgenic steroids and was banned from competing in the organization for 4 years. She returned in 2024 and went on to beat the most dominant female athlete in the history of the sport (Gabrieli Pessanha) in 2025, ending Pessanha’s 164 unbeaten match streak.

Tayane Porfirio

Full Name: Tayane Porfírio de Araújo

Nickname: n/a

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Alexandre Paiva > Tayane Porfirio

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2018** / 2017**)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2018** / 2017**)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan American Championship (2017)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2017** / 2025)
• 1st Place UAEJJF/AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro (2016***)
• 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship (2025**)

Main Achievements (Coloured Belts):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2015** purple, 2016 brown)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan American (2017, 2015** purple)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2015** purple, 2016** brown)
• 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2014**/2015** purple)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam – London (2016** brown)
• 1st Place UAEJJF Grand Slam – Rio de Janeiro (2016** brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2016* brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and absolute
*** Competed as a brown belt in the pro-division

Favorite Position/Technique: Omoplata

Weight Division: Pesadíssimo (79+kg/175.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Alliance

Tayane Porfirio Biography

Tayane Porfirio was born on December 11, 1994 in Sobral, state of Ceará – Brazil.

At the age of 2 Tayane moved to Rio de Janeiro with her family, settling in Jacarepaguá- a famous neighbourhood on the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro.

By the end of 2010, with the intent of losing weight, Porfirio decided to follow her sister’s footsteps and give jiu jitsu a try. For the effect, Tayane chose Master Márcio Rodrigues‘ academy, a well-known coach who developed a few big names of the sport, such as Lucas “Hulk”, Erberth Santos, as well as Ygor and Yago Rodrigues.

Tayane remained at Equipe Márcio Rodrigues up to her blue belt, after which she joined another important Rio de Janeiro academy: Brigadeiro Jiu Jitsu. It was Coach Eduardo Brigadeiro who promoted Porfirio to her purple belt.

Tayane met Alexandre Paiva in 2013 when she visited his Alliance academy in Leblon. Porfirio was very impressed with his work and the competition-driven atmosphere felt in the gym, but she lived too far and didn’t have the means to cover the distance every day. It was only in 2014, after Tayane became more familiar with the Alliance team and the competitors from the Leblon academy through Rio’s tournament circuit, that she finally committed to swapping gyms.

At the Alliance – Leblon, Tayane’s talent was finally met by a strong team with all the logistical needs for a high-end athlete. This was mirrored in her results, particularly in 2015, when Porfirio won IBJJF’s Grand Slam (World, Pan American, European Open, and Brazilian National Championship) in both her weight and the absolute division.

Tayane has also been outspoken on some tricky subjects, such as the famous “Equal Pay in BJJ” movement. In 2016, Tayane mentioned to the BJJ Girls Mag blog when asked about the difference in payment between men and women in jiu jitsu:

“I honestly don’t think there is anything wrong with the lower pay. Anytime there is a good prize money on the line, the girls don’t show up. Everyone needs money, of course, particularly with the crisis we are suffering from in Brazil. But as long as women don’t show up for the comps in good numbers, there won’t be much pay”. – source.

Tayane’s strong competitive campaign continued as a brown belt, winning important tournaments once again, including the European Open, Abu Dhabi World Pro, and the IBJJF Worlds. These incredible deeds ultimately led to her black belt promotion while on the podium of the World Championship (June 2016).

After winning double gold at the 2018 IBJJF World Championships in the professional division, Porfirio tested positive for two types of anabolic-androgenic steroids. Porfirio denied accountability at the time and attempted to challenge the test (check here), but was unable to do so effectively and was banned from competing in the organization for 4 years.