Duncan’s Brandi Pearce has claimed her second straight jiu-jitsu world title.
Pearce struck gold at the 2025 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Masters Championship in Las Vegas at the end of August, repeating as champion in the Masters 1 light-feather, brown-belt division.
She went undefeated through the single-elimination tournament at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“I had three matches, winning two by submission and the finals by points,” Pearce said.
The results mirrored her run last year, when she also won two matches by submission before taking the final by points.
One difference stood out this time.
“My husband and I actually had our flight delayed, then we had our entire flight changed and ended up getting two hours of sleep,” she said. “We got off the plane in Las Vegas at 9 a.m. and had to go straight to the venue with all our luggage, and I competed at 11:30 a.m. On two hours of sleep, I still managed to win!”
Pearce owns Foundry Combat Sports in Duncan with her husband and coach, Ron.
Jiu-jitsu, a self-defence martial art built on grappling and submission holds, has grown in popularity for both its physical and mental benefits, and the duo teach it at Foundry.
“It’s almost problem solving, but it’s so difficult that you want to try and figure it out,” Pearce said. “It’s not exactly a team sport. It’s personal, but I think it’s so difficult to do that it’s almost frustrating, and you want to keep doing it to get better.”
She added that it’s also a great sport for youth, offering both social and physical benefits.
