Kingz Athlete Spotlight: Meet the Funegra Twins

This weekend, two of the most highly-anticipated black belt promotions happened at the IBJJF World Championships in Anaheim, California.

After about a decade of training, twins Mia and Ashlee Funegra received their black belts from their long-time coach Guilherme Mendes, shortly after Ashlee’s dominant gold medal win in the brown belt light-featherweight division, and right before Mia would step on the mat for her debut in the black belt featherweight division.

Yes, you read that correctly. Because Mia was a previous world champion, as per the IBJJF rulebook, she was allowed to sign up in the black belt division while still a brown belt. The decision was a strategic move, allowing both to compete in the light-featherweight division and have the chance to fight their way to the top of the podium without having to close out. It is unusual, yes. Was it warranted? Absolutely. The following day, Mia blew through three opponents – including veteran black belts – to secure her spot in the finals.  Then, without skipping a beat, she delivered a stunning victory on Sunday to become the latest black belt light-featherweight World Champion! 

But who are the Funegra Twins? Born in Lakewood, California, Mia and Ashlee are undeniably Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s latest powerhouse twin prodigies.

The Beginning

Mia and Ashlee began their journey in the martial arts at the age of seven. Encouraged by their uncle, they joined a local gym – followed by their younger sister Natalee – where in addition to jiu-jitsu they trained Krav Maga, boxing and Muay Thai. According to Ashlee, “At first, it was just about learning how to protect ourselves and feel more confident.” It wasn’t long, however, until they made the decision to dedicate their time exclusively to the gentle art. “We were pretty consistent in each sport until we decided to choose one that we wanted to focus on. We choose jiu-jitsu because we loved it the most.”

Their talent immediately set them apart from the rest, and after about a year they made the decision to move to the world-renowned AOJ Academy, where Gui and Rafael Mendes had developed one of the most successful competitive juvenile programs in the sport. Even among a mat full of young star athletes, they shined, and at the age of 10, they switched from public school to homeschooling in order to train full-time.

Signature Techniques & Trend Setters

Besides dominating in their divisions – often closing out together – Mia and Ashlee have become fashion icons among the juvenile and adult divisions. “We started braiding our hair when we were juveniles to set us apart from the other girls and to try to do something that no one else was doing. We also wanted a way to express ourselves and to add a girly touch when we were competing.” The trend quickly caught on, inspiring a legion of others.

In true twin fashion, Mia and Ashlee both favor the Crazy Dog Pass, which allows them to chain their attacks with speed and pressure. However, when it comes to finishing the match, their tastes differ. Mia’s technique of choice is the baseball bat choke, inspired by Gui Mendes’ own mastery of the submission. Ashlee, on the other hand, actively pursues the armbar.

This combination of seemingly effortless passing and submission hunting led to one of the highlights of their career: their IBJJF World Championship win at purple belt. “It was such a special moment—not just because of the achievement itself, but because we got to experience it with the people we love most and train with every single day.” This moment, however, has most certainly been trumped by their most recent promotions and World Championship victories.

Champion Mindset

Mia and Ashlee credit their success to their champion mindset, which they define as consistency and discipline. According to Mia, “It’s about doing the hard things, every single day. To outwork everyone else in the room. It’s about staying disciplined when motivation fades. It’s keeping your standards high even when you’re already ahead and to keep trying even when you fail.” Ashlee added, “It’s about showing up every day and sticking to your routine especially when it is hard. It’s also important to be constantly pushing yourself forward with a purpose every time that you train.”

Congratulations to both Mia and Ashlee on both their promotions and their spectacular performances at the Worlds Championships. There is no doubt in our minds that there will be many more black belt championship wins in their future.