Ask a competitor what makes a championship camp difficult and you might hear about a tough opponent, a weight cut, or rounds that seem to go on forever. When I asked Sábatha Santos, she brought up something plenty of us will recognize: finding room for her own goals while helping her students chase theirs.
The teaching doesn’t stop because a title defense is coming. Neither does the work of preparing for it. That is where her Road to Abu Dhabi begins.
Sábatha Laís dos Santos returns to November’s Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship with a title to defend. ADWPJJC’s 2025 final record lists her points victory over Denise Krahn in the women’s professional brown/black belt 70 kg division. Her objective for 2026 is clear: win it again.
The road there runs through a much wider competitive world. AJP’s international, national, continental and Grand Slam events give athletes repeated opportunities to test their games and build their rankings. Those rankings have practical consequences in Abu Dhabi: the 2026 World Pro regulations link them to bracket seeding and continental travel-package allocation, while keeping the championship open to athletes who do not receive a package.
For Sábatha, that preparation has already included very different tests. AJP recorded a 1:01 submission win over Julia Nascimento at the 2026 South America Continental and a five-minute points win over Helia Silva at the Rio Grand Slam on the 2026–27 tour. Both are useful reminders of how much can change from one opponent to the next.
I caught up with Sábatha by email about those matches, her preparation in Brazil, and the balance between teaching and competing. Her answers will sound familiar to anyone trying to improve their own jiu-jitsu while helping someone else do the same.
Finding the opening
JJM: At the South America Continental, you submitted Julia Nascimento in 1:01. What was your focus as you entered that match?
Sábatha: When I was entering the mat, I was really focused on getting the points or finding the right opportunity to submit my opponent. Julia was tough, and it was a good fight.
JJM: Your match with Helia Silva in Rio went the full five minutes. What did that different kind of match require from you?
Sábatha: I was focused on the strategy that my team established for me. Even though I was always looking for an opportunity for a submission, Helia didn’t really give me an opening, so I was determined to get the most points I could.
JJM: How are you preparing for both early opportunities and matches that stay close at ADWPJJC?
Sábatha: Because it’s a five-minute fight, we are always working to be a step ahead in any type of game.
Building toward a title defense
JJM: What is the main goal you are working toward this November?
Sábatha: The main goal is defending my world title in the middleweight division and becoming a two-time world champion!
JJM: AJP’s results list you with M.O.D UAE. Where is your preparation taking place, and who supports you during World Pro week?
Sábatha: All my preparation is happening in Brazil, but in the week of the World Pro, I train with the MOD professors, who are very helpful and supportive.
The teacher and the athlete
JJM: What is the biggest challenge in these final weeks, and what does a hard day look like?
Sábatha: The biggest challenge is balancing Sábatha as a teacher/sensei and as an athlete. And hard days? Every day, haha.
JJM: What would this World Pro mean to you beyond the podium? What do you want people to understand about your journey?
Sábatha: First, it’s a personal goal. The other is being an inspiration for other women who want to live the sport. I want them to understand that everything I do is not only for me, but for my loved ones.
What she brings back
At the 2026 ADWPJJC, Sábatha will pursue a second middleweight world title while carrying the responsibilities of a teacher and her hopes of inspiring other women in the sport.
There will be plenty to follow around her. October brought the UAE a record five Asian Games jiu-jitsu golds, followed by Baniyas retaining the Gi season title in the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed championship.
ADWPJJC 2026 opens on November 9, with professional competition taking place November 19–21. We’ll be watching how the home talent measures up against international challengers, which academies make their mark, and whether returning champions like Sábatha can turn another year’s work into another title.
Follow Sábatha at @sabatha_lais and follow the World Pro at @ADWPJJC.
This interview is part of Jiu-Jitsu Magazine’s ADWPJJC 2026 coverage in partnership with UAEJJF.