Born on February 7, 1979 in São Luís do Maranhão in northern Brazil, Hannette Staack moved to Rio de Janeiro with her family when she was two. She started jiu-jitsu at 18, right after finishing school, earned her blue belt in four months and won three white belt tournaments along the way.
She went on to become one of the most decorated women in the history of the sport. Her record includes IBJJF World Championship titles in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011, the last one won with a flying armbar in the final. She took silver at the first women’s ADCC in 2005, then won ADCC gold in 2007 and 2009, and became a No-Gi World Champion in 2007. She is a member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame.
Together with Professor Andre “Negão” Terencio, she founded Brazil 021 School of Jiu-Jitsu, a team built on more than medals: helping students become stronger people, family members and citizens. A torn ACL in 2005 pushed her to build one of the best guard games in women’s jiu-jitsu, and she still teaches with that problem-solving mindset.
Students describe her as warm, funny and caring, as likely to crack a joke as to change the way you see a technique. Her classes are sequential and logical, with drilling methods built to make techniques stick. In October 2022 she even made her professional MMA debut in Rio de Janeiro, winning by submission in under three minutes.
Friends call her “Nette.” Kids in the academy know her as Auntie Nette.
