Black belts Monique Ricardo and Leanna Dittrich were nearing the end of their match at the IBJJF Masters Worlds in August when the unthinkable happened. 

Ricardo's finger snapped. It was one of those injuries that makes you cringe whether you want to or not, and understandably, it was painful enough to keep her from continuing with the fight.



Months later, Ricardo says that her finger still hurts… but that didn't stop her from agreeing to a rematch with Dittrich, this time at Fight to Win Pro 22 on Saturday, January 21, in Dallas, Texas. 

Watch Fight to Win Pro 22 LIVE on FloGrappling on Saturday, January, 21

"All I can always think of are the words of my coach: 'Let's be champions,'" she says. 

She's taken those words to heart; she and Dittrich aren't simply competing at the event -- they're headlining it. 

This is the third of what are sure to be many Fight to Win events that have a women's match as the main event -- something that is sadly still virtually unheard of on the professional jiu-jitsu scene. Fight to Win CEO Seth Daniels has made it clear that he's hoping to change that, and with events like this one, he's proving that he's not messing around. 

Ricardo, too, is optimistic that we're soon going to live in a world where no one will even think twice about putting female jiu-jitsu practitioners in the spotlight, especially as more and more women start taking up the sport. 

[Jiu-jitsu] will keep growing among women, 'cause when they find out they don't need to be on a boring treadmill for hours, they will all switch to BJJ!

Ricardo herself didn't go straight from a treadmill to the tatame; she spent a good bit of her life as a fitness model and bikini competitor before putting on a gi for the first time. 

While she's obviously proud of her accomplishments in both fields, she's not a fan of how some people have used her fitness photographs to promote her work in jiu-jitsu. 

"I'm not trying to be more toned than the other girls," she said. "I'm trying to choke them out." 


Monique Riccardo (left) will go up against Leanna Dittrich (right, with Cyborg). 

As someone who works out and trains six days a week, it goes without saying that Ricardo's appearance has nothing to do with how far she's come as a BJJ athlete. She has victory on the brain, and she's willing to do whatever it takes to get there. 

People that train with me know that I go to win fast or lose fast. Leanna is a Cyborg black belt, so she is good everywhere and an amazing competitor. She will try to take my back and I will try to armbar her.

Regardless of the outcome in Dallas, this black belt is happy to simply to help the sport grow for both women and men. 

"Seth Daniels and his partners' passion for jiu-jitsu and willingness to take all the financial risks to make this happen deserve all the credit," Ricardo said. "I am just humbled and proud to be part of this victory not only for girls, but for BJJ as a professional sport."


She hopes to make her sponsors, teammates, and coaches happy with her performance at Fight To Win Pro 22, and from there she'll be right back to focusing not only on her own success but others' as well. 

I want to compete against the best girls in the world and help my female training partners become world champions, too!

Monique Ricardo and Leanna Dittrich will meet again at Fight to Win Pro 22 on January 21. Make sure you watch the live stream here on FloGrappling, starting at 6 PM UTC. Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today.