After four years away from the IBJJF World Championship stage, Nathiely de Jesus makes her return to reclaim her spot on top of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world. The 2018 and 2019 black belt absolute world champion hasn't fought at Worlds since that 2019 bracket, in the time since focusing on starting a family. 

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Now in 2023, she returns to divisions that have seen the emergence of new stars and she is ready to test herself against the best. The absolute class in women's black belt has been ruled by Gabi Pessanha, who has defeated most of the challengers standing in her way at Worlds - but she's never faced Nathiely. If they meet, Gabi's pressure and physicality against Nathiely's lasso and open guard will be a fascinating, high-stakes battle.

We asked Nathiely about her return and how she feels competing now as a mother for the first time, and she had this to say;

I’m very happy to be back at the pyramid to compete worlds after having a baby. I feel less pressure than before. I will go out there to have fun and to prove for all the woman’s and mom’s that follow me that is possible . Can’t wait to compete and give my best as always

The five-time world champion beat Bia Mesquita (herself a TEN-time world champion) in the absolute finals in 2019 by points (4-0), making her a two-time double gold medalist at the event and the last woman to hold the title before Gabi. Despite Pessanha's incredible run the last few years, she has not fought someone with the accomplishments of Nathiely, making this one of the most intriguing bouts of the tournament.

The five-time world champion de Jesus stepped back onto the competition scene earlier this year, winning the Tezos FloGrappling IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix that took place in early March. She took on two of the toughest competitors in the sport, reigning world champions Ana Carolina Vieira and Andressa Cintra, and defeated both to claim gold in an electric performance.

Watch Nathiely's Late Rally To Win Against World Champ Andressa Cintra

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Nathiely's last action before that was against Gabi Garcia and Kendall Reusing in early 2021 no-gi superfights, winning both to help establish her claim as one of the best athletes in women's jiu-jitsu. After her accomplishments and years of success, she and husband Manuel Ribamar (also a world-class black belt) welcomed their first child, a daughter Laura.

We have seen great recent examples of women having children and returning to compete at the highest levels of their combat sport, including Mackenzie Dern in MMA and Adeline Gray in freestyle wrestling. Nathiely aims to join that list with a strong performance in the Pyramid, with her first match coming Saturday afternoon against the winner of Ingridd Alves and Fernanda Cristo. Winning that quarterfinal will put her into the semifinals, likely in a rematch with Melissa Stricker. She could potentially see returning heavyweight champion Larissa Dias in the finals.

Check out all of the action exclusively on FloGrappling, streaming June 1-4 LIVE from the Walter Pyramid in Anaheim, CA.