About Us
Karen Antunes was born on the 9th of December 1985 in Brasília, Brazil.
Antunes first heard about jiu-jitsu from her brother, a troubled boy who used jiu-jitsu to stay out of trouble. It was through the fact that jiu-jitsu helped keep Karen’s older brother off drugs for extended periods of time that this sport gained the young teenager’s respect.
Unfortunately for the Antunes family, her brother did pass away prematurely and Karen spent years grieving the loss of her brother. After a lengthy period of time, encouraged by her younger sister, Karen decided to give grappling a try, first entering a jiu-jitsu academy in April 2009. The connection with grappling was immediately felt.
Karen’s first and only coach throughout her career was Mayko Araújo, who also became Antunes’ husband. After being extremely successful in jiu jitsu’s competitive environment, Karen was awarded her black belt, on the 28th of July, 2014.
After years of traveling to the US to compete in the sport’s top events, Karen and her husband Mayko moved to America, settling in Minnesota where they opened an academy.
