We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Taylor Pedersen, a dedicated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) purple belt from Gracie Barra Simi Valley, following her participation in the 2025 IBJJF European Championships in Lisbon, Portugal. Taylor shared insights into her preparation, experiences during the competition, and her future plans in the sport.
Training Camp for the European Championships
Taylor hails from Simi Valley, California, and trains at Gracie Barra Simi Valley. Leading up to the European Championships, her academy had been focusing on No-Gi training. Transitioning back to Gi training, Taylor adopted a more aggressive approach, emphasizing pace and submission hunting. However, upon arriving in Europe, she faced challenges due to jet lag and illness, which affected her energy levels and strength. These factors compelled her to revert to a more technical and patient game plan during her matches.
Reflecting on her preparation, Taylor stated:
“Our school was coming off of a NoGi focus, so I got to come back into my Gi training with a new attitude towards competing. I had become a more aggressive player, pushing the pace and hunting for submissions. This turned out to hurt my Gi strategy coming into the Europeans event because the energy and strength that I required to be an explosive and aggressive player just wasn’t there due to the jet lag and feeling sick.”
Highlight Match
Reflecting on her performance, Taylor identified her finals match in the middleweight division as her favorite. Anticipating a bout against the first-seeded competitor, she entered the match as the second seed. Despite the physical challenges, Taylor’s strategic adaptability and technical prowess were on full display during this decisive match.
She elaborated on this experience:
Reflecting on her performance, Taylor identified her finals match in the middleweight division as her favorite. Anticipating a bout against the first-seeded competitor, she entered the match as the second seed. Despite the physical challenges, Taylor’s strategic adaptability and technical prowess were on full display during this decisive match.
“So, each match I came into I struggled to finish. Nearly all of them lasted the whole 7 minutes and were won by points. I had to play a very technical and patient game in all of them, which used to be my typical style of competing. I will have to say that my favorite match of the day was my finals in the middleweight division. I had a good idea of which girl I would see in the finals as she was the 1st seed and I was the 2nd…”
“I was able to play a deep half guard game with her for the first half of the match, limiting myself to just waiting for the sweep, but once I got it I was all over her, hunting for the back, sliding over to the mount and back again. I finished the match with a swift Tarikoplata (the first time I hit one in a tournament) with only 1 second left on the clock!”
Open Class Bronze Medal
In addition to her outstanding performance in the middleweight division, where she secured the gold medal, Taylor Pedersen also showcased her versatility and skill by earning a bronze medal in the Female Adult Purple Belt Open Class division.
Looking Ahead
She shared her upcoming plans:
“Now I am looking forward to a superfight with Luandra Barbosa, and hopefully IBJJF Pans. Everything else in between is still undecided, but no doubt I will be competing soon and often”
The IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025 is scheduled for March 18th to 23rd at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
