One of the best female jiu-jitsu competitors is making her amateur mixed martial arts debut Friday night.

Luanna Alzuguir, a five-time jiu-jitsu world champion as a black belt and ADCC 2009 gold medalist, is slated to take on Brittney Cloudy in a flyweight title bout at Gateway Fighting Series, which takes place Oct. 13 in St. Charles, Mo.

Alzuguir, 32, prepared for her MMA debut with the likes of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and strawweight Nina Ansaroff at American Top Team in Florida. She started training jiu-jitsu at age 9, and graduated to black belt in 2007.

“My camp was amazing,” Alzuguir told MMA Fighting. “I’ve been training at ATT since the beginning of the year, and even though I received offers to compete in professional and amateur fights, I decided to wait until I was confident.”

Alzuguir spent six weeks training striking and wresting in Europe, and had three weeks to train specifically for this matchup after returning to ATT.

“The girls and coaches there are incredible,” she said. “I had all the support I needed, so I felt really comfortable despite doing a short camp. Nina and Amanda are incredible people that supported me. Training and hanging out with them has inspired me because you’re dealing with two high level athletes, including the champion of the biggest promotion in the world. I learned every day. The tips they gave me about weight cutting, diet, training, recovery and everything else made a huge difference. It has been amazing.

“But of course, there are a lot of other fighters and coaches that helped me: Kelson Pinto, Parrumpinha, Odair Manzine, Everton Veve, Gezary Matuda, Jessica Branco, Katel Kubis, Anna Polaca, Thais Nega and Dustin Lampros.”

Alzuguir will decide about her future in MMA after tonight’s bout. Her opponent, Cloudy, holds a 6-1 amateur record with five stoppage victories. The 27-year-old talent from Missouri enters the cage riding a three-fight winning streak, capped off by a second-round submission over Megan Poe in May.

“I decided for the amateur fight instead of professional because I wanted to feel this personal experience,” Alzuguir said. “I’m fighting in a weight that I never made before, 125, so it’s a new thing for me. I competed in a heavier weight in jiu-jitsu, so I wanted to make sure everything would go alright before fighting professionally.

“(Cloudy) has more experience in MMA, and I really didn’t want an easy fight. I’m competing in amateur, so I didn’t want a beginner because even though I never fought MMA before, I’ve compete in jiu-jitsu my entire life. She has the experience and it will be an incredible fight. I’m really happy. Today is the day.”