The Abu Dhabi World Pro 2024 will take place from November 14th to 16th, 2024 and we’ve put together a full preview of every division at the event. There are a number of champions returning from the 2023 edition of the tournament and they will all be looking to retain their titles. There are dozens of elite competitors who will be looking to dethrone them of course, and plenty of underdogs will spring surprises as the bracket unfold. There will be qualifying rounds for each nation that has more than one representative in their bracket and some of these will be just as tough as the main tournaments.
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2024 Full Preview
Men’s Black Belt Divisions
Light-Featherweight – Under 56kg
Favorites: There’s no champion returning in the light-featherweight division but the other two men who stood on the podium are both competing. Zayed Alkatheeri is the returning silver medalist and he has a good chance of making it to the final once again, with Welison Fernandes standing out as his most likely opponent. Thalison Soares won a bronze medal last time but it’s going to be tough for him to do it again, as he’s got to make it through 6 other men in the Brazilian qualifier before even making it to the main bracket.
Dark Horse: Osamah Almarwai is a veteran competitor and he’s straight in the main bracket, so he doesn’t have too many matches to get through here. There are some seriously tough matches waiting for him, but he definitely has what it takes to make it into the later rounds.
Featherweight – Under 62kg
Favorites: The reigning featherweight champion might not be returning but Yuri Hendrex won last year’s light-featherweight division and he has a great chance of doing the same here. Khaled Alshehhi is another contender as the silver medalist last year and with just 16 men in the bracket, it shouldn’t be too hard for him to make it into the semi-finals at least.
Dark Horse: Jefferson Fagundes has had some great performances lately and would be one to watch in any tournament, but he’s in the Brazilian qualifier here and has to make it through two brackets in a row. There is only 8 men in the qualifier and he’s last year’s bronze medalist, so he still has a good chance.
Lightweight – Under 70kg
Favorites: The lightweight division is absolutely massive at 34 competitors, and the returning champion is Diego Sodre. He’s got a great chance of repeating that success again, but there’s another champion in the same weight class. Meyram Maquine is moving up after winning light-featherweight last year and he’s got to make it through a stacked Brazilian qualifier with 19 other competitors, but if anyone can do it then he can. Sebastian Serpa and Thiago Macedo are going to be a difficult opponent for both Sodre and Maquine though, as Serpa looks to improve on his silver medal performance last year and Macedo enters as the top seed.
Dark Horse: Israel Almeida is a fantastic competitor who is always tough to beat and given that he’s straight into the main bracket and seeded third, he has just as much of a chance as some of the more obvious contenders.
Welterweight – Under 77kg
Favorites: There’s 32 men competing at welterweight and Pedro Ramalho is the one looking to defend his title, while Lucas Protasio is the silver medalist who will be gunning for that top spot. These two men stand out as the most likely final pairing but with such a big division and Protasio having to go through a 20-man qualifier, there’s a lot of room for things to go wrong. Jefferson Goteu is actually the top seed and the way the bracket is set up might be enough to give him the chance to take one of their places in the final.
Dark Horse: Alexandre De Jesus is also in the Brazilian qualifier and he definitely has what it takes to beat Protasio on the right day, meaning that he might be able to enter the main bracket instead of him. He’ll have plenty more tough matchups after that of course, but it’s worth paying attention to how he does.
Middleweight – Under 85kg
Favorites: Bruno Lima is the reigning champion at middleweight but the man he beat in the final has since avenged that loss. That man is Uanderson Ferreira and he’s been in contention for this title for the last two years in a row now, always coming just inches away from gold. This may very well be Ferreira’s year and outside of Lima, his biggest opposition is likely coming from the Brazilian qualifier. That’s where Lucas Giraud will be entering the tournament alongside 16 other men and although Ferreira has beaten him before, he might be able to cause the upset here.
Dark Horse: Faris Ben-Lamkadem was the bronze medalist at this weight class last year but with 27 men in the bracket, he has to get through a lot of matches before making it to the final. It’ll be interesting to see how far he goes through such a difficult division.
Light-Heavyweight – Under 94kg
Favorites: The light-heavyweight division is pretty small, with just 18 competitors in the main bracket. Fellipe Andrew is the reigning champion and he has looked almost invincible in gi competition over the last few years, so he’s the heavy favorite here again. Henrique Betta has delivered some excellent results this year so far though, and his position as the top seed has given him a great chance to dethrone Andrew.
Dark Horse: Catriel Rodrigues is always a top contender but he’s in a seriously tough position this year, as he’s in the Brazilian qualifier with 19 other competitors. It’s unusual that the qualifier is bigger than the main bracket and it’s made Rodrigues’ run very hard indeed, but if he can make it through that gauntlet then he’s going to be a threat in the main bracket.
Super-Heavyweight – Under 120kg
Favorites: Felipe Bezerra is the reigning champion in the smallest men’s division in this preview of the Abu Dhabi World Pro 2024, as there’s just 13 men at super-heavyweight. Vladimir Blium is the second seed right behind Bezerra and without either of the other men on the podium returning, he will be the main opposition that Bezerra will have to get through to win another title.
Dark Horse: Wallace Costa is a veteran black belt and he’s a solid competitor, so he has a good chance in direct matches against most of the division. He’s been seeded second in the Brazilian qualifier even though there’s 16 other men in that bracket, he has a good chance of making it out of there and causing problems in the main tournament.
Women’s Brown And Black Belt Divisions
Roosterweight – Under 49kg
Favorites: There’s nobody who made it to the podium last year at roosterweight and with 11 women in the main bracket, the division is wide open for the taking. Diana Teixeira has a great chance of making it to the final at the very least, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her end up on top of the podium. Yasmyn Castro might be able to stop Teixeira’s run and there are a few others who have the skills to do so, making this one very tough to predict.
Dark Horse: There’s only a small Brazilian qualifier with just 7 women in it at this weight, and Giulia Gregorut is the one who’s most likely to make it through. Winning both the qualifier and the main tournament is always incredibly tough, but she can do it so long as she beats Teixeira when they cross paths.
Light-Featherweight – Under 55kg
Favorites: Anna Rodrigues is the reigning champion at light-featherweight and she’s definitely the favorite to win what would be her fourth consecutive title here. It’s hard to imagine anyone dethroning Rodrigues at this point and with just 12 other women in the division, there’s not many chances for anyone to stop her. Maria Delahaye looks like her toughest matchup in the division and she’s seeded first, so she’ll likely get a favorable draw until they meet.
Dark Horse: Lina Grosset is still a brown belt and has nowhere near the same level of elite competitive experience that Rodrigues does, making her unlikely to win that direct match. She is seeded second here though so could make it to the later rounds if things go her way, giving her the opportunity to spring a surprise.
Lightweight – Under 62kg
Favorites: There’s no champion returning this year in the lightweight division and there’s 13 women who are coming in with their eyes set on the prize. Violeta Angelova won a silver medal last year and it’s likely that she makes it the podium again this year, potentially even finding herself at the top of it. Rafaela Bertolot has had some good results this year and that’s reflected in her position as the top seed, so she’s another competitor who may well finish the weekend as a champion.
Dark Horse: Sarah Galvao is attempting to make history by becoming the third member of her family to win this tournament. Her mother Angelica won it in 2018 and her father, BJJ legend Andre Galvao, won three consecutive titles from 2012 to 2014. Galvao is still just an 18 year-old brown belt so the odds are definitely against her, but she has already beaten some elite opponents and actually has a decent chance of winning the division.
Middleweight – Under 70kg
Favorites: Ingridd Alves is the reigning champion at middleweight and she’ll be after her third title here, with just 12 other women in the bracket able to stop her. She might be the most likely champion but there’s still some difficult matches in the division, most notably top Australian competitor Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths and Polish veteran Magdalena Loska. Alves has beaten both of them before though, so she’s expected to come through on top of this bracket.
Dark Horse: Although still very early in her career, Giovanna Carneiro is going to be able to cause some problems for the older grapplers in the division. She’s 19 years old and has already beaten some elite competitors, so it’s not hard to imagine her making it to the podium at least.
Heavyweight – Under 95kg
Favorites: Heavyweight is the smallest division in this entire preview of the Abu Dhabi World Pro 2024 with just 6 competitors and it’s the easiest one to predict. Gabrieli Pessanha is the reigning champion and she’s been unstoppable for the last few years, so she’s is the clear favorite here. Her most likely opponent in the final is Yara Soares and although Soares has beaten her before, Pessanha has won the majority of their matches and has won this tournament five years in a row so far.
Dark Horse: Anabel Lopez is just 19 years old and will definitely be a serious contender in the years to come, so it’ll be interesting to watch her compete against the best opposition possible here. It’s probably going to be too early for her to beat Pessanha or Soares, but she’ll definitely give them good matches.
The full competitor list for every division in this preview of the Abu Dhabi World Pro 2024 can be found here.
