The IBJJF Itajai and Dublin Fall Opens 2024 both took place on the same weekend, producing some great matches on opposite sides of the world on November 23rd and 24th, 2024. There were more competitors in Itajai and although most of them were either colored belts or less well-known, there were still some big names who stood out. Antonio Braga Neto came away with the biggest haul of medals, as he won the ultra-heavyweight division in both gi and no gi along with the no gi absolute division. He fell just short of a perfect weekend in the gi absolute division, although he did still win a bronze medal for his efforts.
There were only a handful of female BJJ competitors in Itajai but the only black belt match was still an excellent one. That match took place in the absolute division, where Giovanna Jara beat Cleidiane Ferreira in order to take home double gold. While there was plenty for fans to enjoy in Itajai, there were even more big names competing in the IBJJF Dublin Fall Open 2024. Top Norwegian grappler Tarik Hopstock had a particularly impressive performance there, as he won the gi and no gi middleweight divisions by beating Matheus Rangel in the final of each bracket before also winning the no gi absolute division.
Jean Maltese also made an appearance to win the gi super-heavyweight bracket, and there were several elite female grapplers stepping on the mats. Astrid Scholin won the gi featherweight and absolute divisions, while Sula-Mae Lowenthal was the no gi absolute champion. Lowenthal also took a default gold at medium-heavyweight in no gi, along with a silver in the gi medium-heavyweight division and a bronze in that absolute. There was a great matchup at middleweight too, as Rosa Walsh beat Gamila Kanew in the final of the gi and no gi editions of the division. Kanew also returned later on in the day to compete in the no gi absolute, where she came away with a bronze medal for her efforts.
