The IBJJF Sao Paulo Open 2024 took place on July 20th and 21st, 2024 and there were some very accomplished competitors at the event. The gi divisions went underway on the first day and that’s when the majority of the big names stepped on the mats. The most notable name in the lighter weight classes was Cleber Sousa, and he ended up standing on top of the podium in the featherweight division. Despite facing a pretty tough brackets full of talented grapplers, Bruno Bressan and Anderson Munis joined him in taking home a gold medals from the middleweight and super-heavyweight divisions respectively.
The most impressive division of the entire event was at ultra-heavyweight though, as every man stood on the podium is one of the best grapplers in the world at that weight. Erich Munis was the most successful competitor in the bracket but he didn’t actually take home the gold despite being the reigning IBJJF Absolute World Champion, and that honor went to his teammate Luis Oliveira instead. The bronze medals went out to Cleyton Flores and Anderson Kauan, both of whom gave great accounts of themselves regardless. Kauan actually took bronze in the absolute too, where Oliveira and Munis shared the top two spots again but in the reverse order.
Although there was no double champion in the men’s gi divisions, Sabrina Gondim won both the middleweight and absolute women’s gi divisions. Gondim stood next to her teammate Amanda Magda on the absolute podium, as she took silver after winning default gold at heavyweight. Gabrieli Pessanha also made an appearance to collect a default gold at super-heavyweight, but she chose not to enter the absolute. The no gi divisions at the IBJJF Sao Paulo Open 2024 had a fair few entrants but the only big name who competed was Bianca Basilio, and the former ADCC world champion took home gold medals at both middleweight and in the absolute.
