The April 2024 update has been applied to the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings and the full standings can be found here. March been a huge month for both the gi and no gi divisions, with major tournaments taking place across both disciplines. There were 3 different editions of ADCC Trials that had a huge effect on the no gi rankings collectively, while the IBJJF Pan Championship shook things up in the gi. Several grapplers managed to emerge as top contenders in their respective weight classes so there are plenty of new faces in the rankings, but there has also been a lot of movement at the top too. New champions in major events will often change things at the top of those weight classes, and there’s been plenty of them this month.
Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings – March 2024 Update
Men’s No Gi BJJ Rankings
Bantamweight – Under 135lbs
Cleber Sousa impressed with a submission win over Osamah Almarwai at ONE 166 and broke into the rankings in 14th place as a result.
Featherweight – Under 148lbs
Kennedy Maciel moved up one place to 3rd thanks to his win at the First ADCC South American Trials 2024 and the silver medalist Kaua Gabriel entered the rankings low initially, but moved higher up the following week. That’s when the second edition of the tournament took place and Gabriel earned another silver medal, pushing him up to 10th on his debut. Fabricio Andrey won that tournament though, breaking into the rankings at number eight. Keith Krikorian had a good month in winning a Polaris title and taking silver at the ADCC West Coast Trials 2024, so he moved up to 11th as a result. The gold medalist there was Deandre Corbe and he broke into the rankings in 5th, while his brother Gavin Corbe took the bronze medal and the 15th position.
Lightweight – Under 162lbs
Both Deandre Corbe and Fabricio Andrey moved up at lightweight this month too, as they competed frequently. Andrey got a submission win over Ruan Alvarenga at ADXC 3 that moved him up to 7th place in the rankings, while Corbe moved up a single spot to take second place after winning the Sapateiro World Championship Florida Qualifier. They weren’t the only competitors moving up in more than weight class either, as Keith Krikorian moved in at 15th place thanks to an impressive win over Dominic Mejia at Grapplefest 18.
Welterweight – Under 175lbs
Luiz Paulo would have kept his place at welterweight after winning the first ADCC South American Trials and the silver medalist Jefferson Pontes entered the rankings in a good position initially, but things changed for both men. Unfortunately Pontes lost by submission very early on in the bracket of the Second ADCC South American Trials and the man he beat in the semi-final, Alexandre De Jesus, went on to win the gold medal there. This put De Jesus in at 8th thanks to the prestigious title and the victory over Jonnatas Gracie in the final, while Pontes slipped off the rankings. It wasn’t just ADCC Trials that effected the no gi welterweight rankings though, as the Polaris 27 welterweight grand prix shook things up too. Levi Jones-Leary entered the rankings and took the 7th spot thanks to a pair of huge wins, while it was PJ Barch who beat both him and Paulo to take the 6th spot. Andrew Tackett won the final edition of ADCC Trials this month and he moved all the way up to number 5 as a result.
Middleweight – Under 190lbs
There were no changes in the April 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Light-Heavyweight – Under 205lbs
Mason Fowler made a huge impact when he submitted Pedro Marinho at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6, taking his place at the top of the rankings. He wasn’t the only newcomer to the rankings taking a higher spot though, as Charles Negromonte shot up to 8th by winning the first ADCC South American Trials and Gabriel Almeida came in at 11th thanks to a silver medals at both Trials. William Tackett climbed up to 5th position after winning the North American Trials, and Jacob Rodriguez moved into the rankings at number ten with a silver medal there.
Heavyweight – Under 225lbs
Felipe Costa came into the heavyweight rankings in 6th place after winning the first South American Trials and he wasn’t alone either, as Henrique ‘Ceconi’ Cardoso came in at 10th when he won the second edition. Michael Pixley won the North American Trials and he also broke into the rankings at a respectable 9th place.
Super-Heavyweight – Over 225lbs
Pedro Alex got a huge win over Dan Manasoiu at ADXC 3 that saw him take his spot at number twelve, while the rest of the movement here was down to ADCC Trials again. Inacio Santos won the first ADCC South American Trials and came in at 8th, with Victor Honorio following close behind him at 9th after winning the second edition. Michael Perez was just one more place below after winning the ADCC North American Trials and these four men bumped several other competitors off the rankings.
Pound for Pound
Mason Fowler made his way on to the pound for pound rankings at number ten, while Deandre Corbe appears right at the bottom at number fifteen and the entire division between them shifts up a space to make room.
Men’s Gi BJJ Rankings
Bantamweight – Under 137lbs
Zayed Alkatheeri got a little boost up to 9th after beating Oziel Santos at ADXC 3, while Santos drifted further down after the IBJJF Pan Championship. Rodnei Barbosa took the spot at 10 instead of him, while Bruno Cordeiro came in at 12th place after winning a bronze medal. There was another change at the bottom too, as Matheus Vilaca broke into the 15th spot on the rankings.
Featherweight – Under 154lbs
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira took the top spot here when he won yet another major title at the IBJJF Pan Championship, and there was plenty of other movement in the division underneath him. The other champion from that tournament relevant here was Kennedy Maciel, who moved up to 4th and made space for silver medalist Fabricio Andrey at 5th. The other silver medalist, Malachi Edmond, came in at 9th and the bronze medalists, Jordan Vaisman and Carlos ‘Bebeto’ Oliveira, came in at 12th and 13th respectively. Outside of that, the Gabriel Cardoso did great work at the IBJJF Dallas Open and secured himself the 14th spot with a win over a ranked competitor.
Lightweight – Under 169lbs
Lucas Protasio got a big win over Pedro Maia at ADXC 3 to break into 9th place, while Pedro Silva followed closely behind him at 10th. The IBJJF Pan Championship didn’t actually change too much in the top 10 really, other than Natan Chueng moving up one place to 7th, and Pablo Lavaselli continuing a slide down the rankings. There were several new faces in general though; with Michael Liera Jr, Leonardo Saggioro, Carlos Henrique, Jonata Gomes, and Richar Nogueira all coming in from 11th to 15th in that order.
Welterweight – Under 181lbs
Mica Galvao slid into 2nd position with another major IBJJF title at the Pan Championship this month, and the bronze medalists Raul Basilio and Wallison Oliveira managed to land at 13th and 14th respectively.
Middleweight – Under 194lbs
Caio Vinicius earned 10th place with a win over Horlando Monteiro at the IBJJF LA Open, and Uanderson Ferreira beat him on the way to a gold medal at Pans in order to slot in at 9th. The silver medalist at that tournament was Mateus Rodrigues, and he came in right behind by Vinicius at 11th.
Light-Heavyweight – Under 208lbs
Rayron Gracie just got the biggest win of his career at ADXC 3 and he would have secured 2nd place, but the events of the IBJJF Pan Championship actually allowed him to take the top position. The top three contenders in the division before him all met in the final two matches of the tournament, with Adam Wardzinski being the one to make way for him and drop down to 4th.
Heavyweight – Under 225lbs
Anderson Munis won the IBJJF Pan Championship 2023 and moved into 4th place with the performance, with the rest of the division relatively unchanged other than both Anderson Kauan and Harryson Pereira dropping down slightly after he beat them both.
Super-Heavyweight – Over 225lbs
There was huge movement everywhere in this division, with the champion Yatan Bueno climbing up to number four and Kjetil Lydvo breaking into the edge of the top ten. The very bottom of the rankings had some changes too, as the bronze medalist was Guilherme Augusto and he moved up to 13th.
Pound for Pound
Rayron Gracie appears for the first time straight in at 8th and Mica Galvao advances slightly to 3rd place thanks to the recent tournament win. Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira also climbs up slightly to 12th.
Women’s No Gi BJJ Rankings
Strawweight – Under 115lbs
There were no changes in the April 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Featherweight – Under 125lbs
All three ADCC Trials shook things up at featherweight, as Brenda Larissa won the first South American Trials and made her debut in the rankings as a result. She was beaten in the second edition by Franciele Santos, who took her place at number thirteen and knocked her down to 14th. Anna Rodrigues went on to win that tournament by beating both Santos and Jasmine Rocha, who then went on to win the ADCC North American Trials immediately after. This put Rodrigues in at the top of the rankings, while Rocha took up 4th place and Amanda Bruse was able to take 8th place with a solid performance.
Lightweight – Under 135lbs
There were no changes in the April 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Middleweight – Under 146lbs
Ana Queiroz won the first ADCC South American Trials and she makes her debut in the rankings at number fourteen. The second edition was won by Ana Vieira, and she makes it all the way up to 3rd thanks to the quality of opposition she faced along the way. The final Trials event in North America was won by Helena Crevar, and she trades places with Morgan Black at sixth and seventh respectively. Nicole Mathew comes in at fifteen andthe only other notable movement came from Leilani Bernales, who won both a silver and bronze medal at different editions of ADCC Trials and debuts at 13th.
Heavyweight – Over 146lbs
Elizabeth Mitrovic got a huge win at ADCC Trials and she moves up a single spot to 3rd, with Amanda Leve dropping down one spot to 9th. Maria Ruffatto takes her place at number eight thanks to winning both the first and second ADCC Trials, while Jennifer Case breaks into the rankings at 15th thanks to a bronze medal.
Pound for Pound
The pound for pound rankings shifted a lot, with several women dropping down to make room for Anna Rodrigues coming in at 5th and Ana Vieira coming in at 14th. Elizabeth Mitrovic also makes her debut at the end of the rankings at fifteen and the division has shifted slightly in between them, with Jasmine Rocha moving up to 13th.
Women’s Gi BJJ Rankings
Strawweight – Under 118lbs
The IBJJF Pan Championship 2024 caused a lot of movement at strawweight, starting with Mayssa Bastos regaining the top spot. Shelby Murphey climbed all the way up to 4th with her title at the tournament, and Ana Carolina Lima took 6th with her silver medal. Lavinia Barbosa moved to number ten and the other bronze medalist in her weight class, Thais Loureiro, makes it to 11th. Amanda Monteiro was the final woman to break into the rankings and take the 12th spot.
Featherweight – Under 129lbs
There weren’t many changes at featherweight, but Larissa Campos did manage to gain a single spot and move up to 4th. Other than that, the only difference to the previous month is that Maria Luiza broke into the rankings at 7th thanks to her silver medal performance.
Lightweight – Under 141lbs
All of the impact that the IBJJF Pan Championship had at lightweight was focused in the bottom half of the rankings, starting with Sabrina Gondim moving up to 8th as a result of her silver medal. Bronze medalist Suellen Lima then broke into the rankings at 10th, while Janine Mutton has taken the 13th spot.
Middleweight – Under 163lbs
There was very little movement at middleweight, with the only women gaining places moving one space each. Vannessa Griffin climbed to 9th with a silver medal at the IBJJF Pan Championship, and Ana Brandao makes her first appearance at number fifteen.
Heavyweight – Over 163lbs
Mayara Custodio did very well at the IBJJF Pan Championship and moved all the way up to 10th, but Izadora Silva slotted in just ahead of her at 9th. Mikaela Barros also breaks into the rankings at 15th thanks to a bronze medal.
Pound for Pound
There was only a minor change here, as Mayssa Bastos moved up one place to 4th.
