The December 2024 update has been applied to the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings and the full standings can be found here. November was a pretty big month as far as competitions go, with a number of exciting events taking place. Although this half of the year is generally quieter for gi competition, the Abu Dhabi World Pro featured some big upsets and the second edition of The Crown included many of the best grapplers in their respective weight classes. The no gi divisions obviously felt a pretty big impact from the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship, but PGF World Season 7 took place at light-heavyweight as well.
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Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings – December 2024 Update
Men’s No Gi BJJ Rankings
Bantamweight – Under 135lbs
The IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2024 had a noticeable impact at bantamweight, with Jalen Fonacier breaking into the rankings for the first time at 11th. The two gold medalists who fit into this weight class haven’t moved, purely because they already find themselves so high in the rankings to begin with.
Featherweight – Under 148lbs
Cole Abate enters the rankings at 15th thanks to his gold medal at the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2024.
Lightweight – Under 162lbs
Max Hanson was another champion at no gi pans and he got some big wins along the way too, pushing him all the way up to 11th in the rankings.
Welterweight – Under 175lbs
There were no changes in the December 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Middleweight – Under 190lbs
10th Planet veteran Jon ‘Thor’ Blank got a big win at no gi pans and he enters the rankings at number nine because of it, while the champion Alehander Marianaro beat him and two other ranked competitors to win gold. Marianaro also enters the rankings for the first time and he’s just ahead of Blank at 7th.
Light-Heavyweight – Under 205lbs
Ryan Aitken has had a fantastic year in 2024 and he’s been steadily climbing the BJJ rankings at both middleweight and light-heavyweight, making yet another move in the December update. He won PGF World Season 7 and got a pair of wins over an opponent ranked just above him, so he has now broken into the top five at light-heavyweight for the first time.
Heavyweight – Under 225lbs
Henrique ‘Ceconi’ Cardoso got revenge against Javier Zaruski at ADXC 7, beating him by decision just a few months after getting submitted by him. That was enough to see him climb up to number ten in the heavyweight rankings, but Zaruski still sits one spot above him.
Super-Heavyweight – Over 225lbs
There were no changes in the December 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Pound for Pound
There were no changes in the December 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Jits Magazine Men’s Gi BJJ Rankings
Bantamweight – Under 137lbs
Thalison Soares shot up the rankings after winning the Abu Dhabi World Pro 2024 this month, and he now finds himself in the top three. There was another big movement just below him too, as Jefferson Fagundes improved his position to number five by winning another division there.
Featherweight – Under 154lbs
Mohammed Alsuwaidi shocked the world by beating Diego Sodre at the Abu Dhabi World Pro and he enters the rankings at number seven. The only man who beat him in that tournament was Thiago Macedo, and he improves his position to 6th as a result. Joao Mendes earned the spot just ahead of them in the top five though, as he put on an amazing performance in the 2024 edition of The Crown and left with a silver medal behind the number-one featherweight in the world.
Lightweight – Under 169lbs
Lucas Protasio climbed up to number ten after his win at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, but the biggest change came from another tournament. Lucas Valente beat Espen Mathiesen at ADXC 7, breaking into the top ten and taking his place in 8th at lightweight.
Welterweight – Under 181lbs
Tainan Dalpra won the first two matches he had at The Crown and he moves up to 5th, although he missed the opportunity to climb any higher by withdrawing from the final.
Middleweight – Under 194lbs
William Dias has entered the middleweight rankings for the first time, as his silver medal at the Abu Dhabi World Pro has made him slot in between the gold and bronze medalists at 9th.
Light-Heavyweight – Under 208lbs
Top Australian grappler Roberto Frias won a silver medal at the Abu Dhabi World Pro and he has entered the light-heavyweight division at number eight due to who he beat on the way there.
Heavyweight – Under 225lbs
The heavyweight division was pretty quiet this month and the only change came from the IBJJF South American Championship 2024, where Pedro Elias won gold and earned himself the 15th position.
Super-Heavyweight – Over 225lbs
The qualifying round of the Abu Dhabi World Pro caused some chaos at the bottom end of these rankings, with Dennis Souza and Tacio Carneiro entering at 15th and 14th respectively. Marcus Ribeiro jumps up to 4th after a great performance at The Crown where his only loss came against the winner Erich Munis, who also moves up to 2nd. Munis moved up so high as the former top-ranked competitor, Nicholas Meregali, has now been removed due to over one year of inactivity at this weight in the gi.
Pound for Pound
Nicholas Meregali has been removed for inactivity and that opened up a spot at the bottom of the rankings, with Thalison Soares occupying it thanks to his meteoric rise this month.
Jits Magazine Women’s No Gi BJJ Rankings
Strawweight – Under 115lbs
Mariana Rolszt moves up to 6th thanks to a silver medal at no gi pans, and Thais Loureiro beat her in the final to earn both a gold medal and a place at number five. There was another IBJJF division in this weight class of course, and Ana Carolina Lima won gold there in order to break into the rankings at 12th.
Featherweight – Under 125lbs
Talita Alencar has made a return to the rankings at featherweight, coming in at 9th after winning no gi pans. The silver medallist Amanda Monteiro is also a newcomer to the rankings and she enters at number twelve with a pair of wins over ranked opponents.
Lightweight – Under 135lbs
Amanda Bruse climbs up to 4th at lightweight thanks to another big win at no gi pans, but there was another event that had a significant impact on this division too. Ana Mayordomo beat two highly-ranked opponents at Main Character Jiu-Jitsu 5 and she has entered the rankings for the first time at number eight.
Middleweight – Under 146lbs
Ana Vieira just held on to the top spot thanks to her fantastic performance at ADCC 2024 but she did lose earlier this month to Aurelie Le Vern. A big win like that still moves Le Vern up the rankings though, and she now sits at number seven. Nadia Frankland also makes an appearance at number fifteen after winning no gi pans.
Heavyweight – Over 146lbs
Elisabeth Clay has entered the rankings in a new weight class after winning no gi pans in a heavier division than she used to compete in, and she shoots all the way up to 6th as a result.
Pound for Pound
There were no changes in the December 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Jits Magazine Women’s Gi BJJ Rankings
Strawweight – Under 118lbs
Grasielle Brandao enters the strawweight rankings at number ten after winning the Abu Dhabi World Pro, and the Brazilian qualifier had a small impact as Flavia Bastos Soares came in at 15th.
Featherweight – Under 129lbs
Maria Delahaye won the Abu Dhabi World Pro and although she didn’t beat any ranked opponents, that alone was enough to see her through to the 15th spot.
Lightweight – Under 141lbs
Victoria Ulrich got a surprise win over Vitoria Vieira at the BJJ Clubes semi-final and she earned a place at number thirteen. That wasn’t the only underdog victory at lightweight in the December 2024 update to the BJJ rankings though, as Sarah Galvao won the Abu Dhabi World Pro as a brown belt and moved up to 6th. The final tournament of the month for this weight class was The Crown, and Gabrielle McComb moved up to 11th by making it to the semi-finals.
Middleweight – Under 163lbs
Cleidiane Ferreira also broke into the rankings thanks to a win at the BJJ Clubes semi-final, and she takes up the 15th spot at middleweight. The real big changes happened later in the month, as Canadian brown belt Lillian Marchand won the Abu Dhabi World Pro and broke into the rankings at 7th.
Heavyweight – Over 163lbs
There were a few changes at heavyweight this month, starting with another brown belt who stood on the podium at the Abu Dhabi World Pro. Leticia dos Santos won a silver medal and enters at 15th while the winner Yara Soares climbs one place up to 2nd. Melissa Stricker shot all the way up to 4th after leaving The Crown with a silver medal, with her only loss against the top-ranked Gabrieli Pessanha. The final change at heavyweight happened at the IBJJF South American Championship 2024, where Welma Moreira beat Marina Carraro and took up position at number eight.
Pound for Pound
Yara Soares continues her climb up the pound for pound rankings by slotting into 10th, and the rest of the rankings move around her and Tayane Porfirio dropping down.
