The March 2024 update has been applied to the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings and the full standings can be found here. February been a very busy month for professional grapplers all around the world, with several big tournaments taking place across different continents. With ADCC Trials picking up the pace and the IBJJF Grand Prix returning for the first event of the year, there’s been so much for grappling fans to watch. Naturally this means that there have been a lot of changes to the rankings, including some new entrants finding their way into the top fifteen and a fair bit of movement at the very top of some weight classes as well.
Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings – March 2024 Update
Men’s No Gi BJJ Rankings
Bantamweight – Under 135lbs
Kaimoni Operana makes his debut in the rankings after beating Andrew DeGraff in the final of the ADCC Long Beach Open 2024, taking his place at fifteen.
Featherweight – Under 148lbs
The ADCC European, Middle-Eastern and African Trials 2024 really shook this division up, as both the gold and silver medalist entered the rankings for the first time. Coming in right at the edge of the top ten is Yigit Hanay and the man who won the invite, Gairbeg Ibragimov, enters just above him at 9th. A small change at the bottom of the featherweight division happened as a result of the ADCC Atlantic City Open 2024, with Cameron Mellott breaking into the rankings at fifteen.
Lightweight – Under 162lbs
A major change occurred at lightweight as a result of Who’s Number One 22, as Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira submitted Dante Leon and stormed into the top spot. that wasn’t the only match happening at that event that had relevance to this division though, as Daniel Sathler beat Max Hanson to bump him off the rankings and keep his position at number 4, pushing Leon down to fifth. With a space open at 15th, Gianni Grippo came in due to the silver medal he won at the ADCC Atlantic City Open.
Welterweight – Under 175lbs
Who’s Number One 22 also caused some movement at welterweight as Mica Galvao defended his title and moved into first-place. He submitted Kenta Iwamoto, who slid down to 15th. The only reason he dropped so far is because of Davis Asare and his incredible performance at the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024. He won a silver medal and beat two ranked opponents in order to break into the rankings at number 10, dropping his teammate Oliver Taza down to 14th.
Middleweight – Under 190lbs
WNO 22 effected middleweight a lot as well, particularly when Jacob Couch submitted Sebastian Rodriguez and moved up into 3rd as Rodriguez went down to 7th. Although that was the most important change at the top of the division, Tainan Dalpra also entered the no gi rankings by submitting Oliver Taza in order to move into 9th. Taza was still able to move up to 11th thanks to a solid performance at Enigma Invitational 14, where he beat David Garmo and lost to Max Hanson in the final. This performance earned Hanson the 10thposition and pushed Garmo right the way down to the bottom of the rankings. A smaller event had an impact at middleweight too, as Vitor Peres managed to beat Clay Mayfield at the IBJJF Memphis Open 2024 and he took up the 13th spot at Mayfield’s expense.
Light-Heavyweight – Under 205lbs
Taylor Pearman rocketed into the rankings by submitting Adam Wardzinski in the semi-final of the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024, taking his place at 5th and pushing him down to 9th. The man that Pearman submitted in the final, Ben Bennett, also entered the rankings for the first time at number fourteen.
Heavyweight – Under 225lbs
Marcin Maciulewicz breaks into the edge of the top ten at heavyweight after winning the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024. The man he beat in the final was Kasper Larsen, who is also a newcomer to the rankings in 15th place. The IBJJF No Gi Absolute Grand Prix 2024 had an effect too, as Kaynan Duarte moved up to the top spot by beating Dante Leon in the semi-final.
Super-Heavyweight – Over 225lbs
Victor Hugo made a big move at super-heavyweight when he beat Nicky Rodriguez by decision at WNO 22, taking his place in 3rd and pushing him down to 7th. He wasn’t the only person to shake things up though, as Mark MacQueen won the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024 to find himself just inside the top ten. The silver medalist Freddie Vosgrone also breaks into the rankings at fourteen.
Pound for Pound
A huge change took place in the men’s no gi pound for pound rankings, as Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira took the top spot with his win over Dante Leon. The IBJJF No Gi Absolute Grand Prix 2024 also had a pretty big impact, with Kaynan Duarte moving up to 8th after winning the event and pushing Leon further down to 10th place.
Jits Magazine Men’s Gi BJJ Rankings
Bantamweight – Under 137lbs
A small change at the bottom of bantamweight thanks to the IBJJF Atlanta Winter Open 2024, as Cory Walker beat Tadiyah Danforth and the two men swapped places at 13th and 14th.
Featherweight – Under 154lbs
There were no changes in the March 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Lightweight – Under 169lbs
Pablo Lavaselli moved up a single spot to 7th with a win over Danilo Moreira at the IBJJF Sacramento Open 2024, and Moreira was pushed off the rankings entirely thanks to the arrival of a huge name in the division. The IBJJF No Gi Absolute Grand Prix 2024 saw Kade Ruotolo earn a huge win over Natan Chueng, propelling himself into the edge of the top five and forcing Chueng down to 8th.
Welterweight – Under 181lbs
Bruno Bressan managed to make a move up to 12th after winning the IBJJF Campeonato Sul Brasileiro 2024 but the bottom half of the division remained unchanged otherwise. There was a minor change a little higher up the rankings, with Mauricio Oliveira dropping to 8th after a submission loss to Tainan Dalpra.
Middleweight – Under 194lbs
Lucas Giraud burst into the middleweight rankings thanks to a win at the AJP UAE National Championship and although the gold medal was a solid achievement, it was who he beat in the final that earned him a place in the division. He submitted Uanderson Ferreira to take the 9th spot in the rankings, while Ferreira slid all the way down to 12th.
Light-Heavyweight – Under 208lbs
Mateus Rodrigues enjoyed a small boost up into the 11th spot thanks to the IBJJF Sacramento Open and there’s a newcomer at 15th, Vital Neto. He earned his spot after winning a tough division at the IBJJF Campeonato Sul Brasileiro 2024 but other than that, the Jits Magazine light-heavyweight BJJ rankings remained unchanged in the March 2024 Update.
Heavyweight – Under 225lbs
Catriel Rodrigues broke into the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings at 14th in the March 2024 update, all thanks to a gold medal he won in a tough division at the IBJJF London Open 2024 that included former number 15 Eric Bergmann.
Super-Heavyweight – Over 225lbs
There were no changes in the March 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Pound for Pound
There were no changes in the March 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Jits Magazine Women’s No Gi BJJ Rankings
Strawweight – Under 115lbs
There were no changes in the March 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Featherweight – Under 125lbs
Laysla Barbosa is a new entrants at featherweight and she took the number 15 spot by winning a gold medal in this weight class at the ADCC Toronto Open 2024. She isn’t the only fresh face either, as Margot Ciccarelli and Ashley Bendle took gold and silver respectively at the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024. This put Ciccarelli in quite high at number seven, while Bendle now occupies the 10th spot. A few women moved up a single space due to Amanda ‘Tubby’ Alequin being submitted by Adele Fornarino, as she slid from 7th to 11th while Fornarino held her place in second.
Lightweight – Under 135lbs
There was huge changes at lightweight this month, and a lot of it was thanks to a star-studded tournament at Main Character Jiu-Jitsu 3. It involved the second-ranked Amanda Bruse and although she was one of the top contenders coming into the tournament, she ended up being submitted by Nicole Mathew. That alone caused a huge shift, but then Morgan Black submitted Mathew in the final and secured the second spot for herself. Mathew enters the rankings at a respectable fourth regardless, with Bruse sliding down to seventh. Grapple in the Temple 5 is responsible for a new entrant too, as Yvonne Tautiva won a stacked tournament and earned herself a debut at fifteen.
Middleweight – Under 146lbs
Middleweight is another division that underwent a big shake-up as a result of the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials 2024, with champion Aurelie Le Vern coming in at number eight. She beat Nora Schultz in the final and Schultz takes the 10th spot as a result, while the bronze medalist Gamila Kanew has entered the rankings at 14th
Heavyweight – Over 146lbs
Teenage prospect Nia Blackman announced her arrival on the biggest stage by winning an invite to ADCC 2024 and the wins she earned at the tournament were enough to see her enter the rankings at number seven. The silver and bronze medalists held their respective positions while the division moved to accommodate Blackman, but Hannah Griffith moved up slightly to 13 thanks to her fourth-place finish in a tough division.
Pound for Pound
Morgan Black gained a little ground in the pound for pound rankings, moving up two places to occupy the 13th spot.
Jits Magazine Women’s Gi BJJ Rankings
Strawweight – Under 118lbs
There were no changes in the March 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Featherweight – Under 129lbs
Karen Terra moved up a single spot into 14th as a result of her win at the IBJJF Sacramento Open 2024, although that was the only change in this division.
Lightweight – Under 141lbs
There were no changes in the March 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Middleweight – Under 163lbs
There were no changes in the March 2024 update for this division of the Jits Magazine BJJ Rankings.
Heavyweight – Over 163lbs
One massive change happened at heavyweight when Thamara Ferreira managed to beat Melissa Stricker in the final of Arte Suave Elite 32. Ferreira entered the rankings at number five as a result of the win and it meant that Stricker dropped down to 9th as well.
Pound for Pound
The only change in the women’s gi pound for pound rankings came as a result of Thamara Ferreira breaking into the heavyweight division. She enters the pound for pound rankings at fifteen, while Melissa Stricker drops off entirely.
