The IBJJF Rio BJJ Pro Open 2023 took place on October 28th, 2023 and some of the best grapplers from all around Brazil competed at the event. Matheus Onda put in some fantastic work in the featherweight division, winning the gold medal over some incredibly tough opposition like Lucas Maquine. There were plenty of elite competitors in other weight classes too, with Pedro Silva standing on top of the podium in the middleweight division and Alexandre De Jesus taking home a bronze medal. Although there was fantastic matches everywhere, there were two weight classes in particular that stood out for having an incredible lineup.
Pedro Machado won the heavyweight division after beating Horlando Monteiro in the final, and even the two bronze medalists were elite grapplers too. Hygor Brito shared the third spot on the podium at that weight class with Vinicius Liberati, and the fact that neither of these men were able to make it to the final is a testament to how stacked the division was. Ultra-heavyweight attracted some big names too, with Erich Munis emerging victorious over Pedro Alex in the final match while Pedro Lucas had to settle for one of the bronze medals available.
The women’s divisions of the IBJJF Rio BJJ Pro Open 2023 generated plenty of action as well, particularly at light-featherweight where Jessica Dantas put on a superb display of elite grappling in order to win gold. Sabrina Gondim was equally impressive when she won the middleweight division, although she only had one match in order to do so. Dantas returned later on for the absolute division and even won a bronze medal, although it was the super-heavyweight winner Stefhanie Costa who took home the gold medal there and left as the double champion. There was action all around and the event handed out some decent cash prizes to the champions as well, rewarding them for their efforts on the mats.
