The IBJJF staged their first Jiu-Jitsu Grand Prix event in 2021, set to coincide with the Masters World Championships in order to help bring attention to the event. The event featured eight elite competitors who were invited to compete across two different weightclasses, with the winners of each one receiving a $20,000 grand prize and the runners-up walking away with $3,000. The Middleweight division saw the first match won by the thinnest of margins as Jonnatas Gracie did just enough to earn the referee decision in his battle against Otavio Souza. On the opposite side of the bracket, the young Art of Jiu-Jitsu star Tainan Dalpra was in little trouble against Renato Canuto as he won by a 7-point margin.
The final then lasted less than four minutes as Dalpra submitted Gracie with a collar choke from the back to take home the grand prize. In the Heavyweight division, Victor Hugo also had a difficult match against Gustavo Batista and won thanks to a single penalty conceded by Batista. Hugo did spend the majority of the match in top position but was unable to secure a pass to win more convincingly. Elsewhere, Mahamed Aly got his gi torn early in his match with Fellipe Andrew that caused a stop in the action but he went on to win by 10 points to 4. When Aly and Hugo met in the final, the match was over in less than two and-a-half minutes as Hugo secured a tight ankle-lock that he later explained he learned from Isaac Doederlein.
IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Grand Prix 2021 Full Results
Middleweight Semi-Finals
Jonnatas Gracie defeats Otavio Sousa via Decision – 4-4 on points, 1-1 on advantages, Referee Decision
Tainan Dalpra defeats Renato Canuto via Decision – 9-2 on points
Heavyweight Semi-Finals
Victor Hugo defeats Gustavo Batista via Decision – 0-0 on points, 2-0 on advantages, 0-1 on penalties
Mahamed Aly defeats Fellipe Andrew via Decision – 10-4 on points
Middleweight Final
Tainan Dalpra defeats Jonnatas Gracie via Submission – Choke
Heavyweight Final
Victor Hugo defeats Mahamed Aly via Submission – Straight Ankle Lock
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