The IBJJF No Gi European Championship 2025 is scheduled for October 29th to November 2nd, 2025 and we’ve put together a full preview of the event. Each division at the black belt level will feature some of the best competitors from all across the continent, and even further beyond. There’s a few reigning champions from last year’s no gi Euros but none of them will have easy paths to another title, as there’s tough opponents waiting everywhere. This also marks the final chance for everyone to get some elite-level IBJJF no gi competition rounds in before the IBJJF No Gi World Championship at the end of the year, so there’s going to be some interesting storylines developing.
IBJJF No Gi European Championship 2025 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: This is the smallest bracket in the men’s divisions with just 6 competitors, and there’s no returning champion either. Most of the podium from the IBJJF No Gi European Championship last year is absent in fact, and the favorite is a man who didn’t even compete at all. He is no stranger to the event though, as Shay Montague was actually the champion at No Gi Euros 2023. Montague should be able to come out on top again and add a second major title to his collection, and he usually has a high finishing-rate that will make it an exciting run too.
Dark Horse: Denis Beenan won bronze here last year and took silver the year before, losing to Montague in the final. He’s a safe bet to make the podium but it would be a bit of an upset if he beat Montague this year.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio is the reigning champion here and it’s no exaggeration to say that he’s won pretty much everything he can in the IBJJF no gi circuit. He’s the clear favorite and there’s only 10 other men in the bracket, so he’ll only have to win 3 matches to win gold. Daniel De Groot is probably his toughest opposition and he only lost on advantages last year, so a few improvements in the last year might be enough to see him win their match here.
Dark Horse: Jacob Semsem might be fairly unknown but he actually stood next to Ocasio on the podium of the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship this year, with both of them earning bronze medals. Winning gold here would be a huge feat for sure, but it Semsem will likely make it to the podium again at least.
Featherweight
Favorites: Featherweight is another division with no reigning champion, but it does have a man who’s already won this tournament twice before. Ashley Williams has been one of the top competitors in Europe for almost a decade now and he should be able to take home his third title here after winning in 2016 and 2022. Kamil Wilk is also competing here and he’s a fantastic leglocker who can submit anyone on the right day, but Williams has alredy beaten him before and would be the favorite to do so again.
Dark Horse: There’s 15 men in this bracket so there’s enough room for a surprise or two, and Alessio Sachetti is probably best-positioned to provide them. He’s one of the best grapplers to come out of Italy in recent years and he’s had some big wins, so reaching the final here is a very real possibility for him.
Lightweight
Favorites: Yigit Hanay is the reigning champion at lightweight but he isn’t the only winner from last year in this bracket, as Julian Espinosa has moved up from featherweight. These two men represent the most likely final match of the bracket but it’s not a foregone conclusion, as there’s a veteran grappler who could easily take either of their places. Out of all 25 men competing here, Gianni Grippo has the most experience at the highest level and he’s still winning medals even today. He won a silver medal at No Gi Worlds last year and is always a top contender in any bracket, so he will definitely be on the podium somewhere at least.
Dark Horse: David Stoilescu is still flying under the radar even though he’s had some great performances lately and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before he has a proper breakout moment. This could easily be that moment as long as he can put it all together on the day.
Middleweight
Favorites: This is the biggest division in this preview of the IBJJF No Gi European Championship 2025 with 27 competitors in it, and it’s wide open for the taking. There’s no reigning champion and several big named who are capable of coming out on top. Ellis Younger has a real chance of taking a gold medal back to England, but this division is full of excellent leglockers like him. Kieran Kichuk and Tarik Hopstock are the strongest contenders and they’re both able to match Younger in his best areas, so either of them could easily end up winning instead.
Dark Horse: Younger isn’t the only hope that the UK has of taking gold here, as Welshman Tom Barry has been a constant threat on the national circuit for quite a while now. He has some serious talent from all around the world in front of him though, so hitting the podium would be a big achievement.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: This is another division with no returning champion and it’s packed with 20 elite grapplers, so anything can happen. Pawel Jaworski has good momentum after the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship, where he won gold in his black belt debut. He’s already beaten his biggest opponent in the bracket too, although it was a very close decision. That man is Tommy Langaker, who is one of the few no gi world champions competing in the event. It’s easy to imagine Langaker getting revenge and leaving with a gold medal here; while last year’s bronze medalist, Shane Fishman, also stands a great chance of winning.
Dark Horse: Clay Mayfield is a solid grappler who’s always competitive, so he’s expected to progress a decent way through the bracket. It’s hard to imagine him beating all the favorites but if things go his way then he could easily end up on the podium.
Heavyweight
Favorites: This is another 20-man division without a reigning champion, but this one is even tougher to predict. Faris Ben-Lamkadem won his first no gi world title last year but he isn’t that far ahead of the rest of the field and could run into trouble here. Matheus Vetoraci in particular is a tough matchup and he’ll be out for revenge after losing their first match by decision. Sergio Vilas is another one to watch, as he’s been putting in some great performances on the superfight circuit in the US.
Dark Horse: This division is so tough to predict that there could be half a dozen different competitors in this slot, but we’re picking Max Bickerton. He a veteran competitor who’s shared the mats with some of the best in the world and all that experience makes a difference when the matches will be so tight.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorites: There might not be a returning champion at super-heavyweight but Jean Maltese won a silver medal here last year. The path should be fairly clear for him to make it to the final again but his most likely opponent there will be ADCC veteran Elioenai Braz. Braz would likely win that direct match but there’s another grappler who might throw a spanner in the works, as Moritz Kollensperger has been on the rise for a while now and this could be his time to shine now.
Dark Horse: With 17 competitors here; everyone will have to win at least 4 matches and that leaves plenty of room for mistakes. Ramiro Leon has had good runs at other events before so if he can show up in his best form then he could go very far.
Ultra-Heavyweight
Favorites: Heikki Jussila is last year’s ultra-heavyweight champion and that was his second consecutive title here. He’s primed for another gold medal but he will almost certainly have to get through Anderson Kauan to get it. There’s just 13 men in the bracket and both Jussila and Kauan will be seeded highly, so this will almost certainly be the final match.
Dark Horse: Alexander Sak is going to be one to watch here, as he has been making an impact in Europe in both gi and no gi competition recently. He might be 33 but that’s plenty young enough in this weight class and he is definitely capable of matching Kauan and Jussila on a technical level too.
Women’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: There are only 2 competitors here but it will still be a fairly close division. There’s no reigning champion and the two women involved have already faced each other a massive 10 times. Mariana Rolszt is the one with the lead in their series, as she’s won 7 of those matches and she should feel confident coming into this as the favorite.
Dark Horse: Thais Loureiro might be down in her series with Rolszt but she’s still beaten her multiple times and is more than capable of doing it again. Loureiro might not be the favorite on paper but the matchup is close enough that it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if she won.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: There might not be a returning champion but there’s a very clear favorite here, as Mayssa Bastos is always a safe bet no matter what the bracket looks like. She’s the reigning no gi world champion and is coming into this off the back of another gold medal at Pans, so she has a lot of momentum as well.
Dark Horse: Josefine Modig is a solid grappler and she deserves to be more well-known outside of Europe than she currently is. There’s only 6 women in the bracket so Modig should make it to the podium, but beating Bastos to the top spot is going to be a big challenge.
Featherweight
Favorites: This is the joint-biggest women’s division in this preview of the IBJJF No Gi European Championship 2025, with 10 athletes competing. There might not be a returning champion but there’s a very clear pair of top contenders, starting with one of this year’s biggest breakout stars; Ana Mayordomo. Mayordomo has been a black belt for just under a year and she’s already making waves, but her biggest opponent here is Ashley Bendle and she’s been competing at this level almost as long as Mayordomo has been training. She’s medalled at a few majors over the last few years and this seems like the ideal time for her to win this title for the first time, as long as she can shut down Mayordomo,
Dark Horse: Lauren Sognefest is virtually brand new to being a black belt but she medalled in her first major tournament; taking bronze at No Gi Pans. She’s a rising star at Art of Jiu-Jitsu and she will likely hit the podium again, but it’ll be interesting to see if she can do even better than her bronze medal at Pans.
Lightweight
Favorites: There’s 9 competitors at lightweight and although this division’s champion isn’t returning, the middleweight champion Brianna Ste-Marie is dropping down to compete here. Ste-Marie is also the reigning No Gi World champion and an ADCC veteran so it’s going to take a lot to stop her from winning. Amanda Bruse might have what it takes to do that though, as she’s medalled at No Gi Worlds for two years in a row and placed in the top four at ADCC Trials too. Ste-Marie is still the favorite, but this will be a great match worth watching.
Dark Horse: Zara Di Tofano is one of a wave of talent coming out of Ireland lately and she should do well here, but Bruse beat her at No Gi Pans recently and Ste-Marie is a difficult opponent for anyone. Di Tofano will likely get on the podium again but this is a very tough division to win.
Middleweight
Favorites: This is the other big women’s division of 10 competitors and there’s no returning champion here either. Rosa Walsh did win a silver medal last year and with the woman who beat her absent, she has a very good chance of winning gold just like she did at No Gi Euros 2023. She has Injana Goodman to contend with though, as she’s fresh off a silver medal at No Gi Pans and registered her best performance to date at the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials this year.
Dark Horse: Nadia Frankland would normally be a favorite here, but she lost two matches to Goodman at Pans and will probably have to pull one back against her if she wants to win gold here. She’s medalled at several major tournaments though, so it’s not out of the question at all.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s only 7 women in this division and Salla Simola is the logical favorite after her winning her first No Gi World title last year, but there’s a woman in the bracket who has beaten Simola time and time again. Ane Svendsen is one of the best competitors in Europe anyway but her record against Simola is excellent, as she has won all four of their matches so far. The most likely final is another rematch between them and although Simola can win, history suggests Svendsen will.
Dark Horse: Nia Blackman is still very young but she has already proven that she belongs at this level, and she only narrowly lost to Simola at No Gi Worlds last year. A few minor adjustments would have seen her win a world title and as she’s constantly improving, she might take home a European title here.
Heavyweight
Favorite: There’s just 2 women competing in the heavyweight division and none of the medalists from last year are returning. The favorite is Paige Ivette, as she’s established herself as a top contender recently and even won a silver medal at No Gi Worlds last year.
Dark Horse: Laura Barker is the only other woman in the heavyweight division and although a win is possible, it’s always tough to deliver an upset when you have no prior matches to build up momentum from.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorite: There is only one woman registered at super-heavyweight unfortunately, so Gabrieli Pessanha will receive a default gold medal. She always competes in the absolute division as well though and given her incredible record, she will be the favorite to win that.
The full IBJJF No Gi European Championship 2025, including all of the above divisions in this preview, is available to watch live on October 29th to November 2nd, 2025 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
