The IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2025 is scheduled for October 3rd to 5th, 2025 and we’ve put together a full preview of the black belt divisions now that the registration is closed. There are a number of reigning champions from No Gi Pans 2024 that are returning to defend their titles, but there’s also a few divisions that are wide open for a new king or queen. It’s always tough to predict who will end up standing on top of the podium but we’ve picked out a handful of top contenders in each weight class, along with one dark horse who might end up causing an upset.
IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2025 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: The lightest men’s weight class is also the smallest, with just 8 men competing at roosterweight. There’s no returning champion but last year’s silver medalist is here, Christopher Tran. He also won bronze at the IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2024 and has been a solid competitor for a while now, making him one of the top contenders here. His toughest opponent is probably going to be Lucas Castro, who has medalled at no gi Worlds twice now and already holds a narrow win over Tran by advantages.
Dark Horse: Osamah Almarwai actually won No Gi Worlds in 2022 and has faced pretty much all of the best in the world at this weight over the years, so he should at least come away with a medal here. The division is so small that just one win would put him on the podium and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him standing on the top.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: The reigning champion here is Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio and he’s the clear favorite to take home gold again. He is one of the best leglockers in the world and he’s really hit a peak over the last few years, making him a big problem for anyone here. Valor Boyer actually holds a win over him in a very close match so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out if they meet again, but beyond that this is Ocasio’s division.
Dark Horse: Kevin Dantzler should be considered one to watch here and although he hasn’t had a huge amount of success on the IBJJF major circuit, he’s had some amazing performances in superfights and could earn an upset against one of the favorites.
Featherweight
Favorites: The champion from this division might not be competing but there’s still some clear favorites in the bracket. Zach Kaina is the reigning world champion at light-featherweight and although he might be smaller than the other 19 men here, he’s still one of the top contenders. Emilio Hernandez won a bronze medal last time around and is always in contention for the podium, while there’s also gi specialist Cleber Sousa to look out for as well.
Dark Horse: Kaina isn’t the only top light-featherweight moving up to this division, as World silver medalist Marcos Gomes has also entered at this weight. He will be a tough opponent for anyone but it will take one of his best performances to date if he wants to win the division.
Lightweight
Favorites: The reigning champion at lightweight is Max Hanson but it won’t be easy for him, as this bracket has 23 competitors and some of them are among the best in the world. His recent rival Gianni Grippo is here and he came away with a silver medal at No Gi Worlds last year, so he’s still at the top of the game a decade after he first reached this level. The final person who has a very good chance here is another No Gi World silver medalist last year, featherweight Julian Espinosa. He has a crazy pace and is well-rounded enough to be a problem everywhere, but Hanson and Grippo are the most likely final pairing.
Dark Horse: Jed Hue is one of the UK’s top competitors and although he hasn’t quite manage to break through to the highest level internationally, it’s felt like it was a matter of time for a while now. This could be his moment to do so, as long as he can get through at least one of the favorites.
Middleweight
Favorites: Natan Chueng is the reigning champion at middleweight but he has his work cut out for him, with 26 other competitors in the bracket. He isn’t the only reigning champion in the bracket either, as Alehander Mariano is moving down from medium-heavyweight and he may well be the actual favorite. They’ll both have to keep an eye on Elijah Dorsey though, as the ADCC veteran is almost certainly going to make it to the podium at the very least.
Dark Horse: Eduardo Avelar came away with a silver medal at this weight last year but the competition is even tougher this time around, so it’s going to be hard work for him to reach the final again. He has the necessary skills to give any if the favorites a good match though, so he could do well if things go his way.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: This is the second-biggest division in this preview of the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2025 and there’s no returning champion, so it’s wide open. Jon ‘Thor’ Blank won a silver medal last year and the 10th Planet veteran is always a top contender every time he competed. He isn’t quite the favorite here though, as Wallisson Oliveira is the reigning No Gi World champion in this weight class. Oliveira is the most likely champion and Blank is his biggest threat, but David Garmo is right behind him and he’s coming off winning No Gi Brasileiro this year too.
Dark Horse: Felipe Cesar won a bronze medal here last year and he could easily do the same again but like any competitor, he’ll be looking to improve upon that performance. It’s going to be a big ask for him to do so, but if he beats one of the favorites then he might have a clear path to the final.
Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s 17 men in this weight class and Jose Jurema is the reigning champion, so he’s naturally going to be a popular pick to win it again this year. He has an incredibly big challenge ahead of him though, as two-time ADCC bronze medalist Dante Leon is competing at heavyweight too. Leon has reached the highest level of the sport and is very comfortable against bigger opponents, so he should be able to win gold here.
Dark Horse: Sean Yadimarco is an excellent competitor and he’s crossed paths with some of the best in the world, so he does have what it takes to reach the podium here. He might even be able reach the final if things go his way.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s no returning champion at super-heavyweight but Elder Cruz did win a silver medal at No Gi Worlds last year. Cruz has been a permanent fixture of the highest level of the sport for a while now and with just 13 men in the bracket, his place on the podium seems pretty locked in. There’s an even more experienced competitor who might win gold instead though, as Patrick Gaudio will be coming in representing Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu.
Dark Horse: Vinicius ‘Trator’ Ferreira has won this tournament before, but that was all the way back in 2019. That was his most successful competitive year and he hasn’t reached that same level since, but if that version of Ferreira shows up then he could win gold here.
Ultra-Heavyweight
Favorites: Lucas Montalvao is both the reigning champion here and the reigning no gi world champion, so it would be pretty silly to bet against him. There’s only 9 men in the bracket too so there isn’t much room for any surprises. Anderson Kauan took silver behind him at No Gi Worlds and will be out for revenge, but he’s also got some good momentum after winning the IBJJF No Gi Brazilian National Championship earlier this year.
Dark Horse: It’s hard to really call Roosevelt Sousa a dark horse give that he’s an ADCC veteran with some big wins on his record already, but that’s just how this bracket looks. The Montalvao vs Kauan rematch seems to be the most likely final but if anyone can shut that down, it’s Sousa.
Women’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorite: Thais Loureiro has been on a roll in no gi lately, as she’s the reigning champion both here and at No Gi Brasileiro. It’s a pretty small bracket too, with just 4 other women involved. Loureiro is almost certainly going to come out on top here, and she’ll only have to win 2 matches to do it.
Dark Horse: Mariana Rolszt won silver behind Loureiro here and behind someone else at No Gi Worlds, but she definitely has what it takes to win a no gi major like this. She actually has a winning record against Loureiro too, so if anyone can dethrone her then it’s Rolszt.
Light-Featherweight
Favorite: This is the joint-smallest weight class in this preview of the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2025, as every woman is guaranteed a place on the podium. There’s no returning champion but Mayssa Bastos is the reigning No Gi World champion and it takes something special to stop her from winning anything she enters.
Dark Horse: Truthfully, this division is Bastos’. It’s hard to imagine anyone else winning gold but Kathleen Egan has had some great results at smaller events and might be able to convert that into a good result here.
Featherweight
Favorites: There might not be a reigning champion at featherweight but Amanda Monteiro won silver both here and at No Gi Worlds. She stands out as the most likely winner and there’s only 3 matches to get through for the finalists, so not much room for surprises either. Emily Nicholson brings a ton of experience to the division though and she could come away with a major title if she can build up some momentum early on.
Dark Horse: Ana Mayordomo has been making some serious waves lately and she’s emerged as a clear contender in this division. It’s gonna be tough to overcome the experience that Monteiro and Nicholson have, but she definitely has the skills to do so.
Lightweight
Favorites: There are 12 competitors in the lightweight division and it looks as though the most likely outcome is a repeat of last year’s final. Amanda Bruse is the reigning champion and Julia Maele won silver next to her, and they’re both coming back for another shot. Bruse would probably end up winning that match again, but Maele also seems like the most likely woman to dethrone her.
Dark Horse: Jaine Fragoso took bronze at No Gi Worlds and she’s the other competitor who stands out as a potential finalist. She’ll likely be standing on the podium somewhere once the dust settles, but it’s tough to predict where exactly.
Middleweight
Favorites: This is one of the biggest women’s divisions and the reigning champion is here, but it’s hard to pick her as a favorite when there’s two generational talents in the bracket. Both Sarah Galvao and Helena Crevar are competing at middleweight and it looks like fans will be treated to the next stage in a rivalry that will likely span the next decade. Crevar won their last match in the final of CJI 2, but the change to the IBJJF ruleset actually probably favors Galvao more.
Dark Horse: Nadia Frankland is the reigning champion so the seeding will actually work in her favor, and she should beat most of her potential opponents too. The problem is that she’ll have to beat one or both of Galvao and Crevar, and Frankland would be the underdog in either of those matches.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorite: There’s 7 women competing at medium-heavyweight and no returning champion, but there is still a pretty firm favorite. Salla Simola burst on to the scene over the last two years and she won No Gi Worlds at this weight to finish off 2024, so she’ll get good seeding and a much smoother path to the final. She is going to be tough to stop, but she’s not unbeatable and there are some really good grapplers in the bracket.
Dark Horse: Nia Blackman is one of those talented competitors who could give Simola some trouble, and she actually has a win over her too. That was under a different ruleset though and Simola has since avenged it, so Simola is still the favorite even if Blackman has a decent chance of winning gold instead.
Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s no reigning champion here but young star Anabel Lopez is the reigning No Gi World champion, and she’s looking to add another title to her growing collection. She’ll have a very tough time here though, as Yara Soares is making her first no gi appearance at an IBJJF major. Soares is virtually unstoppable in the gi outside of one competitor, so she has a very good chance of winning gold here.
Dark Horse: Maria Ruffatto won silver here and a bronze at No Gi Worlds, so she’s been used to performing at the highest level over the last year. There’s only 8 women in the bracket so Ruffatto is going to run into Lopez or Soares pretty early on, but a win over one of them could start a run to gold.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorite: This is the other smallest weight class with just 4 women competing and the super-heavyweight Queen is continuing her no gi career. Gabrieli Pessanha has won everything there is to win in the gi multiple times over already, and she won double gold at No Gi Worlds on her first attempt. She’s still not been tested fully in no gi, but it’s impossible to bet against her.
Dark Horse: Paige Ivette won silver medals here and at No Gi Worlds last year, so she’s probably the biggest threat that Pessanha will face. There’s no other way to put it though, Ivette beating Pessanha here would be a huge upset.
The full IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2025, including all of the above divisions in this preview, is available to watch live on October 3rd to 5th, 2025 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
