The IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2024 is scheduled to take place from December 12th to 14th, 2024, and we’ve put together a full preview of every division at the event. There are a number of storylines emerging as the event comes closer, and every bracket has it’s own element of intrigue. From last year’s reigning champions looking to defend their titles to the fresh black belts who will be challenging them, every division is stacked with elite IBJJF no gi competitors from all around the world. When the dust does settle at the end of the week, there will almost certainly be plenty of surprises to look back on.
IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2024 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: This is the smallest men’s division this year and the reigning champion is here, ready to defend his title. Everton Teixeira is last year’s gold medalist and he’s coming into the tournament this year in good form as well, as he recently won the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024. His biggest opposition will likely come from the man who won the other two major IBJJF no gi events this year, Christopher Tran. Teixeira already beat Tran in the final of no gi Pans though, so he’d be the favorite to win that match again. There’s a new opponent waiting for him too though, as 2022 world champion Osamah Almarwai will be another threat to the title.
Dark Horse: Jalen Fonacier had an impressive breakout performance at no gi Pans, taking home a bronze medal in this weight class. Obviously it’ll be tough for him to beat all of the favorites, but he could surprise any one of them if he is able to bring the best version of himself on the day.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio is the reigning champion here at light-featherweight and more than that, he won the IBJJF no gi grand slam last year. He’s also coming into this off gold medals at both no gi Pans and the IBJJF No Gi European Championship 2024 too, so he’s the clear favorite out of the 16 men here. Only one man other than Ocasio has won an IBJJF no gi major in the last two years, and that’s Leonardo Martins. He won the IBJJF No Gi Brazilian National Championship 2024 and he looks like he should be the biggest rival to Ocasio, other than his old foe and last year’s silver medalist here; Zach Kaina.
Dark Horse: Isaac Cordova has been on fire lately and he’s already met the biggest favorite in this division, Ocasio, on the mats this year. It’ll take something special to beat Ocasio of course, but Cordova could definitely find his way to the podium at the very least.
Featherweight
Favorites: There’s 17 tough competitors and no returning champion at featherweight, so this division is wide open for the taking Julian Espinosa is the only man who stood on the podium at all last year but he’s shown some great improvements this year with gold medals at both the IBJJF No Gi Brazilian National Championship and no gi Euros. The man who stopped him in the final of no gi Pans is also here though, and that’s the young prodigy Cole Abate. A rematch between Espinosa and Abate looks like the most likely final pairing, but no gi Pans bronze medalist Emilio Hernandez could definitely cause an upset and take one of their places.
Dark Horse: ADCC veteran Sam McNally is one of the best no gi grapplers to ever come out of Ireland and he’s always a tough opponent for anyone. The odds are against him a little here but with such an open division, he could definitely make a run to the podium.
Lightweight
Favorites: Lucas Valente is the reigning champion at lightweight, but he’s only had one match since he won the title last year. With 25 other men in the division who have all been very active leading up to this, it’s going to be a tough bracket for Valente. Yigit Hanay won both no gi Euros and no gi Brasileiro this year and although his last appearance at Pans ended in a bronze medal, he’s still going to be a favorite. Gianni Grippo is probably the biggest name in the division and although he last won this tournament in 2021, he’s a two-time world champion who can never be counted out.
Dark Horse: Daniel Sathler won a bronze medal at this event last year but he’s shown some remarkable improvements since then and may turn out to be a real threat in this division. Lightweight is one of the biggest and most stacked brackets of the entire tournament though, so winning gold is a huge challenge.
Middleweight
Favorites: Middleweight is the biggest division in this preview of the IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2024 as there is 27 grapplers competing. There’s no returning champion either and the only man from last year’s podium is bronze medalist Fabio Caloi and although he’s going to be a favorite, he has some tough opponents. Fellow ADCC veteran Elijah Dorsey is going to be a contender, as is the no gi Pans champion Natan Chueng.
Dark Horse: Fabyury Khrysthyan won the IBJJF No Gi European Championship earlier this year, but the level of competition he’ll be facing here is much higher. Khrysthyan has been making an impact recently though and he could end up surprising a few people with how far he goes.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: The middleweight division is another one with no reigning champion but there is a former champion among the 23 elite competitors here. Sebastian Rodriguez won the title in 2022 and came out with a bronze medal last year, so he’s a very safe bet to reach the podium at the very least. David Garmo was last year’s silver medalist and he also has a good chance of emerging as the champion here, while this year’s no gi Pans heavyweight silver medalist Francisco Lo is the other top contender.
Dark Horse: Jon ‘Thor’ Blank was one of the top 10th Planet representatives for a while and he had a good run at no gi Pans this year that saw him leave with a silver medal. It’ll be tough for him to win, but he definitely has what it takes to hit the podium.
Heavyweight
Favorites: The entire heavyweight podium from last year’s IBJJF No Gi World Championship isn’t returning for 2024, making this one of the toughest divisions to predict in this preview. Jose Jurema is coming in with some momentum after winning no gi Pans and he stands out as one of the most likely to win but he has some seriously tough opposition from ADCC veterans Jacob Couch and Felipe Costa. Both Couch and Costa are likely to make the podium depending on how the bracket is drawn, but Costa did submit Couch at ADCC 2024.
Dark Horse: Luccas Lira is an incredibly tough opponent for anyone and it takes a lot to beat him, but the division around him is just so stacked. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him win, but he isn’t quite one of the favorites to do so.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorites: Javier Zaruski is the reigning champion here and with just 15 other men in the division, he stands a good chance of retaining his title. He has some fellow ADCC veterans in the bracket who will make life really hard for him though, particularly the Polish powerhouse Marcin Maciulewicz. He will also likely have to get through Elder Cruz, who actually won a bronze medal in the absolute here last year and will no doubt be eager to improve upon that performance.
Dark Horse: Elioenai Braz won silver at no gi Brasileiro this year and he has been right up there with some of the best in the world in the past, so he might be actually be able to win if he’s made some minor adjustments that could take him to that highest level.
Ultra-Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s just 14 men competing at ultra-heavyweight and Roosevelt Sousa isn’t just the reigning champion, he’s also last year’s absolute silver medalist. He’s a strong favorite to win this year and it’s likely that he’ll have to face the same man in the final, as Heikki Jussila will be looking to improve upon his silver medal last year. Devhonte Johnson is another contender who has been in the mix lately, winning the absolute division at no gi Pans earlier this year.
Dark Horse: John Hansen has been competing at the highest level for quite some time now and he always turns in solid performances, making him someone who can’t be overlooked. If a few small exchanges go in his favour, he could beat the favorites here.
Women’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: There’s no champion at roosterweight and just 9 competitors, so this is going to be a tightly-contested bracket. Thais Loureiro is coming into this off a gold medal at no gi Pans and she seems like the most likely champion, although the woman she beat in the final there is always a tough opponent. That was Mariana Rolszt and she also won a silver medal at worlds last year, so she’s the other main contender in this division.
Dark Horse: Top Art of Jiu-Jitu prospect Shelby Murphey is still very new to this level of competition but she did come away with a silver medal from the light-featherweight division at no gi Pans just recently. It’s tough to predict just how well she’ll do, but she clearly has the skills to compete with every woman in the bracket.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: Although there’s no reigning champion at light-featherweight, one of the 6 women in the bracket still won gold last year. Mayssa Bastos is moving up from roosterweight after winning that division in 2023 and although she might be smaller than her opponents, she’s one of the best to ever do it. On the opposite side of the scale, Jessica Crane is moving down from featherweight after winning bronze last year and she stands a good chance of going at least one match further.
Dark Horse: Sophia Cassella is another relatively new face at the black belt level of competition but she’s also earned a bronze medal at an IBJJF no gi major already. This might be too soon for her to win gold, but it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see her on the podium somewhere.
Featherweight
Favorites: The featherweight division is also missing its reigning champion but Tammi Musumeci is stepping up from light-featherweight to add this title to her collection. She will be one of the top two contenders out of the 9 women in this division, with the other woman being the legendary Talita Alencar. Although she’s focusing on MMA more lately, Alencar jumped in to win no gi Pans out of nowhere and stands a good chance of doing the same here.
Dark Horse: Bre Stikk might not be as well-known as the favorites in the division but she’s a legitimately talented grappler. It will take a lot for her to leave with a title, but she should hit the podium at least.
Lightweight
Favorites: Lightweight is the biggest women’s division with 12 competitors and although the champion isn’t here to defend her title, it’s still packed with talent. Amanda Bruse was last year’s silver medalist and the no gi Pans champion this year, so she has a great chance of winning gold. Brianna Ste-Marie is the 2022 champion though and she is riding a huge wave of momentum after winning The Crown earlier this year. Last year’s bronze medalist was Julia Maele and she’s another contender, although it might be tough for her to beat Bruse after losing to her in the final of no gi Pans.
Dark Horse: Morgan Black is an ADCC veteran and a woman who is incredibly well-known on the superfight circuit, as she has beaten a ton of elite opposition. Although she’s not quite one of the favorites here, she could give any one of them a run for their money.
Middleweight
Favorites: The middleweight division might not have a returning champion but it does have possibly the most interesting storyline of the whole event. Elisabeth Clay is the 2022 champion and just 3 months after giving birth to her first child, she returned to competition with a vengeance by winning both the heavyweight and absolute divisions at no gi Pans. She’s the favorite to win gold here too, although the middleweight no gi Pans champion Nadia Frankland might be the woman to stop her.
Dark Horse: Gamila Kanew has been on a tear lately, repeatedly proving her status as one of the top competitors in Europe. Having the same success here is a whole different level of accomplishment though, and it would take some incredible performances for her to win the title.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: Medium-heavyweight is another division without a returning champion, although last year’s silver medalist is here. That was Salla Simola and she’s since won double bronze at no gi Euros and a bronze medal at no gi Pans, consistently putting herself right at the top of the division. There’s 7 other women though and each one is a tough opponent, most notably last year’s bronze medalist and no gi Pans silver medalist Jordan Patrick.
Dark Horse: Nia Blackman is one of the youngest competitors in the black belt divisions and she’s coming into this after winning no gi Euros at heavyweight. She is definitely one to watch for the future at the very least, but with such an open division she might even be able to win her first world title now.
Heavyweight
Favorites: Although the heavyweight champion isn’t returning, Elizabeth Mitrovic is moving up from medium-heavyweight after winning the title there last year. She is definitely coming into this as the favorite but she will probably have to get through Maria Malyjasiak, last year’s double bronze medalist who has been a top contender for quite some time now.
Dark Horse: With just 7 women in the division, there’s not a lot of surprises that could be sprung here. Maria Ruffatto is the only dark horse really, and the ADCC Trials winner is coming off a pair of silver medals at no gi Pans so she’s expected to hit the podium at least.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorite: There are only 2 women competing at super-heavyweight so there will only be a single match, although fans will likely get to see both women return in the absolute division at least. Gabrieli Pessanha is the favorite to win the only match in the super-heavyweight bracket, even though this edition of the IBJJF World Championship marks her no gi debut. She’s dominated the world of gi Jiu-Jitsu for so long now that it seems almost a certainty that she’ll end up doing the same in the new format.
Dark Horse: Mayara Moreira is the other woman in the super-heavyweight division and she’s not an easy opponent by any stretch of the imagination. Moreira actually won the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship earlier this year so she definitely has the ability to win, but the odds of anybody beating Pessanha is slim.
The full IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2024 event, including all of the divisions in the above preview, is available to watch live from December 12th to 14th, 2024, on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
