The IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025 is scheduled for December 11th to 13th, 2025 and we’ve put together a preview of every division at the tournament. This is always a big moment in the calendar as it’s a big title, and it caps the year off perfectly for most competitors. It always attracts a big turnout but this year is even bigger than ever before, with over 4,000 competitors registered across every belt color and age bracket. The adult black belts are obviously who most of the attention is on though, and every bracket is looking stacked; with over 260 entrants across all of them.
IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: There’s just 12 men competing at roosterweight and Everton Teixeira seems like the pretty clear favorite among them. He’s been a dominant force in this weight class, winning the IBJJF No Gi World Championship in 2024 and in 2023 too. It’s a pretty safe bet that he’s going to come away with a third title, but he will probably have to get through Lucas Castro at some point. He’s 4-1 against Castro overall but Castro did get the win in their last match, making him the most likely man to dethrone Teixeira.
Dark Horse: Shay Montague is a bit of a wildcard here but he’s a well-rounded grappler and very prolific finisher, meaning that he’s always a threat. He’s also coming in off winning the IBJJF No Gi European Championship this year, giving him a lot of momentum as he comes up against his toughest challenge yet.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: There might not be a returning champion at light-featherweight but there’s still a top contender out of the 14 men competing. Edwin ‘Junny’ Ocasio has won everything he can on the IBJJF no gi circuit and he’s one of the best leglockers in the world; an area where he can beat pretty much anyone. Ocasio is tough to submit but Vinicius Inacio is the last man to beat him; having done so twice this year already. Both those wins were on advantages but Inacio could definitely repeat those performances and win gold here.
Dark Horse: Marcos Gomes is the returning silver medallist from last year and he should be able to make it to the podium again, but taking gold will be tough seeing as he will likely have to beat both Ocasio and Inacio to do so.
Featherweight
Favorites: There’s 20 men competing at featherweight and no returning champion, so quite a few competitors look like potential winners here. Ashley Williams recently won the IBJJF No Gi European Championship and he’s been one of the top grapplers in the continent for several years now, so this might be his moment to win that elusive world title. Three-time champion Gianni Grippo is probably going to be standing opposite him though, and Grippo would be the favorite there. There’s also Marco Mendes in the bracket and he won No Gi Pans this year, making him a real threat to both Williams and Grippo.
Dark Horse: Cameron Mellott is a popular competitor on the professional no gi circuit and he just came away with a silver medal behind Mendes at the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship too. He’s flying under the radar a little here but if any of the favorites underestimate him, he could cause an upset.
Lightweight
Favorites: The reigning lightweight champion might not be returning this year but the featherweight champion, Cole Abate, is among the 25 competitors in this division. He has a good chance of winning a second title, especially because his main opposition are all around the same size as him. Julian Espinosa was the silver medallist standing next to Abate on the featherweight podium last year, marking the second time Abate beat him. Espinosa improves all the time though, as does the other main contender; Yigit Hanay. Hanay is a new opponent for Abate and he’s just as capable of beating him as Espinosa, but Abate remains the favorite overall.
Dark Horse: David Stoilescu is pretty much the definition of a dark horse here, but he’s been quietly putting together some amazing performances on smaller professional shows. He has multiple medals from ADCC Trials over the years and although the competition is a little tougher here, he could go on a pretty deep run in this division.
Middleweight
Favorites: There’s 33 middleweights at the IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025 and that makes it the biggest division in this preview. There’s no champion either, so the division is wide open for the taking. Fabyury Khrysthyan won silver last year and he’s an unpredictable opponent, but that can work against him just as much as it works for him. Max Hanson and Oliver Taza are both more consistent performers and might end up running away with the division instead. There’s also Marcelo Fausto too; who’s coming in off winning No Gi Pans and could build off that momentum. These four competitors are probably going to share the podium, but the order they stand in could change on any given day.
Dark Horse: A real unknown quantity in this bracket is Michael Perez. He’s medalled here before and has competed at ADCC several times in the past, but he hasn’t been very active in the last year. He could easily win the whole thing really but it’s a big bracket and activity often plays a factor when you have to get through 5 matches to get gold.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: This is a huge division with 28 entrants and although Wallisson Oliveira is the reigning champion, he’s going to have a very tough time defending his title. It’s not so much about the size of the division though, it’s more because of one man in particular. Elite leglocker Pawel Jaworski is done terrorising the brown belt division and since being promoted to black belt, he’s been just as impressive. He won double gold at the IBJJF No Gi European Championship and although two gold medals here would be very difficult, one looks pretty doable for him. The other potential contender is Gabriel Brod and although he should beat pretty much everyone else, both Oliveira and Jaworski would be favorites against him.
Dark Horse: David Garmo is a veteran competitor with years of experience and he should make a good run here unless he faces one of the favorites early on. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him on the podium but winning gold would likely require multiple upsets.
Heavyweight
Favorites: Faris Ben-Lamkadem is the reigning champion at heavyweight and he recently won No Gi Euros too, so he stands a great chance of winning the title on the mat this time around rather than months later when the champion on the day fails a test. He’ll probably have to beat Javier Barter to do that though and seeing as Barter also won a no go major this year, that won’t be easy. The real favorite here is two-time ADCC bronze medallist Dante Leon though and although he’ll be smaller than most men here, he’s proven that he can overcome that disadvantage plenty of times over.
Dark Horse: Calon Sabino won a bronze medal here last year and although he’s had mixed results against the highest level of competition, he should be able to equal that performance again. Taking it a step further than that will be difficult but it’ll be interesting to see how Sabino fares this year.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s 17 competitors here but with no returning champion, the division is wide open for the taking. Elder Cruz won a silver medal here and a gold medal at No Gi Pans so he should be the favorite, but there’s quite a few competitors who are hot on his heels. Elioenai Braz has beaten plenty of elite grapplers before and although he’s not very well-known, Australian black belt Nicholas Maglicic has had some huge wins this year. Braz is the most likely to stop Cruz but either one of them could take advantage of any mistakes he makes.
Dark Horse: Jean Maltese is one of the top Italian competitors around and he’s had some good showings against the best in the world before. It would be one of the biggest upsets in this preview if he was able to win gold, but another medal isn’t out of the question at all.
Ultra-Heavyweight
Favorites: The heaviest men’s weight class at the IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025 is also the smallest; with just 7 men to consider in this preview. There’s no champion though and the division is pretty open, with silver medalist Anderson Kauan and ADCC veteran Roosevelt Sousa being the top contenders. They’re the most likely final pairing and either man could win it, but Sousa is the favorite in a direct matchup.
Dark Horse: Heikki Jussila has medalled at several no gi majors and won ADCC Trials before, so he’s a real threat here. He’s very difficult to beat standing so will make a tough opponent for anyone, but is still the underdog in this division.
Women’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: The roosterweight division is very tough to predict even though there’s only 7 women in it, as there’s two obvious contenders. Thais Loureiro and Mariana Rolszt are all but guaranteed to meet in the final, but at that point it really could go either way. They’ve had 11 matches at black belt so far and Rolszt currently leads the series 7-4, but they’re 2-2 in no gi and most matches have been very close.
Dark Horse: Faye Cherrier won a bronze medal at No Gi Pans and she will be a tough opponent for anyone, but both Loureiro and Rolszt would be the favorite against her. The most likely outcome is another bronze medal for Cherrier, but she could spring a surprise on someone here.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: Mia Funegra made history by becoming the youngest IBJJF World Champion ever earlier this year and although she’s largely untested at this level in no gi, she might be able to repeat that feat. There’s just 8 other women here and the biggest opposition for Funegra is probably going to Brenda Larissa, who has been winning at this level for half a decade now and has a clear experience advantage. Larissa should be the favorite to win gold, but it’s impossible to count Funegra out.
Dark Horse: Mia’s sister Ashlee Funegra is also in the bracket and she’s just as much of a talented young prospect as Mia is. It’ll be tough for her to beat Larissa but she’s shared dozens of finals with her sister over the years and might end up doing that again here.
Featherweight
Favorites: There might not be a reigning champion in the featherweight division but Adele Fornarino is the reigning ADCC double champion and that is a much more prestigious achievement. Fornarino is the favorite to win gold but Ana Mayordomo has been on the rise this year, establishing herself as one of the beat in the world inside of just a few months. It would be a big upset if Mayordomo beat Fornarino but with the form she’s been in, it’s not out of the question.
Dark Horse: Emily Nicholson won bronze last year and she’s pretty much always in contention at every tournament she enters, so she should do at least that well this year. Beating Fornarino would be just as much of an upset for her as it would be for Mayordomo though, so winning gold in this division would be tough.
Lightweight
Favorites: Brianna Ste-Marie is the reigning champion here and even with 14 other women in the bracket, she’s still going to be the favorite to win it again. The other finalist here last year was Morgan Black and she’s coming back for another shot at a title, so there’s a decent chance that we see the same final play out again. Margot Ciccarelli might have something to say about that though, and she actually beat Ste-Marie by decision earlier this year so she may well do it again.
Dark Horse: Amanda Bruse is another competitor who is pretty much always in contention at major tournaments, and she should find a place on the podium somewhere. She can easily build momentum in such a big bracket and that might be enough to see her through to an upset or two.
Middleweight
Favorites: With 17 competitors, middleweight is the biggest women’s division in this preview of the IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025. Elisabeth Clay is the reigning champion and although she’s had mixed results so far this year, she’s still the favorite to take home the title again. Nadia Frankland was her opponent in the final last year and she’ll likely hit the podium again, but there’s another woman who stands out as an even bigger threat to Clay. Injana Goodman won a tough division at ADCC European Trials 2025 and she’s actually beaten Frankland 3 times this year already, so she’s in a great position to challenge for her first world title.
Dark Horse: Sula-Mae Loewenthal has had flashes of brilliance over the last year or two and she definitely has the ability to make it to the podium even in a packed division like this. Standing on the top spot will be a very tough challenge but an upset or two would be enough to see her do it.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: Salla Simola is the reigning world champion and she’s been on a roll this year, winning multiple no gi majors leading up to this. With just 9 women in the division her path to the final looks pretty clear, but there’s a good chance that she’ll meet Ane Svendsen there. Simola won their last match at no gi Euros but Svendsen has won all 4 of their other matches, so she’d be the favorite if they do meet again.
Dark Horse: It seems like this division is pretty much destined for an European champion, as the next contender after Simola and Svendsen is Jessika Torttila. The Finnish black belt would be the underdog against either of them but she should win the rest of her matches, a status that would see her leave with a bronze medal at the very least.
Heavyweight
Favorites: Helena Crevar is not exactly unbeatable but she’s looked as close to it as most grapplers ever get lately. She’s notoriously difficult to submit and despite being so young, she’s already beaten many of the best in the world. She’s the favorite to win gold but there’s another elite young competitor who might be able to take her place; Cassia Moura. Moura has looked just as flawless as Crevar and even won a title here last year, although that was at featherweight. The main difficulty she’ll have is that she’s at a significant size disadvantage, but if anyone has the skills to overcome it then she does.
Dark Horse: Nia Blackman is also moving up in weight after winning a bronze medal at medium-heavyweight last year. She won’t be at as much of a size disadvantage but it’ll still be tough to win gold here with Crevar in the bracket. Blackman is consistently improving though, so she might be able to get revenge after two decision losses to Crevar at Polaris.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorite: There’s just 6 women competing at super-heavyweight, making it the smallest division of the tournament. Gabrieli Pessanha is the clear favorite out of all of them, and for very good reason. Not only is she the reigning champion both here and in the absolute, but she also won double gold in all three IBJJF no gi majors this year. She’s already cemented her legacy as a gi legend and she’s well on the way to doing it in no gi too, with this tournament looking like another stepping stone along the way.
Dark Horse: Mayara Moreira won silver by default last year but she’ll have to win a match or two this time around to get the same result. It looks pretty likely that she will do that, unless she runs into Pessanha earlier on in the bracket.
The full IBJJF No Gi World Championship 2025 event, including every division in the above preview, will be available to watch live from December 11th to 13th, 2025 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
