The IBJJF Pan Championship 2024 will take place on March 20th to 24th, 2024 and we’ve put together a full preview of every division taking place at the event. This is the second major IBJJF tournament of the calendar, after the IBJJF European Championship started the year off with a bang. This means that there are several competitors who will be coming into the event with the hopes of continuing their run towards a grand slam, along with many more top-ranked gi grapplers who will now be eager to take home their first major title of the year. One small change has happened this year, as the IBJJF has contracted USADA to make sure that there will now be PEDs testing in place, and it’ll be interesting to see how that has effected the lineup.
IBJJF Pan Championship 2024 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites – There’s no reigning champion returning in the roosterweight division, but Thalison Soares is in great form after winning the IBJJF European Championship at the beginning of the year. He isn’t the only top contender though, as both bronze medalists from that tournament are also returning here. Oziel Santos and Tadiyah Danforth are two of the other competitors who stand a good chance of coming away with the title here. Rounding out the most likely top 4 here is Roiter Lima, who has had a great draw in the brackets and should make it to the semi-final pretty comfortably.
Dark Horse – Rodnei Barbosa has been in good form lately and could easily get some big wins here, but he’ll have to make it past two of the favorites if he wants to even get a place in the final. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Barbosa battle his way on to the podium, but it would be very impressive to see him standing on top.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites – Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira is the reigning IBJJF World Champion and although he narrowly missed out on adding the Pan Championship to his resume last year, the man who beat him in the final is absent. He’s the obvious favorite, but light-featherweight isn’t without it’s challenges. Carlos ‘Bebeto’ Oliveira is probably his biggest opposition, alongside Malachi Edmond who actually handed Pato one of his most recent losses on points back in 2022.
Dark Horse – Zach Kaina finds himself on the opposite side of the bracket to Pato, so he may well be able to make it there. Beating the top contender is obviously unlikely, but Kaina has the best chance of being able to do so outside of the other two favorites.
Featherweight
Favorites – Despite the fact that there’s no returning champion at featherweight, this is still one of the most stacked lineups in this preview of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024. Fabricio Andrey and Kennedy Maciel have been in incredible form lately, with both men winning ADCC Trials earlier this month. It’s not uncommon for competitors to struggle switching between gi and no gi so quickly, but elite specialists like Isaac Doederlein and both Diego Sodre and Alex Sodre will have no such concerns.
Dark Horse – Although those 5 competitors represent the most likely winners, the featherweight division is incredibly deep. Sebastian Serpa will have beat some of the biggest names in the sport just to have a chance at a medal, but he’s turned a corner lately and he might just have been able to improve enough to make an impact here.
Lightweight
Favorites – There’s no reigning champion at lightweight either, but Elijah Dorsey recently won the IBJJF European Championship and is riding some huge momentum into this tournament. He has some tough opposition like returning silver medalist Pablo Lavaselli waiting for him, although Dorsey holds a win over him this year already. Natan Chueng will be another tough opponent who could very well come away with the gold medal, and he actually beat Dorsey on points twice last year. Jackson Nagai is the final top contender in a very tough division, and it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see him as the one standing on top of the podium in the end.
Dark Horse – Lightweight is the biggest division at the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024, which it makes it difficult to pick out just one dark horse competitor in this preview. Rolando Samson is right on the edge of the top contenders to win the division and although it might seem unusual to class him as a dark horse, the competition is just too strong here for him to be a favorite.
Middleweight
Favorites – Mica Galvao is the obvious favorite and he’s on a mission to win an IBJJF grand slam this year. It’s not going to be easy of course, but his biggest opposition at the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024 is actually someone he’s already beaten this year. Andy Murasaki has the best chance of stopping Galvao, and it’s hard to imagine anyone other than these two men standing opposite one another in the final.
Dark Horse – Yuri Rodrigues had a good chance of making it on to the podium to begin with but he’s also received a good draw that has only improved his chances. Assuming he makes it to the semi-final he’ll likely have Murasaki to contend with and that might be where his journey ends, but he has the skills necessary to cause an upset on the right day.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites – Most of the biggest names at medium-heavyweight are absent, including both the reigning IBJJF Pan Champion and World Champion. That leaves the division wide open for Francisco Lo and Manuel Ribamar, who both stand out as the top contenders for the title. Mathias Luna also has a good chance of coming away with the title here, but Lo and Ribamar will both be difficult opponents for him to overcome.
Dark Horse – Uanderson Ferreira generally only lost to the best in his weight class or bigger opponents in the absolute division last year, so he should be able to go pretty far in this division. He might not be the favorite to take home the title, but he could easily make it on to the podium at least.
Heavyweight
Favorites – All signs point to the next stage in a fantastic rivalry taking place in the final of the heavyweight division. Fellipe Andrew has been one of the best competitors in this weight class for a while now but just as he has his risen right to the top, Adam Wardzinski has risen to meet him and the pair have been trading wins over the last two years. Andrew currently leads the series 3-2 but Wardzinski has the most recent win, and the final of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024 should be his chance to level the score.
Dark Horse – Paulo Merlin is a great competitor and although a tough match awaits him in the quarter-final, he should be able to get to the semi-final and a likely meeting with Andrew. He’s already lost to Andrew once before and the odds aren’t in his favor, but if he can get revenge then he might be able to go all the way to gold.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorites – Super-heavyweight is the joint-smallest men’s division in this preview of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024, with just 11 competitors entered and it’s tough to pick any of them over the reigning champion Erich Munis. He’s been on fire recently and will be very difficult for anyone to stop, but Harryson Pereira at least represents a new challenge for him. Anderson Kauan is on the same side of the bracket as Pereira and one of these two should be the man opposite Munis in the final, but Munis is the heavy favorite to beat either one.
Dark Horse – Nicholas Maglicic won the IBJJF World Championship at brown belt last year and he’s one of the top competitors of his generation, but it remains to be seen how far he can go at this level. He was promoted to black belt shortly after that accomplishment and he could do well here if he’s able to replicate that same level of performance against tougher competition.
Ultra-Heavyweight
Favorites – There are also 11 competitors in the men’s ultra-heavyweight division, so there’s very little room for surprises here too. Nicholas Meregali is the reigning champion but without him competing, the most likely winners are going to be the returning silver medalist Yatan Bueno or Gutemberg Pereira. Alongside them is Marcus Ribeiro, who could do well but will likely have to beat both these men in order to take home the title.
Dark Horse – All three of the favorites stood on the podium at the IBJJF European Championship at the beginning of the year and Kjetil Lydvo was the final man alongside them. He has an incredibly tough road to gold that involves a match with Ribeiro if he gets through the opening round, followed by possible matchups with Bueno and Pereira in the final. The odds are certainly stacked against him, but he could easily spring a surprise here.
Women’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites – Top Art of Jiu-Jitsu prospect Shelby Murphey is coming in off her first gold medal at an IBJJF major back at the European Championship and she should do really well again here. Jhenifer Aquino wasn’t competing at that event though, and she represents the biggest opposition that Murphey will have to overcome to add a second title to her collection. Mariana Rolszt has also entered the division and she’ll be another tough opponent for anyone looking to leave with the gold medal, although the top contenders are still Murphey and Aquino.
Dark Horse – Ana Carolina Lima had a great brown belt run that ended with an IBJJF No Gi World Championship gold medal and it’s been just a few months since she was awarded her black belt. She has a good opening match that she might be able to win, followed by a quarter-final meeting with Aquino. If she can get past one of the favorites this early on in her career, it’s not hard to imagine her running all the way to the top of the podium.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites – Mayssa Bastos is the reigning champion at light-featherweight and after an IBJJF grand slam-winning year last year, she is easily one of the top contenders. Jessica Dantas did manage to put an end to her incredible run of wins earlier this year though, so she may very well beat her again. Brenda Larissa has also been in good form lately, even winning the First ADCC South American Trials, so she should be able to make it the podium at the very least.
Dark Horse – There isn’t much room for surprises with just 10 competitors in this weight class, but it’ll definitely be interesting to see just how far Dorothy Dao can go. She has Dantas waiting for her if she can get through the opening round and beyond then it doesn’t get any easier, but a win over her would put her on the podium at least.
Featherweight
Favorites – The returning featherweight Pan champion is absent, but Margot Ciccarelli is the silver medalist and she has really come into her own recently. Not only did she win gold in the IBJJF European Championship earlier this year, but she also won the ADCC European, Middle-Eastern, and African Trials too. She has a huge challenge from Bianca Basilio to face down though, and she stands just as much chance of winning as Ciccarelli does.
Dark Horse – Vitoria Assis is a really good grappler and can easily hold her own against the best in the division, the problem is that she will have to beat all of them in one run to take home the title. It’s not hard to imagine her causing an upset and getting on to the podium, but it’ll be very tough for her to make it to the top.
Lightweight
Favorites – Janaina Lebre is the clear favorite in the lightweight division of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024, and she has a pretty clear path to the final really. A few of the biggest names in this weight class are not competing, so her toughest opposition will likely be found in her last match of the tournament. Sabrina Gondim sits as the top contender on the other side of the bracket, and she is also the most likely woman to get the gold medal instead of Lebre.
Dark Horse – Maria Claudia has been given a pretty tough draw with difficult matches from start to finish in the lightweight bracket. She is a very talented competitor though and if anyone in this division can put on the perfect performance required to overcome the odds, it’s her.
Middleweight
Favorites – Thalyta Silva is coming in fresh off a win at the IBJJF European Championship, but she isn’t the only competitor who will be riding a wave of momentum in the women’s middleweight division. Thamara Ferreira put in a perfect performance to win a tough four-woman tournament at Arte Suave Elite 32, and it could be a sign that she’s ready to take over the division. A little bit further down than these two women in the list of favorites is Vannessa Griffin, who might be able to break through to the top after several podium-placements at IBJJF majors.
Dark Horse – There’s plenty of room for surprises at middleweight, as this is the biggest women’s division in this preview of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites – Aurelie Le Vern has been in fantastic form lately, including gold medals at both the IBJJF European Championship and the ADCC Trials too. She’s the favorite here and will almost certainly manage to improve upon the bronze medal she earned last year, but Ingridd Alves has moved down in weight since earning a silver medal at the last edition of the IBJJF Pan Championship. She’s also on the opposite side of the bracket, so these two women are the most likely final matchup in the medium-heavyweight division.
Dark Horse – Elizabeth Mitrovic had a breakthrough year in 2023 with a series of incredible no gi performances, so nobody should underestimate her in this division. She should be able to win her opening round match but a semi-final against Alves will be a tough challenge, and the potential final with Le Vern will be even more difficult.
Heavyweight
Favorites – This is one of the two smallest divisions in this preview of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024, and the eventual champion won’t need to win many matches. Larissa Dias won this division last year and she only has to get two wins in order to retain her title, with her toughest match coming in the final. The most likely woman to meet her there is Amanda Magda, and she also stands the best chance of stopping her too.
Dark Horse – Izadora Silva will have to get past Magda in her first match of the tournament before setting up a final match with Dias, and there aren’t much tougher runs than that to be found in any bracket. She split herlast two matches with Magda so a win there is possible, but it’s an uphill battle all the way to gold for Silva.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorite – Super-heavyweight is the other smallest division in this tournament, with 5 competitors just like the heavyweight division. There’s only room one for one favorite here, and that woman is Gabrieli Pessanha. It’s been years since she’s tasted defeat and it’s hard to imagine her slowing down any time soon, so she should blitz her way through this bracket.
Dark Horse – It doesn’t seem likely that anyone will be able to dethrone Pessanha here, but Mayara Custodio is on the other side of the bracket and she will probably be the one meeting her in the final. Pessanha already has 5 submission wins over Custodio though, so the most realistic scenario is that she leaves with a silver medal.
The full IBJJF Pan Championship 2024 event, including all of the above divisions in this preview, is available to watch live on March 20th to 24th, 2024 on FloGrappling.
