The IBJJF Pan Championship is scheduled to take place from March 18th to 23rd, 2025 and we’ve put together a full preview of this prestigious event. Many of the best gi competitors in the world will be stepping on to the mats and in fact, there’s more than half a dozen reigning world champions in the black belt divisions. There’s plenty of room for surprises too of course, as there are rising stars and top prospects everywhere. Although many of the IBJJF Pan champions from last year will be returning to defend their titles, there are plenty of divisions that are wide open for the taking too.
IBJJF Pan Championship 2025 Full Preview
Men’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: This is the smallest men’s division with just 10 competitors and there’s no returning chsmpion either. Carlos ‘Bebeto’ Oliveira won the IBJJF World Championship at this weight last year though, and he should be considered the favorite after a fantastic performance like that. Yuri Hendrex got off to a good start by winning Euros this year already, so he might be able to ride that wave of momentum into another major title here too. The final man worth keeping an eye on here is Everton Teixeira and although his biggest success so far has been in no gi, he’s a seriously talented grappler.
Dark Horse: Jalen Fonacier has been making waves in both gi and no gi competition and he left the first major tournament of the year with a silver medal, proving that he has the ability to do at least that well here.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: There’s no reigning champion in this division either but last year’s silver medalist, Malachi Edmond, stands out as a top contender. There are 24 men competing at light-featherweight so there are plenty of tough opponents ahead of him, none more challenging than Diogo Reis. Reis is coming in off winning Euros and might be looking for am IBJJF grand slam this year, so he will be a serious threat. Shoya Ishiguro lost out to him in the final of Euros but as another elite grappler, he also has a good chance here.
Dark Horse: Zach Kaina is one of the top young competitors at Art Of Jiu-Jitsu right now and he is making huge improvements in a short space of time lately. A gold medal might be out of reach at the moment but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make it to the podium.
Featherweight
Favorites: This is the joint-biggest division in this preview of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2025 and although the reigning featherweight champion isn’t here, there is one moving in from another division. Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira won gold here at light-featherweight and at the same weight at worlds last year, so he is in with a great chance of einning. He’s also already won major events at this weight, as recently as the IBJJF European Championship just a few months ago. Samuel Nagai is another former world champion and he will probably be Oliveira’s main opposition here, but Cole Abate beat him recently and might also make an impact.
Dark Horse: Sebastian Serpa was a top prospect as a brown belt and he’s had some good performances over the last few years. He can definitely beat some of the top contenders on the right day but with 25 competitors at this weight, he will have to be on top form to reach the podium.
Lightweight
Favorites: This is another big division with 25 competitors and Jackson Nagai looks poised to defend his title. Natan Chueng is the man he beat in the final last year and although he’s currently 0-3 against Nagai, the two men have had some very close matches. Chueng is capable of beating him and thry will be the most likely final pairing, but Isaac Doederlein might throw a spanner in the works. A veteran competitor and former world champion at featherweight, he will be a serious threat even if he is normally seen at a lower weight.
Dark Horse: Fabyury Khrysthyan is quickly building up a reputation as an exciting and skilled competitor, so he will be one to keep an eye on. It’ll take something special for him to cause at least one upset and force his way into the final though.
Middleweight
Favorites: Although middleweight is slightly smaller than the brackets around it with 21 entrants, it’s probably going to be the most fiercely-contested of the whole event. There’s no returning champion but Tainan Dalpra is the favorite and his old rival Andy Murasaki will probably be the one to meet him in the final yet again. If anyone can stop one of these two making it to the final then it will likely be Pedro Maia, who won Brasileiro last year and will be eager to add another title to his collection.
Dark Horse: Rolando Samson has been on the verge of winning a major event for a while now and he had a very close match with Maia in the final of the IBJJF Brazilian National Championship, so this could be his time to shine.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: Medium-heavyweight is the final division with 25 competitors amd it’s also the one that’s wide open for the taking. Francisco Lo is one of the favorites after a solid performance at Worlds last year, but he isn’t alone here. Joao Nicolite and Luccas Lira are probably the two biggest names in the bracket but even some of the lesser-known competitors will be difficult to get past.
Dark Horse: Rui Neto is just a few weeks removed from an excellent run where he beat one of the best grapplers in the world to win the Abu Dhabu Grand Slam – Rome, so he has a pretty good chance of coming out on top here.
Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s just 12 men competing at heavyweight and although there isn’t a raining champion, there’s 3 strong contenders. Adam Wardzinski is the reigning world champion and after winning Euros already this year, he’s in the middle of the best run of his career. Pedro Machado was last year’s silver medalist and he has a 2-1 record against Wardzinski directly, so he’s another clear favorite. Finally, Gustavo Batista is the reigning world champion at medium-heavyweight and he also has a winning record against Wardzinski at 3-2.
Dark Horse: Those three men are the most accomplished gi competitors in this bracket but Roberto Jimenez is also here and even though his biggest successes have come in no gi, he still has a good chance of winning this.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s no reigning champion in this division at the IBJJF Pan Championship 2025 and there’s no real dominant favorite in this preview either. Paulo Merlin has stood on the podium of several major events and has a good chance of winning a title here, but Windson Torres is coming in off winning Euros and might be able to do the same again here. The final man to watch out for is Kristof Szucz, amd the Hungarian can mix it with the best of them so he’s not to be taken lightly.
Dark Horse: Nolan Stuart has had some good wins since being promoted to black belt in 2023 and with this division being so tough to call, the opportunity is there for him to claim his first major title.
Ultra-Heavyweight
Favorites: Ultra-heavyweight has just 11 competitors and although the reigning champion isn’t here, Gutemberg Pereira is the returning silver medalist and reigning absolute champion. Another frequent fixture on major podiums, Marcus Ribeiro, also has a good chance of winning after he beat Pereira in their last match. That isn’t all though, as Anderson Kauan is almost certainly going to make it to the podium alongside these two and might even end up winning gold.
Dark Horse: This is snother division where a top no gi competitor could spring a surprise on the gi specialists, as Roosevelt Sousa is multiple-time bronze medalist here and will be very tough to beat.
Women’s Divisions
Roosterweight
Favorites: There’s no returning champion at roosterweight but this is a surprisingly busy bracket with 14 women competing. Thais Loureiro is the returning silver medalist and the European champion, but she has some real tough opposition from last year’s silver medalist at light-featherweight; Jessica Dantas. Although many people would pick out one of these two as the favorites here, there’s another strong contender too. Ana Carolina Lima rounds out the top contenders in this preview of the IBJJF Pan Championship 2025 and she has just as much chance of winning as the other two.
Dark Horse: Diana Teixeira won’t be well-known to IBJJF fans but she is a veteran of the AJP Tour circuit and has been in the mix with some of the best in the world there. The ruleset isn’t all that different so she should be just as successful here, and may very well end up winning a title.
Light-Featherweight
Favorites: There’s 8 women competing at light-featherweight and Shelby Murphey is moving up after winning the roosterweight title last year, but she isn’t the clear favorite. Murphey will surely reach the podium somewhere, but she has a legitimate BJJ legend standing in front of her. Mayssa Bastos is the reigning champion here and the roosterweight world champion, so she should win this title again even if she has to go through Murphey to do so.
Dark Horse: Yasmyn Castro is on a good run after starting the year by winning Euros at roosterweight and she should do well here, but how far she goes likely depends on how the draw goes.
Featherweight
Favorites: Larissa Campos is the reigning champion here and although there are 13 other tough competitors who will be looking to take that title, she is the most likely to win it again. Vitoria Assis was the bronze medalist last year and is a frequent fixture on the podium of major events, so she will be Campos’ toughest test on paper. Despite that, her toughest test in reality might actually be the rising young star Cassia Moura instead. Moura hasn’t even been a black belt for a year yet and she’s already proven that she belongs among the best, so this is her chance to win her first major gi title at this level.
Dark Horse: Astrid Scholin is already one of the best in Europe and she won a bronze medal here last year, so it’ll be interesting to see if she can improve upon that performance now.
Lightweight
Favorites: There’s 14 women competing at lightweight and it seems likely that ATOS will dominate this division. They have a seriously strong squad of women at this weight, led by reigning world champion and veteran competitor Luiza Monteiro. She is joined by top no gi grappler Alex Enriquez, and she has a very good chance of making it to the final here too. The final top contender is an AOJ representative, as Janaina Lebre is both the reigning chsmpion and the European champion this year.
Dark Horse: There’s another ATOS black belt in the bracket here too, and Amanda Bruse is a top no gi competitor. It’ll be tough for her to beat Monteiro or Lebre but she should be able to go far regardless.
Middleweight
Favorites: This is the biggest women’s division at 16 competitors and there’s no returning champion either. Vannessa Griffin won a silver medal here last year and a gold medal at Euros this year, so she should be standing on the podium somewhere. The most likely champion looks like Elisabeth Clay though, as she’s repeatedly shown herself to be one of the best in the world. Fans will also get to see Deise Leonanjo competing too, and she should go far in the bracket just like Griffin and Clay.
Dark Horse: Top Australian black belt Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths is also in the bracket and this is a rare chance to see her in the US. It’s tough to predict how she fares against some of these women, but she’s a really skilled competitor and has the ability to make a deep run.
Medium-Heavyweight
Favorites: There’s just 7 women competing at medium-heavyweight and although last year’s champion isn’t here, Maria Vicentini was the silver medalist. Vicentini probably has the best chance of winning out of anyone in this division, but French grappler Aurelie Le Vern is going to be her biggest opposition along the way.
Dark Horse: Salla Simola is another top competitor from Europe in this division and she’s already had a few solid performances at this level, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see her standing on the podium somewhere.
Heavyweight
Favorites: There are just 6 women in the heavyweight division, meaning that there won’t be much room for surprises. Izadora Silva is the reigning champion and is the most likely to come away with the title again, but it’s still not an easy path to glory. Maria Ruffatto has looked very good recently and will almost certainly be standing on the podium, even if she can’t beat Silva.
Dark Horse: Anabel Lopez is someome that fans are going to want to pay attention to over the next few years. She’s incredibly talented and still very early in her career, so it’ll be interesting to see how far she goes with some of the best in the world in the bracket.
Super-Heavyweight
Favorite: This is the smallest bracket of the entire tournament with just 2 competitors, and it’s also the one with the heaviest favorite. Even with a dozen women competing Gabrieli Pessanha would still be the favorite to win but with just one opponent in her way, it’s even more certain.
Dark Horse: Isabely Lemos is the other woman in this division and she definitely has the odds stacked against her here. She’s facing the single most successful competitor of her generation and she was submitted by her twice last year, so this will be an uphill battle for Lemos.
The full IBJJF Pan Championship 2025 event will be available to watch live on March 19th to 23rd, 2025 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
