The IBJJF Rio Summer Open 2025 took place across January 11th and 12th, 2025, marking an excellent start to the year for the promotion. The man of the weekend was undoubtedly Elioenai Braz, as he left with an incredible haul of three gold medals. Braz won both the ultra-heavyweight and absolute divisions in no gi, along with the gi ultra-heavyweight division on the first day. The gi absolute division was won by a different man, as Lucas Gualberto stormed to victory there with an impressive run. There were quite a few other big names competing in their respective weight classes in the gi as well.
The featherweight division was pretty impressive, as it featured Cleison Gabriel winning gold and Florian Bayili taking home a bronze medal. The lightweight division was won by top competitor Leandro Lima in the end, and there was no shortage of fellow elite grapplers in the women’s gi divisions too. Maria Delahaye and Vitoria Vieira won gold medals at lightweight and middleweight respectively, but it was fellow veteran competitor Mikaela Barros who won the heaviest division at super-heavyweight. Ingridd Alves was the woman who left with most silverware around her neck though, as she won both the heavyweight and absolute divisions.
Top Melqui Galvao prospect Evellyn Azevedo made a notable appearance too, although she had to settle for a silver medal at featherweight and a bronze in the absolute. The second day of the IBJJF Rio Summer Open 2025 was when the no gi divisions began, and there were just as many big names. Gabriel Brod won gold at heavyweight and the bronze medal there went to Iago Duarte, while top European contender Dinu Bucalet won a silver medal at medium-heavyweight ahead of Jefferson Pontes with a bronze. There was a great final match in the middleweight division too, one that ended in Ygor Rodrigues winning gold and Darlan Casaca taking silver.
That wasn’t all, the lightweight division also featured a really high level of grappling in the fight for gold. Welerson Goncalves won the title there, beating out Rodrigo Marello in order to do so. Mikaela Barros and Vitoria Vieira returned to win their second gold medals of the weekend too, standing on top of the podium at super-heavyweight and middleweight respectively. They also tried their hand at the no gi absolute division too, but there was a surprising turn of events on the way to the final. Barros went out in the semi-final and had to settle for bronze, while Vieira finished the second day undefeated to become the no gi double champion.
