The first IBJJF Grand Prix of the year is scheduled for March 3rd, 2023 and the men’s Lightweight division is stacked with talent. As usual, the event will feature a number of superfights to break up the tournament matches and that includes an epic main event match between Tainan Dalpra and Isaque Bahiense. The other superfights earlier in the night are equally impressive, as Ronaldo Junior is competing in against Francisco Lo, and Janaina Lebre faces an incredibly tough challenge in the form of Nathalie Ribeiro.
The first man announced for the tournament was Andy Murasaki, the reigning IBJJF no gi world champion after his impressive showing in 2022. Murasaki stands out as the immediate favourite and he’s already put in great work in 2023, becoming the lightweight IBJJF European champion. He has been joined by a veteran of the IBJJF grand prix format in Johnatha Alves, who also happens to have won three IBJJF Pan Championships in a row from 2020 to 2022.
Joining them is two-time IBJJF world championship gold medallist Matheus Gabriel. He won the last grand prix he entered at the end of 2022, emerging victorious among a tough field of competitors at BJJ Stars 9. Gabriel will no doubt be a tough challenge for anyone looking to win the division and he stands a great chance of walking away with the grand prize himself. As always, there’s also an underdog involved in the IBJJF grand prix 2023 and Carlos Henrique might just be the right man to upset the balance in the men’s lightweight division. Henrique is a brown belt IBJJF world champion and he’s ready to test himself against the best that his weightclass has to offer.
The four men stepping onto the mats in the men’s lightweight division aren’t the only ones involved in the first IBJJF grand prix of 2023 either, because there will also be another tournament in the women’s heavyweight division at the same event and that lineup is just as impressive.
The full men’s lightweight IBJJF Grand Prix will be available to watch live on March 3rd, 2023 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe.
