The IBJJF Tampa and Waco Opens 2024 both took place on November 23rd and 24th, 2024 with some of the best grapplers in the US competing in them. The Tampa Open primarily attracted top no gi grapplers, with Sergio Vilas coming out of the no gi brackets with gold medals at heavyweight and in the absolute division. Jefferson Nascimento won the middleweight division and there was a great match serving as the featherweight final, as Cameron Mellott beat An Vu there. Danny Maira and Nick Salles shared the lightweight final, with the Movement Art teammates proving themselves to be among the best around.
Larissa Dias was the women’s double champion in the gi, as she won the only match in the absolute after getting a default gold at super-heavyweight. Sebastian Serpa was the only big name in the men’s gi divisions, and he won a tough lightweight division shortly before earning a bronze medal in the absolute. Over a thousand miles away from Tampa, the IBJJF Waco Open 2024 featured just as many top competitors and exciting matches. Matheus Gabriel put on a particularly exciting display to win gold at lightweight in the gi and middleweight in no gi by beating Jon Satava, along with a gold in the gi absolute and a silver medal in the no gi absolute.
He shared the no gi absolute final with his Checkmat teammate Francisco Lo, who was almost as successful with two gold medals in the ultra-heavyweight brackets and a bronze in the gi absolute. Lo had to beat Austin Oranday in the final of his no gi weight class and the no gi absolute podium was stacked with talent, as David Stoilescu and Jason Rau took bronze medals after silvers in their respective weight classes. The final notable name competing was at heavyweight, as Yeppie Tomasian won his weight class in the gi before settling for a bronze medal in no gi.
