The IBJJF Indianapolis Open 2023 took place across the weekend of June 17th and 18th, and several top competitors decided to make the journey to compete. The event had the distinct disadvantage of taking place on the same weekend as the ADCC Dallas Open and although the two tournaments were pretty far from each other, it’s clear that something must have had an effect on the turnout. Most notably, not a single female brown or black belt signed up to compete in the adult divisions of either the gi or no gi edition of the event. Still, despite the women’s divisions being pretty bare, there were still quite a few top competitors stepping on to the mats in the men’s weight classes.
Wellington ‘Megaton’ Dias competed in the adult lightweight division and came away with a silver medal, along with some points to aid him in his journey to qualify for the IBJJF world championship once again. Michael Sheehan beat him in the final of the division, although he had to settle for a bronze medal when he challenged himself in the absolute division. The winner of the absolute was Horlando Monteiro, who also managed to take home a gold medal from the heavyweight division as well.
The second day of the weekend featured the no gi divisions, and Dante Leon was undoubtedly the most famous face who stepped onto the mats. Leon won gold in the medium-heavyweight division while his teammate Max Hanson took a pair of silver medals in the middleweight and absolute divisions. His only losses at the event came at the hands of Francisco Cuneo at his weight class and Diego Ramalho in the absolute division. Although there undoubtedly could have been more competitors at the IBJJF Indianapolis Open 2023, those who did sign up delivered a ton of action for the fans watching.
