The IBJJF Dallas Open 2024 took place on March 9th and 10th, 2024 and although the no gi divisions were relatively empty at the highest levels, there were plenty of gi competitors to make up for it. The lightest men’s division was won by elite competitor Everton Teixeira, although he only had to win one match to take home the gold medal at roosterweight. There was a surprise result a little higher up the scale though, as Sebastian Serpa had to settle for a silver medal at featherweight after losing to Gabriel Cardoso in the final. That was far from the only match between top contenders though, and the lightweight division in particular was very busy.
Carlos Henrique was the biggest name competing at lightweight and he was in great form, as he actually won gold in the absolute division later in the day. Richar Nogueira actually beat him in the final in order to take home the title, a very impressive feat considering the men who stood on the third spot of the podium too. Pablo Lavaselli and Thiago Macedo ended up with the bronze medals at lightweight, ending their runs through the bracket a little earlier than they might have expected. Nogueira was one of the few grapplers to return on the second day to compete in no gi too, where he won another gold medal at lightweight.
The absolute division featured other top contenders too, with ultra-heavyweight champion Guilherme Augusto earning a silver medal from there. The third spot on the absolute podium was occupied by one of the best grapplers on the planet, Kade Ruotolo, shortly after he took a default gold medal at medium-heavyweight. Manuel Ribamar managed to win the heavyweight division and there was a great match in the final of the middleweight division shortly before he did so, with Austin Oranday beating Yan Paiva in order to emerge victorious. Oranday took home another gold medal from his no gi weight class, although this one was by default, and followed that up with a hard-earned bronze medal in the no gi absolute.
Although there weren’t any women’s black belt no gi matches at the IBJJF Dallas Open 2024, there were several top contenders competing in the gi at least. The featherweight division featured an entertaining final match between Vitoria Assis and Jessica Crane, with Assis standing on top of the podium at the end. Emily Ferreira was another big name who entered the tournament at lightweight, and she managed to come away with a gold medal too. Deise Leonanjo was the final major competitor in the women’s division and she won a default gold at middleweight before getting bronze in the absolute behind Assis in second place.
