OCTOBER 20, 2024, ROME, ITALY. The latest edition of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) European NoGi Championship has just ended, with the adult black belt division – regarded as the professional class of BJJ – being saved for the final two days of action. This year’s tournament saw a growth in European talent, particularly at the top level of the sport with many divisions teeming with local competitors. The event also further solidified the idea that grappling is evolving across the globe with champions from a wide range of locations including North America, Central America, South America, West Asia, and Europe with Southern Europe, Central, Scandinavia, and Britain.
In terms of numbers, the 2024 European No-Gi Championship produced nearly 50 more matches than last year at the adult black belt level, with a total of 204 clashes in the division. It also produced 101 submissions, which is nearly 50% of the overall bouts. Impressive numbers for a tournament that is quickly gaining importance in the circuit.
MATCHES BY NUMBERS:
– Male Matches: 172
– Female Matches: 37
– Male Div Submissions: 86 (50% sub rate)
– Female Div Submissions: 16 (43% sub rate)
2024 EUROPEAN NOGI CHAMPIONS:
55KG: Chris Tran (USA)
61KG: Junny Ocasio (USA)
67KG: Julian Espinosa (CRI)
73KG: Yigit Hanay (TUR)
79KG: Fabyury Khrysthyan (BRA)
85KG: Sebastian Rodriguez (CRI)
91KG: Manuel Pilato (ITA)
97KG: Rafael Lovato (USA)
+97KG: Heikki Jussila (FIN)
ABS: Gabriel Almeida (BRA)
46KG: N/A
51KG: N/A
56KG: Raquel Ferreira (BRA)
61KG: Julia Maele (NOR)
66KG: Brianna Ste-Marie (CAN)
71KG: Aurelie Le Vern (FRA)
76KG: Anabel Lopez (SPA/UK)
+76KG: N/A
ABS: Aurelie Le Vern (FRA)
ROOSTERWEIGHT, MALE
The smallest division in the adult male category produced interesting matches and a finals clash that is quickly becoming a classic in the no-gi rooster weights. That of Chris “Shortround” Tran and John Stapleton, two athletes who met at last year’s Pan No-Gi Championship and again this weekend, at the European finals. So far, there have been two wins for the Crazy 88 athlete.
Quarter-Finals (2 matches):
– Denis Beenen def. Skyler Yee via decision
– Weslei Kellisson def. Hama Balisany via Guillotine
Semi-Finals:
– Chris Tran def. Denis Beenen via Inside heel hook
– John Stapleton def. Weslei Kellisson via RNC
Final:
– Chris Tran def. John Stapleton via RNC
LIGHT-FEATHERWEIGHT, MALE
After a tremendous 2023 where he secured World, Pan, and European gold in the no-gi circuit, Junny Ocasio of Team Unity is back. The heel hook specialist showed a complete game in Rome this weekend, with 3 wins on his path to another European title. He was also honored by two other athletes in the adult division who secured submission wins with the finish that bears his name, the Junny Lock (namely Leonardo Souza, and Emily Rosalynn).
Quarter-Finals:
– Junny Ocasio def. Loris Zanolini via Inside heel hook
– Daniel Groot def. Wojciech Gryz via 4×2
– Leonardo Souza def. Roger Silva via Outside heel hook
– Lucas Canto def. Lucas Feitosa via Triangle
Semi-Finals:
– Junny Ocasio def. Daniel Groot via advantages
– Leonardo Souza def. Lucas Canto via Inside heel hook
Final:
– Junny Ocasio def. Leonardo Souza via 8×0
FEATHERWEIGHT, MALE
An entertaining division to follow saw a re-run of last year’s final between two athletes at the forefront of this weight class in the Old Continent. This time, a much more even affair than that observed in 2023 between Julian Espinosa and Sam McNally that was decided by one single advantage after Espinosa’s straightforward path to the final.
Quarter-Finals:
– Martin Rapcan def. Konstantinos Lampos via RNC
– Anthony Oliveira def. Konstantinos Lampos via 9×2
– Sam McNally def. Kevin Dantzler via 7×0
– Marius Spac def. Matheus Correa via 2×0
Semi-Finals:
– Julian Espinosa def. Anthony Oliveira via Aoki lock
– Sam McNally def. Marius Spac via decision
Final:
– Julian Espinosa def. Sam McNally via advantage
LIGHTWEIGHT, MALE
Turkey’s Yigit Hanay was on a league of his own this weekend. Confident in all areas of the game, Hanay took people down when he had to, pulled guard when the match demanded him to, passed guards, swept people, and showed a fun, well-rounded game in his debut at the black belt level in this tournament, after winning it in 2023 as a brown belt. A tremendous effort and the first gold medal at this level for his home country.
Quarter-Finals:
– Yigit Hanay def. Rodrigo Mariani via 6×0
– Jed Hue def. Thiago Abud via 2×0
– Rafal Farjaszewski def. Pawel Kozlowski via 4×2
– Alessandro Botelho def. Joao Oliveira via advantage
Semi-Finals:
– Yigit Hanay def. Jed Hue via 2×0
– Alessandro Botelho def. Rafal Farjaszewski via 2×0
Final:
– Yigit Hanay def. Alessandro Botelho via 6×0
MIDDLEWEIGHT, MALE
Arguably the most fun weight class to follow, the middleweights had a lot of submissions and plenty of internationally familiar faces on the brackets. With no shortage of forward-moving jiu-jitsu stylists on the mats, including Pierre-Olivier Leclerc, Tarik Hopstock, Marcelo Fausto, Lars Alpang, Marcelo Fausto, Kieran Kichuk, and Fabyury Khrysthyan, there were many candidates to Match Of The Event for the fans to pick and we advise our audience to give this division a look when you have a chance on the IBJJF YouTube channel. After all was said and done, GF Team’s Fabyury Khrysthyan took home the gold medal, one of only two titles for the Brazilians in Rome this weekend at the adult, black belt male level.
Quarter-Finals:
– Pierre Leclerc def. Tarik Hopstock via advantages
– Ellis Younger def. Matheus Rangel via RNC
– Fabyury Khrysthyan def. Lars Alpang via 2×0
– Kieran Kichuk def. Marcelo Fausto via 9×4
Semi-Finals:
– Pierre Leclerc def. Ellis Younger via Leaf clover lock
– Fabyury Khrysthyan def. Kieran Kichuk via 5×0
Final:
– Fabyury Khrysthyan def. Pierre Leclerc via advantage
MEDIUM-HEAVYWEIGHT, MALE
Another well-rounded weight class with names from all around the world and plenty of world-class athletes on deck. With an array of talent on the roster, veteran Unity Team black belt, Sebastian Rodriguez was able to steal the crown. Rodriguez was the poster boy for well-rounded grappling throughout the tournament, showing great defense and awareness of the dangerous leg-lockers he faced while imposing his skills.
An unfamiliar face in the IBJJF circuit was Jeremy Skinner. The Australian grappler is usually absent from this federation’s ruleset, having built his career in alternative tournaments such as the ADCC Trials. Although less accustomed to the rules, Skinner proved high-level jiu-jitsu is universal, making a solid representation of his country’s grappling style with a silver medal.
Rodriguez snatched another European title for Costa Rica, as did his countryman Julian Espinosa in the featherweight division. Both of them had won this tournament in 2023 and have consistently reminded us, grappling fans, of the level of talent that exists now in Central America.
Quarter-Finals:
– Shane Fishman def. Marco Queiroz via Armbar
– Sebastian Rodriguez def. Max Arnold via Armbar
– Jeremy Skinner def. Ville Heikkonen via Triangle
– Austin Oranday def. Karol Kania via Inside heel hook
Semi-Finals:
– Sebastian Rodriguez def. Shane Fishman via Katagatame
– Jeremy Skinner def. Austin Oranday via Outside heel hook
Final:
– Sebastian Rodriguez def. Jeremy Skinner via 2×0
HEAVYWEIGHT, MALE
An all-European final at heavyweight between two highly entertaining athletes to follow, throughout the tournament. Italy’s Manuel Pilato and Lithuania’s Mantas Daublys. Pilato, in particular, was on fire this weekend with 4 wins in this weight class and two other matches in the absolute division where he went 1-and-1. All 5 of his victories came via submission.
Quarter-Finals:
– Jose Jurema def. Faris Lamkadem via 2×0
– Mantas Daublys def. Sergio Vilas via 3×2
– Caio Mendonca def. Joshua Manczak via 10×4
– Manuel Pilato def. Erick Diovano via Outside heel hook
Semi-Finals:
– Mantas Daublys def. Jose Jurema via Armbar
– Manuel Pilato def. Caio Mendonca via Straight ankle lock
Final:
– Manuel Pilato def. Mantas Daublys via Armbar
SUPERHEAVYWEIGHT, MALE
Aging like a fine wine is Rafael Lovato Junior, who cruised through a division filled with some of the best talent Europe has to offer. With his traditional style of slow but steady pressure, Lovato was able to assert his dominance with 3 finishes out of 4 matches, and a fairly easy final against Italy’s Jean Maltese.
Quarter-Finals:
– Thomas Bracher def. Alessandro Speziali via Guillotine
– Rafael Lovato def. Eleftherios Pagkalos via Katagatame
– Jean Maltese def. Jesse Vuorio via 2×0
– Gabriel Almeida def. Benjamin Bennet via Guillotine
Semi-Finals:
– Rafael Lovato def. Thomas Bracher via injury from takedown
– Jean Maltese def. Gabriel Almeida via Triangle
Final:
– Rafael Lovato def. Jean Maltese via 10×0
ULTRA-HEAVYWEIGHT, MALE
Heikki Jussila does it again, wins another IBJJF European title, and proves why he is the best in this weight class, in Europe. In this All-European final, Finland’s Jussila was able to beat Poland’s Iwat by the slimmest of margins in an advantage squeezed out in a half-guard position, this was his second title after he won the tournament last year in the open weight and placed second at ultra-heavy. This weight class also had 7 European athletes out of the 8 in the quarter-finals, which we believe is the first time it has happened in this tournament and this weight class.
Quarter-Finals:
– Heikki Jussila def. Paul Pietsch via DQ
– Lukasz Janeczek def. Patryk Wysocki via Violin armlock
– Andrzej Iwat advanced over Devhonte Johnson via WO
– Luc Marcel advanced over Freddy Vosgrone via WO
Semi-Finals:
– Heikki Jussila def. Lukasz Janeczek via decision
– Andrzej Iwat def. Luc Marcel via 2×0
Final:
– Heikki Jussila def. Andrzej Iwat via advantage
OPEN WEIGHT, MALE
An epic blunder saw two athletes disqualified from the quarter-finals due to stalling tactics and robbed fans of a semi-final match, nevertheless, the open weight delivered plenty of fun clashes which included 18 submission wins and the biggest scoreboard disparity in the tournament in the second elimination round, by Roger Gracie black belt Faris Ben-Lamkadem, which scored 30 unanswered points on his opponent.
The 2024 open-weight champion had 5 tough matches in the open-weight class this weekend, taking out some big names in the process, including Jeremy Skinner, Heikki Jussila, and Freddy Vosgrone.
Quarter-Finals:
– Freddy Vosgrone def. Anthony Robinson via 8×0
– Jean Maltese & Devhonte Johnson both DQ’ed for lack of combativeness
– Gabriel Almeida def. Gabriel Lima via Armbar
– Heikki Jussila def. Austin Oranday via 5×0
Semi-Finals:
– Freddy Vosgrone advanced due to double DQ in 1/4 finals
– Gabriel Almeida def. Heikki Jussila via decision
Final:
– Gabriel Almeida def. Freddy Vosgrone via 4×0
FEATHERWEIGHT, FEMALE
With no roosterweight or light-featherweight athletes signed on, we saw a couple of smaller athletes join in on the featherweight division. Brazil’s Raquel Ferreira Silva came in with a game plan and stuck to it throughout the event. Although no style points were conquered by her approach, Raquel’s calm and collected approach was very deserving of this European title with 3 wins and a beautiful submission in the semi-finals.
Quarter-Finals:
– Emily Nicholson def. Taylor Sausser via 2×0
– Ashley Bendle def. Naomi Mathews via 2×0
– Lorena Balli def. Christina Dimitrios via Outside heel hook
– Raquel Ferreira def. Fiona Middleton via advantages
Semi-Finals:
– Raquel Ferreira def. Lorena Balli via Inside heel hook
– Emily Nicholson def. Ashley Bendle via Junny lock
Final:
– Raquel Ferreira def. Emily Nicholson via decision
LIGHTWEIGHT, FEMALE
A small lightweight division saw veteran Julia Maele of OXY Gym take home another European title, her second after her 2022 win at middleweight.
Quarter-Finals (one match):
– Zofia Szawernowska def. Katarzyna Biegajlo via advantages
Semi-Finals:
– Julia Maele def. Zofia Szawernowska via Kneebar
– Suvi Koikkalainen def. Izabel Seki via 4×2
Final:
– Julia Maele def. Suvi Koikkalainen via RNC
MIDDLEWEIGHT, FEMALE
Another small division but not lacking in talent. Some of Europe’s most well-established names battled against Brazilians and Americans – the powerhouses of our sport – but it was Canada’s Brianna Ste-Marie who took home the gold.
Quarter-Finals:
– Vannessa Griffin def. Jaqueline Almeida via advantages
– Brianna Ste-Marie def. Nadia Frankland via Katagatame
– Gamila Kanew def. Anna Castells via 4×0
Semi-Finals:
– Rosa Walsh def. Gamila Kanew via Armbar
– Brianna Ste-Marie def. Vannessa Griffin via 16×0
Final:
– Brianna Ste-Marie def. Rosa Walsh via RNC
MEDIUM-HEAVYWEIGHT, FEMALE
One of France’s most accomplished BJJ athletes, Aurelie Le Vern keeps her path of success with a second (and third) European title at black belt, this time in the no-gi division, after taking home gold earlier this year with the kimono.
No quarter-final matches.
Semi-Finals:
– Aurelie Vern def. Amanda Nicole via Katagatame
– Ane Svendsen def. Salla Simola via 2×0
Final:
– Aurelie Vern def. Ane Svendsen via 4×2
HEAVYWEIGHT, FEMALE
An interesting final between two English athletes and former teammates, who were both promoted to black belt this year. The two had a lukewarm match, spent on the feet with little action on either side in what we believe was the first of many clashes these two British grapplers will have in the future.
No quarter-final matches.
Semi-Finals:
– Nia Blackman def. Elizabeth Mitrovic via decision
– Anabel Lopez def. Bridget Mceliece via Inside heel hook
Final:
– Anabel Lopez def. Nia Blackman via decision
OPEN-WEIGHT, FEMALE
One of the most diverse quarter-finals ever seen at the black belt level of an IBJJF event, the female absolute saw Fins, Australians, Spaniards, French, British, German, and Swiss. Quite a line-up. In the end, two of the biggest stars on the Euro scene met. Namely, Aurelie LeVern and Anabel Lopez produced an entertaining match, which ended with a beautiful armlock submission from the bottom by France’s Vern to seal her double gold performance.
Quarter-Finals:
– Salla Simola def. Nadia Frankland via Kneebar
– Aurelie Vern def. Anna Castells via Armbar
– Ane Svendsen def. Amanda Nicole via 5×2
– Anabel Lopez def. Gamila Kanew via Submission
Semi-Finals:
– Aurelie Vern def. Salla Simola via Darce choke
– Anabel Lopez def. Ane Svendsen via decision
Final:
– Aurelie Vern def. Anabel Lopez via Armbar
