The subject of Pound 4 Pound best in the world is one that captivates jiu-jitsu’s fanbase and is consistently debated across social media’s spectrum. There are plenty of feasible metrics to this virtual title, and one of those is by looking at an athlete’s accomplishments on the mats, with more value-added to a competitor’s endeavors in different weight classes.
In this realm, the legendary Saulo Ribeiro set the standard at the highest level in this sport, fixing the record of IBJJF World Championship titles in different weight classes at 4 (82KG, 88KG, 94KG, and 100KG), 20 years ago, at the turn of the millennium. Ribeiro’s incredible feat was equaled by Leandro Lo in 2018 when Marcus Almeida (Buchecha) surrendered the open weight title in the final to the NS Brotherhood leader, who had dislocated his shoulder in his weight class’s final earlier that day.
This weekend, however, in a surprising turn of events, Leandro Lo made history. After news of heavyweight Kaynan Duarte being stripped of his 2019 world title due to PED use (more on that here), the player who competed against Duarte at the final of the World Championship was automatically crowned as the division’s champion. That finalist was Leandro Lo, who had not yet won gold at heavyweight, making the São Paulo native a world champion in 5 different weight classes, dethroning the record Saulo Ribeiro held for 2 decades.
Saulo Ribeiro’s IBJJF World Titles
1997 – middleweight
1998 – heavyweight
1999 – medium-heavyweight
2000 – super-heavyweight
2002 – medium-heavyweight
Leandro Lo’s IBJJF World Titles
2012 – lightweight
2013 – lightweight
2014 – middleweight
2015 – medium-heavyweight
2016 – medium-heavyweight
2018 – open weight
2019 – heavyweight
