JUNE 04, 2023, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, and the latest edition of the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) World Championships is finally over. The tournament, traditionally named the Mundial (the Portuguese word for World) gathered the elite of the sport. Every athlete who competed in this tournament had to qualify by gathering 50 points in the federation’s global circuit, the minimum requirement to participate in the event.
Among the participants of the lightweight division was the legendary Wellington “Megaton” Dias. Currently 55 years of age, Megaton’s participation made him the very first BJJ coral belt to participate in the World Championships, a historic day for the veteran and for this sport. Dias faced Norway’s Espen Mathiesen in the first round and succumbed to the well-known guard playing expert via straight ankle lock.
One of the big stories of this tournament was Checkmat’s Jansen “Nenego” Gomes‘ rise to the 82-kilo division’s gold medal. The young black belt cruised through to the final of the middleweight category where he faced, arguably, the most dominant athlete in the sport, Mr. Tainan Dalpra of Art Of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ). Dalpra was undefeated under the IBJJF ruleset and had a 60-match winning streak in IBJJF competitions with a 78% submission ratio, the equivalent of a middleweight boogeyman. Despite the adversity, Nenego came in confident to the match, playing it cool as Dalpra tied him up in his dangerous lapel guard. Although in dangerous water, Jansen was able to receive 2 advantages for a near back-take and guard pass with which he won the match.
Another important moment came from Lucas Pinheiro of Atos, a veteran whose been at the top of the sport since 2015 but who was still missing a world title from his resume, despite his many accolades. This year, Pinheiro was finally able to conquer the coveted gold medal in the roosterweight division with a hard-fought win over 2022’s champion, Thalison Soares. After the match, Lucas appeared to signal to the audience that he was retiring, which, if true, would be sad news for his fans.
When it comes to winning, few can do it better than Vitor Hugo of Team Six Blades. The talented ultra-heavyweight had been aiming for a double gold performance for the past couple of years, after conquering his weight class twice (2021 / 2022) and finally, that open weight title came for the “Mountain”. Hugo had 8 matches altogether in the ultra and open-weight categories with 6 submissions, taking 2 of those in the finals. One of the finishes was conquered over Erich Munis, a formidable world champion himself, who had never lost a match by submission in the black belt division.
The women’s divisions were also fruitful in stories, from Ffion Davies becoming the first European athlete to win back-to-back titles at the IBJJF World Championships, to Jessa Khan’s first gold medal at the Mundial as a black belt, or Andressa Cintra‘s beautiful performance for her 4th black belt world title. Those were all incredible achievements, but it was hard to surpass Gabrieli Pessanha‘s double gold medal performance, the third double gold at the World Championships in three attempts, this year with a 100% submission rate. THIS WAS PESSANHA’S 17TH STRAIGHT DOUBLE GOLD medal performance at an IBJJF event, numbers that have never been seen in our sport. Truly a ground-breaking athlete.
For a full report on the main match results and stats, check below.
TOURNAMENT NUMBERS (black belt division):
Total Matches: 309 (biggest ever recorded by BJJ Heroes)
Total Submissions: 105 (34% submission rate)
Matches Won By Advantage: 44 (14%)
Matches Won By Decision: 26 (8%)
2023 Adult Black Belt World Champions
Male 57KG: Lucas Pinheiro (Atos)
Male 64KG: Diego “Pato” Oliveira (AOJ)
Male 70KG: Samuel Nagai (Checkmat)
Male 76KG: Johnatha Alves (AOJ)
Male 82KG: Jansen “Nenego” Gomes (Checkmat)
Male 88KG: Gustavo Batista (Atos)
Male 94KG: Fellipe Andrew (Alliance)
Male 100KG: Erich Munis (Dream Art)
Male +100KG: Vitor Hugo (Six Blades)
Male Open: Vitor Hugo (Six Blades)
Female 48KG: Mayssa Bastos (AOJ)
Female 53KG: Jessa Khan (AOJ)
Female 58KG: Bianca Basilio (Almeida JJ / Atos)
Female 63KG: Ffion Davies (Atos)
Female 69KG: Andresa Cintra (Gracie Barra)
Female 74KG: Amy Campo (Zenith)
Female 79KG: Melissa Cueto (Alliance)
Female +79KG: Gabrieli Pessanha (InFight)
Female Open: Gabrieli Pessanha (InFight)
MALE ROOSTER
14 Matches, 2 submissions (14%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Roiter Lima def. Zayed Alkatheeri via decision
– Thalison Soares def. Cory Walker via Choke from back
– Lucas Pinheiro def. Rodrigo Otavio via 2×2 pts, 2×1 adv
– Bebeto Oliveira def. Jordan Vaisman via decision
Semi-Finals:
– Thalison Soares def. Roiter Lima via triangle/armlock
– Lucas Pinheiro def. Bebeto Oliveira via 3×2 pts
Final:
– Lucas Pinheiro def. Thalison Soares via 0x0 pts, 2×0 adv
MALE LIGHT FEATHERWEIGHT
20 Matches, 3 submissions (15%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Meyram Maquine def. Yuri Hendrex via 9×2
– Cleber Sousa def. Malachi Edmond via 4×2
– Diogo Reis def. Rene Lopez via 4×4 pts, 2×0 adv
– Diego “Pato” Oliveira def. Yuta Shimada via 10×0
Semi-Finals:
– Diego Oliveira def. Diogo Reis via 6×4
– Meyram Maquine def. Cleber Sousa via 4×0
Final:
– Diego “Pato” Oliveira def. Meyram Maquine via 6×6 pts, 1×0 adv
MALE FEATHERWEIGHT
27 Matches, 7 submissions (26%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Diego Sodre def. Joao Mendes via decision
– Fabricio Andrey def. Jonata Gomes via decision
– Isaac Doederlein def. Gabriel Sousa via 2×0
– Samuel Nagai def. Alex Sodre via 0x0 pts, 1×0 adv
Semi-Finals:
– Diego Sodre def. Fabricio Andrey via decision
– Samuel Nagai def. Isaac Doederlein via triangle/armlock
Final:
– Samuel Nagai def. Diego Sodre via 4×2
MALE LIGHTWEIGHT
30 Matches, 9 submissions (30%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Pedro Maia def. Lucas Valente via DQ (exited the mat with locked sub)
– Murilo Amaral def. Matheus Gabriel via injury
– Jackson Nagai def. Espen Mathiesen via Hashimoto choke
– Johnatha Alves def. Leo Saggioro via 2×0
Semi-Finals:
– Pedro Maia def. Murilo Amaral via 3×0
– Johnatha Alves def. Jackson Nagai via 0x0 pts, 4×0 adv
Final:
– Johnatha Alves def. Pedro Maia via 4×2
MALE MIDDLEWEIGHT
21 Matches, 8 submissions (38%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Jansen “Nenego” Gomes def. Alexandre Jesus via choke from the back
– Tye Ruotolo def. Tarik Hopstock via kneebar
– Rolando Samson def. Mauricio Oliveira via armbar
– Tainan Dalpra def. Austin Oranday via choke from the back
Semi-Finals:
– Jansen Gomes def. Tye Ruotolo via 4×0
– Tainan Dalpra def. Rolando Samson via 9×2
Final:
– Jansen “Nenego” Gomes def. Tainan Dalpra via 0x0 pts, 2×0 adv
MALE MEDIUM-HEAVYWEIGHT
27 Matches, 7 submissions (26%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Isaque Bahiense def. Manuel Ribamar via 6×4
– Andy Murasaki def. Matheus Spirandeli via choke from the back
– Sebastian Rodriguez advanced via WO (Francisco Lo was injured in the previous match)
– Gustavo Batista def. Rafael Paganini via cross choke from mount
Semi-Finals:
– Andy Murasaki def. Isaque Bahiense via 0x0 pts, 1×0 adv
– Gustavo Batista def. Sebastian Rodriguez via 0x0 pts, 1×0 adv
Final:
– Gustavo Batista def. Andy Murasaki via 4×2
MALE HEAVYWEIGHT
21 Matches, 8 submissions (38%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Rider Zuchi def. Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa via decision
– Fellipe Andrew def. Jackson Sousa via 0x0 pts, 1×0 adv
– Pedro Machado def. Italo Lima via armbar
– Dimitrius Souza def. Roberto Dib via 7×0
Semi-Finals:
– Fellipe Andrew def. Rider Zuchi via 2×2 pts, 1×0 adv
– Pedro Machado def. Dimitrius Souza via decision
Final:
– Fellipe Andrew def. Pedro Machado via 2×0
MALE SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT
13 Matches, 8 submissions (65.5%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Kaynan Duarte def. Eric Bergmann via 0x0 pts, 5×1 adv
– Gutemberg Pereira def. Vinicius “Trator” Ferreira via 0x0 pts, 5×1 adv
– Erich Munis def. Davi Cabral via choke
– Felipe Costa def. Fellipe Trovo via cross choke from the mount
Semi-Finals:
– Kaynan Duarte def. Gutemberg Pereira via choke from the back
– Erich Munis def. Felipe Costa via choke from the back
Final:
– Erich Munis def. Kaynan Duarte via decision
MALE ULTRA-HEAVYWEIGHT
17 Matches, 5 submissions (29%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Marcus “Scooby” Ribeiro def. Roosevel Sousa via 2×2 pts, 3×1 adv
– Alexander Trans def. Austin Baker via 5×3
– Victor Hugo def. Luis “Cantareira” Oliveira via 2×0
– Guilherme Augusto def. Ricardo Evangelista via arm in Ezekiel choke
Semi-Finals:
– Victor Hugo def. Guilherme Augusto via RNC
– Marcus Ribeiro advances via WO, likely due to injury in previous match by Trans.
Final:
– Victor Hugo def. Marcus Ribeiro via triangle/armlock
MALE OPEN WEIGHT
24 Matches, 11 submissions (46%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Victor Hugo def. Luis Oliveira via triangle
– Kaynan Duarte def. Pedro Alex via armbar
– Erich Munis def. Davi Cabral via choke
– Paulo Merlin def. Lucas Barbosa via 2×0
Semi-Finals:
– Victor Hugo def. Kaynan Duarte via 0x0 pts, 1×0 adv
– Erich Munis def. Paulo Merlin via north-south choke
Final:
– Victor Hugo def. Erich Munis via kneebar
FEMALE ROOSTER
7 Matches, 3 submissions (43%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Mayssa Bastos def. Ni Ni Hoang via choke from the back
– Mariana Rolszt def. Amber Freitas via 5×2
– Brenda Larissa def. Giulia Gregorut via choke from the back
– Jhenifer Aquino def. Lavinia Barbosa via advantages
Semi-Finals:
– Mayssa Bastos def. Mariana Rolszt via choke from the back
– Jhenifer Aquino def. Brenda Larissa via decision
Final:
– Mayssa Bastos def. Jhenifer Aquino via 4×2
FEMALE LIGHT FEATHERWEIGHT
16 Matches, 8 submissions (50%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Jessa Khan def. Adele Fornarino via armbar
– Rose El Sharouni def. Andreza Costa via straight ankle lock
– Thamires Aquino def. Ana Schmitt via advantages
– Jessica Caroline def. Duda Tozoni via armbar
Semi-Finals:
– Jessa Khan def. Rose El Sharouni via armbar
– Thamires Aquino def. Jessica Caroline via advantages
Final:
– Jessa Khan def. Thamires Aquino via 8×6
FEMALE FEATHERWEIGHT
9 Matches, 3 submissions (33%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Anna Rodrigues def. Ashley Bendle via choke from the back
– Bianca Basilio def. Zofia Szawernowska via DQ (leg reap)
– Gabriela Pereira def. Larissa Campos via 4×2
– Margot Ciccarelli advanced via WO
Semi-Finals:
– Anna Rodrigues def. Margot Ciccarelli via advantage
– Bianca Basilio def. Gabriela Pereira via kimura
Final:
– Bianca Basilio def. Anna Rodrigues via advantage
FEMALE LIGHTWEIGHT
16 Matches, 5 submissions (31%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Janaina Lebre def. Sabrina Ataide via decision
– Brianna Ste-Marie def. Vitoria Vieira via wristlock
– Ffion Davies def. Julia Alves via 2×0
– Luciane Silva Ludmila Fiori via choke from the back
Semi-Finals:
– Janaina Lebre def. Brianna Ste-Marie via advantages
– Ffion Davies def. Luciane Silva via choke from the back
Final:
– Ffion Davies def. Janaina Lebre via 6×0
FEMALE MIDDLEWEIGHT
10 Matches, 2 submissions (20%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Thalyta Silva def. Martina Gramenius via triangle
– Vannessa Griffin def. Elisabeth Clay via advantage
– Andressa Cintra def. Julia Boscher via 6×0
– Thamara Ferreira def. Raquel Paaluhi Canuto via triangle
Semi-Finals:
– Thalyta Silva def. Vannessa Griffin via decision
– Andressa Cintra def. Thamara Ferreira via advantages
Final:
– Andressa Cintra def. Thata Silva via 4×2 (athlete was officially DQ’ed moments after the match, though the score already favored Cintra).
FEMALE MEDIUM-HEAVYWEIGHT
8 Matches, 3 submissions (37.5%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Maria Malyjasiak def. Elizabeth Mitrovic via 3×0
– Ana Carolina Vieira def. Leticia Cardozo via 5×0
– Amy Campo def. Graciele Fava via RNC
– Aurelie Le Vern advanced via WO
Semi-Finals:
– Amy Campo def. Ana Carolina Vieira via decision
– Maria Malyjasiak def. Aurelie Le Vern via 2×0
Final:
– Amy Campo def. Maria Malyjasiak via RNC
FEMALE HEAVYWEIGHT
9 Matches, 2 submissions (22%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Larissa Dias def. Emilly Alves via armbar
– Tamiris Silva def. Thaynara Silva via decision
– Melissa Cueto def. Maria Goncalves via 4×0
– Nathiely Jesus def. Ingridd Alves via 6×4
Semi-Finals:
– Larissa Dias def. Tamiris Silva via decision
– Melissa Cueto def. Nathiely Jesus via decision
Final:
– Melissa Cueto def. Larissa Dias via advantage
FEMALE SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT
4 Matches, 3 submissions (75%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Amanda Magda def. Heather Dunn via amassa pao choke
– Gabrieli Pessanha advanced via WO
– Mayara Custodio advanced via WO
– Claire Thevenon advanced via WO
Semi-Finals:
– Gabrieli Pessanha def. Amanda Magda via straight ankle lock
– Mayara Custodio def. Claire Thevenon via submission
Final:
– Gabrieli Pessanha def. Mayara Custodio via RNC
FEMALE OPEN WEIGHT
12 Matches, 7 submissions (58%)
Quarter-Finals:
– Ana Vieira def. Vannessa Griffin via 13×0
– Amy Campo def. Elisabeth Clay via 17×0
– Melissa Cueto def. Deise Leonanjo via choke from the back
– Gabrieli Pessanha def. Fernanda Cristo via RNC
Semi-Finals:
– Gabrieli Pessanha def. Melissa Cueto via bow and arrow choke
– Ana Carolina Vieira def. Amy Campo via advantage
Final:
– Gabrieli Pessanha def. Ana Carolina Vieira via choke from the back
The photo used in the background of our featured image was taken by Shawna Rogers. Follow her work on IG at @shawna.rodgers for some outstanding jiu-jitsu pictures.
