Another year, another epic jiu-jitsu season. 2024 maintained the previous trend which saw soaring numbers of tournaments at an international level as the IBJJF, AJP, ADCC, and newcomers CJI & UFC FightPass Invitational locked horns to battle for who will lead the sport into its next step towards the mainstream. All put out quality shows across the globe regularly and in this article, we return to an exercise we have done over the past 10 years: To unveil the top submission artists in the sport.
In terms of overall stats, 2024 brought a lot of exciting matches, and a healthy 40.5% of all matches recorded at the professional level ended in finishes (over 4000 submissions).
Chokes from the back (RNC, Cross-Collar, Short-Choke, Bow & Arrow, etc) took the majority of finishes with 22%. The armbar ranked #2 in overall submissions in 2024 with 12%, and heel hooks of all varieties ended in #3 at 8%.
Ranking Rules:
With this ever-growing number of events, BJJ Heroes was forced to evolve the rules of this little ranking exercise over the years. One of the challenges of this is how many athletes will compete very often in smaller shows such as ADCC Opens and amass many submission wins that push their sub-rate higher, though they are often professionals competing against non-pros and even colored belts at these tournaments. As a screening process, we have opted to leave out every athlete who did not have at least 2 wins in top-shelf events (Worlds, Pans, Brazilian Nationals, Euros, ADCC finals, CJI, etc) and at least 10 submissions this year. The target is to elect the elite submission hunters at the pro level. If you believe there is a fairer system, feel free to drop us a comment on this article and we will consider it for 2025.
TOP MALE FINISHERS IN BJJ, 2024
#10. MICA GALVAO
(Lightweight/Middleweight, Escola de JJ Melqui Galvao)
At number 10 is the Athlete Of The Year (in our opinion), Mica Galvão. Mica won the Super Grand Slam this year, taking gold medals in all the major tournaments of the sport, namely the IBJJF World, Pan, Euro, Brazilian Nationals, and the ADCC, a deed only achieved once before in the history of jiu-jitsu. Not only did Galvão win all these arduous championships, but he also had one of the best submission rates of the year, showing that his dominance was on a different level.
The sky is the limit for the bright Manaus talent and although he has expressed his desire to move to MMA, we hope BJJ can hold this incredible talent on the mats for a few more years.
#9. RYAN AITKEN
(Heavyweight, 10th Planet)
The first no-gi specialist to appear on the 2024 top finishers list is 10th Planet’s Ryan Aitken, who was one of the most impressive performers of the year with 36 matches, 27 of those being wins, and of those wins, 20 ending in submissions. A proficient leg-locker, Aitken showed a lot of versatility this season with many wins coming via choke.
The epic result of Aitken also marks the first-ever appearance of a 10th Planet athlete in the end-of-year Best Finishers In Jiu-Jitsu Ranking. A note-worthy event for the well-known no-gi team.
#8. ERICH MUNIS
(Super-heavyweight, Fratres)
Ever since he reached the black belt division, there hasn’t been a year when Erich Munis was not at the top of the game, but as he is settling into his veteran role Munis, is becoming even a bigger force in the super-heavyweight division with his submission rate jumping from the mid-30 percent range in the early years to an impressive 76% in 2024, superseding his already impressive 74% mark of 2023.
#7. JULIAN ESPINOSA
(Featherweight, Renzo Gracie Costa Rica)
One of the most entertaining athletes in the featherweight division, the Costa Rica talent has been very active as a professional, having amassed over 100 matches in two years, the majority of which were won by submission via heel hook and straight ankle locks. Espinosa is also the lighter athlete on this list and the second to compete exclusively in no-gi of which there are 3 on this ranking (1 to come).
#6. AUSTIN ORANDAY
(Medium-Heavyweight, Oranday Brothers)
One of the hardest-working competitors in the game, Austin Oranday has amassed nearly 200 matches in just under 4 years as a black belt, competing in every ruleset.
This year Austin had 35 wins and scored a whole lot of footlocks, mostly straight ankle locks, Aoki locks, and Caio Terra locks, against a few big names of the sport.
This is the second time an Oranday family member is part of this ranking as his brother, Damion, was also a top finisher back in 2021. In fact, Damion was #1 of that ranking with 82% subs with most of his submissions being also footlocks.
#5. DAVID GARMO
(Medium-Heavy/Heavyweight, Detroit Syndicate)
The highest-ranking American grappler on the list, Garmo, is also the highest-ranked no-gi specialist at No. 5. David had a very interesting year maintaining a level of consistency not often seen in veteran players, doing it while competing in a range of rulesets, from IBJJF, ADCC, and Enigma. David had many highlight-worthy moments in 2024, but his reverse omoplata finish over Nick Newell at Enigma’s 84-kilogram tournament would likely steal the cake.
#4. ROOSEVELT SOUSA
(Ultra-Heavyweight, Fight Sports)
A regular face in these rankings is the Fight Sports powerhouse, Roosevelt Sousa. Although an ultra-heavyweight, Sousa performs just as well from his guard as he does from the top and is known for his submission-hunting skills from all angles. This year marks “Roos’s” 3rd appearance in the Best Finishers end-of-year report. Although he competed slightly less than in years past, Sousa competed enough to make a dent in his division and snatch a bronze medal at the No-Gi World Championships earlier this month.
#3. HELDER JUNIOR “TROPECO”
(Ultra-Heavyweight, Fratres)
Jiu-Jitsu’s “Lurch” made the #3 spot of the top finishers in the game with just 18 months as a black belt competitor, having played mostly with the Gi, with only just one no-gi event (ADCC Vegas Open) on his record in 2024. Helder is one of the most dangerous leg-lockers in the sport, particularly in the Gi ruleset, where his most used finishes come from, primarily the Straight Ankle Locks and the Toe Holds.
#2. RAFAEL PAGANINI
(Medium-Heavyweight, Dream Art)
One of the most underrated athletes in the sport, today, is Paganini. A masterful guillotine specialist, who competes at the top level in both Gi & No-Gi, Rafael built his career in Brazil and seldom competes outside of his native country except at the IBJJF Worlds and Pan Championships where his talent has struggled to shine through. This year, his biggest trophy was the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals without the Gi, where he placed first.
#1. HORLANDO MONTEIRO
(Heavyweight, Team Kimura KMR)
At the top of the ranking is the Pride of Rio Grande do Norte, currently residing in Hawaii, The Potiguar, Horlando Monteiro. This is the second appearance by Monteiro in our rankings, having placed #10 last year. Horlando competed exclusively with the kimono in 2024 as have the majority of #1 podium placers over the past 10 years of this list, the exceptions being Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones, and Roberto Jimenez. Monteiro had a fantastic year making great use of his guard – one of the most dynamic guards in the sport – from where he submitted the majority of his opponents.
TOP FEMALE FINISHERS IN BJJ, 2024
#3. AMANDA MAGDA
(Heavyweight, Fratres)
One of the most incredible stories in our sport is 46-year-old Amanda Magda, an athlete who is still going strong in the professional division. This year, Amanda made it through to the finals of 3 major IBJJF events, including the Worlds, Brasileiros, and South American Championships, taking 14 submission wins out of her 24 victories.
#2. GABRIELI PESSANHA
(Super-heavyweight, InFight)
The world’s #1 female jiu-jitsu athlete is also one of the most active. 43 matches added this year to her 3-year unbeaten streak, which is now going on 151. Always pushing herself out of her comfort zone, 2024 brought Pessanha’s No-Gi debut, another positive experience for the 8x Gi World Champion. This was also a year when Gabrieli opened up to the footlocking game, particularly the straight ankle lock, a position she used in 15 out of her 33 submissions.
#1. ADELE FORNARINO
(Featherweight, Atos)
The top finisher in the women’s division was Australia’s Adele Fornarino who reigned undefeated in 2024 with 18 matches and 18 wins. This is the second year in a row where the Atos standout achieved this position in our ranking, doing so while working mostly from the closed guard, a deadly bottom game that swims against the current when so many of the submissions obtained this year occurred from a passing stance. “Daddy” Fornarino competed in a wide range of rulesets, from Gi to No-Gi, making this submission record even more impressive.
Previous Rankings:
This edition of the Top Finishers list marks the 10th year BJJ Heroes has provided these results to the grappling community. If the reader desires to check previous years of the Top Finishers ranking, please click on any of the dates below:
– 2015
– 2016
– 2017
– 2018
– 2019
– 2020
– 2021
– 2022
– 2023
