IBJJF Grand Slam: The difference between the yearly and seasonal titles

Although opinions may diverge, it's worth noting that the international Federation only recognizes one way of conquering the Grand Slam

May 29, 2024 by Carlos Arthur Jr.

IBJJF Grand Slam: The difference between the yearly and seasonal titles

The 2024 IBJJF World Championships on May 30 through June 2 will give jiu-jitsu fans some answers. Set to take place at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA, the tournament will not only show who stands out among the sport’s elite but will also determine athletes who are chasing an even greater goal: The IBJJF Grand Slam.

Widely regarded as the greatest achievement in competitive Jiu-Jitsu, the IBJJF Grand Slam is granted to an Adult Black Belt competitor who manages to conquer the gold in the Euros, Pans, Brasileiros, and Worlds, but some key specifics separate the yearly, seasonal, and Super Grand Slam. Here's how it all works:

May 30-Jun 2, 4:30 PM UTC

2024 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship

For a long time, the IBJJF Worlds was the last tournament of the season, ending the year for gi competitions and prompting athletes to take off their cotton armor and seek out those same titles in the no-gi spectrum. However, that changed in 2015 when the Worlds, which is usually held mid-year, became considered the first tournament in the season, marking the opening of the season's ranking. Each ranking season from then on began with the world championships, and ended at the start of the next world championships.

Thus, the first IBJJF Grand Slam Champion is the American Rafael Lovato, who conquered all four major tournaments in the federation’s schedule in 2007. This feat was only repeated in 2017, with all those titles going to Tayane Porfirio and Rubens Charles “Cobrinha”. In fact, the former was the first athlete to win weight and absolute in all four tournaments in the same year, while the latter earned the “Super Grand Slam”, not only taking the gold at the IBJJF competitions but also becoming an ADCC champion in Finland in that same year.

However, under the IBJJF rules that took place after 2015, which made the Worlds the starting point for a season that takes place between two years, the first champion was Claudia Do Val, winning the 2017 Worlds and conquering the Euros, Pans, and Brasileiros in the following year. Claudia was also a champion in the 2018 Worlds, taking not only the seasonal but also the yearly Grand Slam. In 2018, Lucas Hulk also won the yearly Grand Slam by taking the gold in his weight class at Euros and Pans, beating all opponent’s in the Brasileiros Absolute division, and closing out in the Worlds final with Gustavo Batista.

And then there’s Gabrieli Pessanha, the history-making Grand Slammer, who has not only earned the achievement for three seasons in a row (2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024) but also secured all four titles in both weight and absolute. Mayssa Bastos and Tainan Dalpra also earned the seasonal Grand Slam, winning in the 2021/2022 season. Bastos also took gold at the 2022 Worlds.

In 2024, five athletes are on track for the yearly Grand Slam: Thalison Soares, Mica Galvão, Kennedy Maciel, Thalyta Silva, and once again, Gabi Pessanha. Stay tuned to FloGrappling to know which athletes are coming to give their all at the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2024 and watch the competition live here.

How To Watch IBJJF Worlds 2024 On FloGrappling

The 2024 IBJJF World Championships are streaming on FloGrappling and the FloSports app starting on May 30 and ends on June 2. Every match replay, highlight and breaking news will be on both platforms.