The 2024 IBJJF World Championships concludes on Sunday, June 2, brining the 2024 gi season to an end after five months of twists and turns across the 17 weight categories and the open class.

Mica Galvão and Gabrieli Pessanha are still on track to complete a Grand Slam in the 2024 season, while — following a nail-biting qualifier day on Saturday — several other division frontrunners will be watching the Worlds finals from the bleachers of the Walter Pyramid.

The final day of Worlds kicks off with the men's semifinals at 9:30am local time in Long Beach, CA. Here's everything you need to know:

Open class finals:

• Gabrieli Pessanha vs Yara Soares (estimated start time 3:04pm PST)
• Jansen Gomes vs Erich Munis Featherweight (estimated start time 3:16pm PST)

Men's semifinal pairings:

Roosterweight (estimated start time 9:30am PST)

• Bebeto Oliveira vs Rodnei Barbosa
• Zayed Alkatheeri vs Andrew Soares

Light Featherweight (estimated start time 9:42am PST)

• Diego Pato vs Matheus Lima
• Jonas Andrade vs Keven Carrasco

Featherweight (estimated start time 9:54am PST)

• Meyram Maquine vs Diego Sodre
• Alex Sodre vs Ademir Barreto

Lightweight (estimated start time 10:06am PST)

• Mica Galvão vs Pedro Maia
• Andy Murasaki vs Luiz Paulo

Middleweight (estimated start time 10:18am PST)

• Jackson Nagai vs Yan Paiva
• Francisco Lo vs Johnathan Marques

Medium-Heavyweight (estimated start time 10:30am PST)

• Gustavo Batista vs Isaque Bahiense
• Jansen Gomes vs Ronaldo Junior

Heavyweight (estimated start time 10:42am PST)

• Adam Wardzinski vs Rider Zuchi
• Paulo Merlin vs Vinicius Liberati

Super Heavyweight (estimated start time 10:54am PST)

• Erich Munis vs Marcelo Gomide
• Anderson Munis vs Harryson Pereira

Ultra Heavyweight (estimated start time 11:06 am PST)

• Yatan Bueno vs Seif Houmine
• Guilherme Augosto vs Pedro Alex

Men's finals estimated to begin at 1:16pm PST

Women's finals:

Roosterweight (estimated start time 11:40 am PST)

• Mayssa Bastos vs Jhenifer Aquino

Light Featherweight (estimated start time 11:52 am PST)

• Amanda Canuto vs Thamires Aquino

Featherweight (estimated start time 12:04pm PST)

• Ana Rodrigues vs Nathalie Ribeiro

Lightweight  (estimated start time 12:16pm PST)

• Luiza Monteiro vs Brianna Ste-Marie

Middleweight  (estimated start time 12:28pm PST)

• Andressa Cintra vs Larissa Martins

Medium-Heavyweight  (estimated start time 12:40pm PST)

• Thamara Ferreira vs Maria Vicentini

Heavyweight  (estimated start time 12:52pm PST)

• Amanda Magda vs Tamiris Silva

Super Heavyweight (estimated start time 1:04pm PST)

• Gabrieli Pessanha vs Yara Soares

The black belt qualifiers were rifled with upsets

The first black belt day at Worlds was a tumultuous one for many of the reigning champions and division favorites. Match after match, top seeds were taken out by division underdogs and athletes from the middle of the pack.

Of the no.1 seeds across the 19 divisions at Worlds, only 10 of them advanced to the second day of action: the semifinals and finals.

Among the most notable upsets were a heap of athletes from AOJ. Francisco Lo defeated two-time world champ Tainan Dalpra, who was disqualified for a technical violation. Gutemberg Pereira lost in the absolute division to Jansen Gomes, and again in the ultra-heavyweight division to Guilherme Augusto in the ultra heavyweight bracket. 2022 world champ Thalison Soares lost in his opening bout to Andrew Soares. No.2 lightweight Janiana Lebre lost a DQ to Jaine Fragoso. And rookie black belt Cole Abate lost in his Worlds debut to Leonardo Vilela.

The AOJ athletes weren't the only ones to suffer big upsets. Reigning featherweight champion Samuel Nagai fell to Sebastian Serpa. Sebastian Williams suffered an DQ against Enderson Dias. Elder Cruz lost to Felipe Pimentel, Marcus Scooby lost to Seif Houmine, Brenda Larisa fell to Emily Nicholson, Thalyta Lima fell to Larissa Martins, Maria Malyasiak lost to Salla Simola, Amy Campo to Thamara Ferreira.

Some of the biggest upsets of the day were handed out early, in the absolute division, by 2022 light featherweight champion Meyram Maquine. Meyram, competing this year as a featherweight, joined the absolute division, where he met a who's who of heavy hitters. First, Angelo Claiborne, who he out-wrestled to an advantage victory. Then, Roberto Jimenez, who he scored late on in a battle of takedowns. Meyram lost to Jansen Gomes, but kept the match in arms reach.

Just how many top athletes got picked off on day one? There were 12 male world champions competing at this year's worlds. Of the 36 men who advanced to day two, only six of them are former champions — and that includes three in the medium heavyweight division.

In 2023, 13 of the 36 who made it to day two were previous world champions. In 2022 it was 10 of the 36 semifinalists.

All of that chaos leaves room for several athletes to make history. In five of the nine male divisions, a first-time world champion is guaranteed. In the eight female divisions, three of them are promised a first-time world champ.

That also means that the featherweight division will continue its eight-year trend of a new world champion. There has not been a repeat world champion at featherweight since 2011-2016, when Rafael Mendes won six consecutive titles.

What are the biggest stories headed into the 2024 IBJJF Worlds black belt finals?

Mica Galvão is on track to achieve something few men have: a single-year Grand Slam. Galvão has already won titles at Euros, Pans and Brasileiro this year, leaving only one title between him and the Grand Slam. That would make him just the third male athlete in history to achieve the feat; only Rafael Lovato Jr. (2007) and Cobrinha (2017) have previously earned it.

In his 11 total matches at Euros, Pans and Brasileiro, Galvão amassed 10 submissions. He earned three more in his three matches in the qualifiers and quarterfinal at Worlds this weekend already.

Speaking of Grand Slam-eligible athletes, Gabrieli Pessanha is on track to earn yet another one. She's completed a Double Grand Slam (weight and absolute) for three years running, would achieve a fourth with two wins over Yara Soares in the super heavyweight and absolute finals.

In fact, Pessanha has won double gold in each of the last 12 IBJJF major events (beginning with Worlds 2021). Add to that, she's undefeated in her last 122 matches.

Jansen Gomes appears have a certain aura about him this year at Worlds, returning to an IBJJF major for the first time since his breakthrough victory over Tainan Dalpra in the middleweight final in 2023. Gomes smashed through the absolute division on his way to the final, defeating Gutemberg Pereira and Meyram Maquine, among others.

Gomes is set to take on three-time world champ Erich Munis in the absolute final. Munis should be hungry on the hunt for the absolute throne, as he has appeared in back to back Worlds absolute finals and came up with silver in both.

Gomes also stormed through the medium heavyweight division in the qualifying day. But he'll have a mountain to climb in the final rounds. In his first bout, he's slated for Ronaldo Junior. If he makes it to the final, his opponent will be a former world champion, either Isaque Bahiense or Gustavo Batista.

After years of plugging away and medaling at the IBJJF Majors, but never hitting the podium at Worlds, Adam Wardzinski has punched his way into the heavyweight semifinals, locking in a place on the podium for the Polish butterfly-master. But could this be his year? Wardzinski is one of just five Brazilians who remain in the running for gold on day two.

Non-Brazilian athletes who qualified for day two:

• Zayed Alkatheeri (UAE) - Roosterweight
• Keven Carrasco (USA) - Light Featherweight
• Brianna Ste-Marie (Canada) - Featherweight
• Adam Wardzinski (Poland) - Heavyweight
• Seif Houmine (France) - Ultra Heavyweight

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. 

IBJJF Worlds 2024 Schedule Subject To Change

Changes can always happen to the schedule. The official mat assignments can be found on the IBJJF website.

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