BJJ Stars 14 is bringing the action on December 7th, with the featherweight grand prix taking center stage. Featherweight may be the world's best weight class, with tons of different body types and technical styles being pushed to their limit by elite athletes. At Worlds, it was Meyram Maquine taking first place but after a wild year it is good that we will get one more chance in 2024 to see these stars throw down.

While brackets aren't out yet for the Grand Prix and any athlete could get hot and navigate their way to gold, we took a look at the eight men entered in and broke it down by favorites, contenders, and darkhorses.

The Favorites

#1 Meyram Maquine

Meyram has had probably the best year of his career to date in 2024 and this tournament is his chance to cap it off on top of the world. Meyram won Worlds in featherweight, after moving up from light-feather where he had previously won as well. With strong judo, great passing, and a great ability to finish from the back, he is a threat to anyone in this division and usually several divisions above. If his opposition can't slow him down into a more tactical match it will be a clear path for Meyram to take first.

#4 Diego Sodre

Diego Sodre has been so, so close to winning a major tournament like this for a long time and I think after his 2024, he's got to be one of the favorites for gold here. The Nova União product has one of the trickiest open guards in the world and plays the IBJJF game as well as anyone. If he can drag these matches out, get to his lasso guard, and play stingy - he's tough to beat for anyone.

The Contenders

#5 Kennedy Maciel

Kennedy's year in the gi started so strong, winning Euros, Pans, and Brasileiros while beating some of the top figures in the weight. He was ranked #1 coming into Worlds, but failed to podium after losing in the quarters. To follow that up, he did recently also get upset by João Bisnaga at The Crown - can he turn around his year? This tournament will do a lot to contextualize how his 2024 is remembered, but he's got to find a way out of his rut.

#6 Fabricio Andrey

The Hokage is a threat to any bracket he enters, but there have been stumbles the past few years at major events. He will beat some of the toughest guys but then drop a close match to another contender. Still, with amazing judo, stellar loose passing, and unmatched explosion for featherweight, you have to take his chances to win this very seriously. The threat to Fabricio has been the gas tank, as he does tend to made later in matches because of the enormous energy expenditure his style requires.

The Darkhorses

#11 Israel Almeida

Israel has come on strong in the back half of this year, excelling in the AJP circuit with wins over standouts like Marco Mendes, Sebastian Serpa, Ademir Barreto, and more. He's finally hitting a solid run in his career where he is showing the promise we saw flashes of in his brown belt World champion career. Now that he is on the hottest streak of his career, could that translate into a big performance here?

Kauã Gabriel

Kauã really broke into the next level this year with his performances at the ADCC South American Trials and his eventual appearance at the Worlds. While he has mostly focused on his no-gi career to this point, he comes from a strong camp in Manaus and has plenty of gi experience. This will be many people's first chance seeing Kauã at the black belt level in the gi - an upset could be brewing. Watch out for the ankle lock, don't say I didn't warn you.

Malachi Edmond

The Magic-Man is bringing some American flair to this tournament as he is the sole USA-born athlete in the bracket. The TLI black belt brings a dynamic style with a lot of misdirection, a very tricky guard, and a lot of flair. Expect something fun when Malachi takes the mats, he's a very cerebral opponent for anyone.

Cleber Clandestino

Cleber has been having a ton of success on BJJ Stars and now enters into a super tough bracket with upsets on his mind. He's got all the tools to get it done, including a prodigious squeeze that he puts on people. With tons of experience and that ace in the hole, an upset is always in the mix for Cleber as he will likely get a top guy first round.

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