The Podiums Are Set: No-Gi Worlds Black Belt Day 1 Recap
The Podiums Are Set: No-Gi Worlds Black Belt Day 1 Recap
Catch up on all the action from day one of IBJJF No-Gi Worlds, with key results from Cole Abate, Brianna Ste-Marie, Elder Cruz, Devhonte Johnson, and more
It was a wild day one of black belt at the No-Gi Worlds but we now know the full podiums for every division - including the three athletes still alive for double gold. There were tons of finishes, some crazy upsets, and plenty of drama as we set the men's semifinals, women's finals, and open class finals - all of which will be going down live exclusively on FloGrappling, starting at 9:30am Pacific Time.
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The day kicked off with the open classes and it was an early shock with Brianna Ste-Marie avenging a prior loss to Elisabeth Clay by submission, before advancing herself to the finals with a back-and-forth win over CheckMat's Anabel Lopez. BSM has been on fire recently (winning The Crown) and also made the finals at lightweight (against the very tough Mo Black) with more submission wins, so she is on the verge of a historic day tomorrow.
In her way, though, is the greatest gi grappler in women's jiu-jitsu history - Gabi Pessanha. Pessanha finally made her no-gi black belt debut and, in the least surprising news ever, she is incredible. She also sits in two World finals tomorrow but did have a notably tough match against Nadia Frankland early on in her run.
On the men's side, Elder Cruz and Devhonte Johnson are set to face off in the open class finals to determine who's top dog at this elite event. Both men have a lot to prove in this match, after navigating tough fields to get here. I would expect that whoever can get on top in this one will win the match, as simple as that sounds for such an important bout.
AOJ's young star Cole Abate has made his way to his first World semifinal at black belt, notably taking out ADCC silver medalist Gabriel Sousa along the way. Cole will have a tough field left but is the likely favorite to achieve his dream tomorrow of earning black belt World gold. Also in the mix though will be Costa Rica's Julián Espinosa, Ireland's Sam McNally, and Brazil's Marco Mendes in a very international podium at feather.
On the women's side, a notable result was 18 year old Cassia Moura in the finals after a great run that included a win over Tammi Musumeci. Cassia could become the youngest IBJJF black belt World champion in history tomorrow. Fans should also keep an eye out for Elisabeth Clay vs Nadia Frankland in the finals at middleweight, they are two very aggressive submission hunters with world-class technique everywhere, and Mayssa Bastos vs Sophia Cassella at light-feather (among the many other great bouts).
On the men's side, there was a lot of good action up through the quarters where the day ended. With some of the top names like Junny Ocasio unable to compete, a few brackets have really opened up and we will be guaranteed first time champions. At middleweight, Fabyury Khrysthyan kept his hot streak alive by avenging his most recent loss at Ocean Pro to Tarik Hopstock here. He sits in the semifinals tomorrow morning. Sebastian Rodriguez and Francisco Lo both put on a show at medium-heavy and seem on a collision course to meet (tho both will have a challenge in the semifinals).
Another standout from day one was heavyweight Felipe 'Laranjinha' Costa, who is seeking world gold to end his incredible year. He will face the bruising Calon Sabino of Atos, with Pan champion Jose Jurema taking on England's Faris Benlamkadem (who is having a fun tournament so far). Also keep an eye out for lightweight, where three of the four people in the semifinals - Carlos Henrique, Lucas Valente, and Gianni Grippo - have won gold at this event before.
Matches kick off again tomorrow, Saturday, at 9:30am PST with the men's semifinals then rolling through to the finals.
2024 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds Semifinal Matchups
Men's Rooster
- Everton Teixeira vs Nobuhiro Sawada
- Chris Tran vs Lucas Castro
Men's Light-Feather
- Rodnei Barbosa vs Marcos Gomes
- Zach Kaina vs Shoya Ishiguro
Men's Feather
- Julián Espinosa vs Sam McNally
- Marco Mendes vs Cole Abate
Men's Light
- Carlos Henrique vs Lucas Valente
- Yigit Hanay vs Gianni Grippo
Men's Middle
- Mateus Moraes vs Alexandre Robinho
- Fabyury Khrysthyan vs Arley Pacheco
Men's Medium-Heavy
- Francisco Lo vs Gabriel Castro
- Sebastian Rodriguez vs Wallison Oliveira
Men's Heavy
- Jose Jurema vs Faris Benlamkadem
- Calon Sabino vs Felipe Laranjinha Costa
Men's Super-Heavy
- Gabriel Haddad vs Marcos Carrozzino
- Elder Cruz vs Marcin Maciulewicz
Men's Ultra-Heavy
- Heikki Jussila vs Anderson Kaua
- Roosevelt Sousa vs Lucas Montalvão
2024 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds Finals Matchups
Men's Open Class
- Elder Cruz vs Devhonte Johnson
Women's Open Class
- Gabi Pessanha vs Brianna Ste-Marie
Women's Rooster
- Jhenifer Aquino vs Mariana Cabral
Women's Light-Feather
- Sophia Cassella vs Mayssa Bastos
Women's Feather
- Amanda Monteiro vs Cassia Moura
Women's Light
- Mo Black vs Brianna Ste-Marie
Women's Middle
- Elisabeth Clay vs Nadia Frankland
Women's Medium-Heavy
- Caitlin Huggins vs Salla Simola
Women's Heavy
- Paige Ivette vs Anabel Lopez
Women's Super-Heavy
- Mayara Moreira vs Gabi Pessanha
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