2025 Pan Jiu Jitsu IBJJF Championship

Breaking Down The IBJJF Pan Brackets: Which Black Belts Got The Best Draws?

Breaking Down The IBJJF Pan Brackets: Which Black Belts Got The Best Draws?

We take a look at each bracket and break down who to look out for at the 2025 IBJJF Pan Championships, one of the biggest gi tournaments of the year

Mar 17, 2025 by Joe Gilpin
Breaking Down The IBJJF Pan Brackets: Which Black Belts Got The Best Draws?

The IBJJF Pan Championships are approaching fast, with matches set to kick off this week - with black belts taking the mats on Saturday and Sunday in Kissimee, Florida. There are dozens of ranked black belts ready to throw down in one of the year's most prestigious gi tournaments.

IBJJF Pan Brackets Are HERE

We have a lot of Pan & European champions in the brackets and some surprises - like Atos's Luiza Monteiro who snuck into registration late after a retirement at last year's World Championships. Pans is probably the toughest tournament outside of Worlds, with many top grapplers living and training in the US and historically prioritizing the event.

Let's take a look at every division. Numbers are their rankings according to FloGrappling.

Men's Rooster

Bebeto is back in major IBJJF action for the first time since his 2024 World title. He grabs the one seed here and has a solid path to the podium. Jalen Fonacier was super close to gold in Lisbon so I think he will be really hungry here. If he starts strong against Bruno Sena, he has the tools for the upset. On the other side, Everton Teixeira takes on Lucas Castro in a finals from the recent no-gi Worlds final. Whoever wins gets Yuri Hendrix who won Euros. Great action coming. On the other side, Tadiyah Danforth and Welerson Goncalves meet up, they are really even in my mind so I think it's near a coin flip who can come out on top and reach the podium. I wouldn't be shocked if we get a Euros finals rematch here.

Ranked athletes:

  • #1 Bebeto Oliveira- also #15 Pound-for-Pound
  • #5 Yuri Hendrix
  • #6 Jalen Fonacier
  • #8 Welerson Goncalves
  • #9 Tadiyah Danforth
  • #12 Everton Teixeira
  • #14 Bruno Sena

Men's Light-Feather

The Baby Shark keeps swimming as he enters Pans as the one seed. He has a really interesting potential quarter against Zach Kaina, who won No-Gi Worlds last year. Kaina is super tough but Diogo has looked unbeatable when he's on. Whoever reaches the semifinals will likely have either Euro finalist Shoya Ishiguro (one of the most underrated black belts in the tournament) or Jordan Vaisman. Shoya and Shark faced off in Lisbon in a tight, tactical match. In the other half of the bracket, TLI veteran Malachi Edmond has the two seed and a great path to the semifinals - though he will be tested against young black belt Rerisson. The other quarter is probably the deepest, with Marcos Guedes, Anderson Delfino, Frank Cespedes, Rene Lopes, and Keven Carrasco all capable of winning matches. If I had to only pick one guy, it would be Keven to come through but it's a very close margin in any of these.

Ranked athletes:

  • #2 Diogo Reis - also #12 Pound-for-Pound
  • #4 Malachi Edmond
  • #6 Shoya Ishiguro
  • #7 Keven Carrasco
  • #10 Rerisson dos Santos
  • #11 Zach Kaina
  • #12 Anderson Delfino
  • #14 Jordan Vaisman

Men's Feather

While Diego Oliveira is the number one ranked guy according to Flo, he's seeded third based on IBJJF's point system (because of how his points decline while into moving weights). Still, he's the favorite out of that three seed with a smooth draw to the semifinals. On that other side, I'd look at the top for the likely winner, either Florian Bayili, Kalel Nascimento, or Isaac Doederlein. I'd definitely favor Doederlein, for the experience and guard work of the 2022 IBJJF World Champion. Still, I do think Bayili is really underrated. Sam Nagai is on the other side as the true one seed, and the 2023 IBJJF World Champion and he's got a really rough draw for a one seed. Sebastian Serpa, who has wins over guys like Doederlein, and Cole Abate face off and the winner likely sees Nagai in the semifinals. Abate just beat Nagai at the Austin Open, so that's definitely a matchup with upset written all over it. Out of the other side, watch for Guilherme Fernandes or Jihwan Park to medal but the finalist will more likely come from that other quarter (imo).

Ranked athletes:

  • #1 Diego Oliveira - also #1 Pound-for-Pound
  • #7 Sam Nagai
  • #10 Isaac Doederlein
  • #11 Israel Almeida Sousa
  • #12 Guilherme Fernandes
  • #14 Minho Yoon
  • #15 Sebastian Serpa

Other notable entries:

  • Cole Abate

Men's Light

2024 Pan and World Champion Jackson Nagai is back to defend his throne here in Florida and it's a deep bracket. Mateus Moraes and Sandrey Silva are in his quarter so he will likely need to go through one of them for the podium. Leonardo Saggioro and Fabyury Khrysthyan are waiting on the other side, and Julio Arantes also looms as a darkhorse medal contender from that quadrant. On the other half of the bracket, Leo Souza is in as a late registrant to keep his momentum up from his Euro gold run. He's got the potential of a Robinho quarterfinal in what would be one of the round's most explosive matchups. Whoever wins that would have a semifinal against Natan Chueng, Matheus Gabriel (if his shoulder is healthy), or Danielo Moreira. Of those three, I would favor Chueng for his consistency lately, though no doubt Gabriel at full strength is a gold medal threat in any bracket.

Ranked athletes:

  • #4 Jackson Nagai - also #13 Pound-for-Pound
  • #5 Leonardo Souza
  • #10 Natan Chueng

Other notable entries:

  • Alexandre de Jesus
  • Matheus Gabriel
  • Fabyury Khrysthyan

Men's Middle

Fun bracket here! Tainan is the one and will have either Alehander Mariano or Tarik Hopstock in the quarter, and Mariano/Hopstock is a great round one matchup. On the other side, Gabriel Galvão and Rolando Samson stand out as the other likely quarterfinal and podium spot in a clash between veteran and newcomer at black belt. On the other half of the bracket, Andy Murasaki earns the two seed. He may have to go through an early round match with Felipe Porto but things really heat up for him in the semifinals. That quarter of the bracket has Pedro Maia, Wallisson Oliveira, and Johnny Tama all vying for one medal spot. Pedro was the favorite coming into Euros at lightweight but now moves up, so that's an x-factor.

Ranked athletes:

  • #1 Tainan Dalpra - also #7 Pound-for-Pound
  • #3 Andy Murasaki - also #11 Pound-for-Pound
  • #12 Gabriel Galvão
  • #13 Alehander Mariano
  • #15 Wallisson Oliveira

Other notable entries:

  • Tarik Hopstock
  • Pedro Maia
  • Johnny Tama
  • Rolando Samson

Men's Medium-Heavy

Deep, tough bracket here with a lot of potential champions. Franciso Lo moved up from middle to medium-heavy here and earns the one seed. He has an early one against Luccas Lira (if Luccas wins his pigtail) in one of the best eliminatory round matchups. The path to the podium for either eases up there. In that other quarter, some tough scrappers include Raul Basilio and Rafael dos Anjos. I would favor Basilio but it's very open. On the other side of the bracket, Servio Tulio is the two seed but he will be on upset watch early against either Rui Neto of DreamArt or CheckMat's Dory Aoun. I think the last podium spot is Mathias Luna's to lose, he's always close but I feel like the draw is pretty solid for him to make the semis. Whoever is on the podium here has a chance at gold. Many scrappers.

Ranked athletes:

  • #13 Carlos Neto
  • #15 Rafael dos Anjos

Other notable entries:

  • Francisco Lo
  • Luccas Lira
  • Dory Aoun
  • Servio Tulio
  • Mathias Luna

Men's Heavy

This is a really great bracket! Let's start with the best early match, Roberto Jimenez taking on Gustavo Batista (provided Jimenez beats Thiago Cesar first). Roberto is fresh off a submission of the year frontrunner, so let's see how the momentum holds up in this fire v ice showdown. Whoever wins that will see either Lucas Norat or likely Jose Jurema (2024 No-Gi Pan Champ) in the semifinal. On the other side, Adam Wardzinski is the top dog and top seed but he's got a really interesting potential semifinal - Pedro Machado. Pedro is the last guy to beat Adam in the gi and he did it here last year at Pans, submitting Adam with an armbar. Is revenge in store or can Machado stop Adam's incredible momentum? If Adam wins, what's he got left for the finals? Great bracket.

Ranked athletes:

  • #1 Adam Wardzinski - also #3 Pound-for-Pound
  • #3 Gustavo Batista - also #5 Pound-for-Pound
  • #4 Pedro Machado
  • #12 Roberto Jimenez
  • #15 Lucas Norat

Other notable entries:

  • Jose Jurema

Men's Super-Heavy

Windson Torres of GB is the top seed after his Euros performance. I think the toughest match from his side may actually come from Nolan Stuart or Gabriel Haddad, depending on which makes it to him. World medalist Paulo Merlin is on the other side as the two seed, his most dangerous match is likely with Mateus Rodrigues who is up from his usual home of heavyweight. Austin Oranday is an outlier here as a smaller man looking to use a different kind of game to shake things up, so that'll be fun to watch (tho Merlin second round is a tough draw).

Ranked athletes:

  • #6 Windson Torres

Other notable entries:

  • Matheus Rodrigues
  • Paulo Merlin

Men's Ultra-Heavy

Big 'Berg is back and he is the top seed here, but Gutemberg Pereira has a treacherous path. If he hits Lucas Montalvão in the second round, that's someone who could match his speed and power combination. If he can get past that, whoever wins between the top-ten ranked Gui Augusto and Helder Jose awaits. Gui beat Gutemberg at Worlds last year, so it could be a rematch here. On the other side, Marcus Scooby is back after his run at Euros ended in major disappointment. He has something to prove here but he's got a great draw to do it - with his toughest test likely being Roosevelt in the semifinals (tho Nico is tough if they face off too).

Ranked athletes:

  • #4 Guilherme Augusto
  • #5 Gutemberg Pereira
  • #7 Marcus Ribeiro
  • #9 Roosevelt Sousa
  • #10 Helder Jose
  • #15 Anderson Kauan

Other notable entries:

  • Nico Maglicic
  • Lucas Montalvão

Women's Rooster

Expect a lot of tight matches and close finishes here with eight ranked grapplers in the mix. No-Gi World Champion Jhenifer Aquino is back, she has a path to the semifinals that likely sees Lavinia Barbosa of CheckMat. If she can get past that, it's either Jessica Caroline or Diana Teixeira who are on a very even level and have had a lot of success the last few years. Euro champion Thaís Loureiro is back as the two, and has a decent draw to the semifinals - only #14 Mara Kelly would stand as a major impediment to medaling. In the other quarter, Ana Lima da Silva is in as the four seed but her quarterfinal against Mariana Cabral is another close one.

Ranked athletes:

  • #3 Jhenifer Aquino
  • #4 Ana Lima da Silva
  • #5 Jessica Caroline
  • #6 Mariana Cabral
  • #7 Thaís Loureiro
  • #8 Diana Teixeira
  • #11 Lavinia Barbosa
  • #14 Mara Kelly

Women's Light-Feather

Only eight women entered but it's deep enough with talent here. Mayssa anchors things as the likely champion, but watch out for some good action from Brenda Larissa and Shelby Murphey on the other side if they hit in the semifinal. Thaynara Victoria and Yasmyn Castro are going to meet in that other quarter (winner probably faces Mayssa), and medaling here at a major tournament would be huge for either new black belt.

Ranked athletes:

  • #1 Mayssa Bastos- also #2 Pound-for-Pound
  • #6 Brenda Larissa
  • #10 Naiomi Matthews

Other notable entries:

  • Shelby Murphey

Women's Feather

Pretty deep bracket with many ranked grapplers here. Larissa Campos is the one to beat as the top seed and European champion. She could have a tough one early against either Caroline Brunacio or Mona Bailey but then on the other side, and then a semifinal against either Cassia Moura or Astrid Scholin. Cassia is an x-factor given her youth and relative lack of experience, but she's closing that gap fast. On the other side, Maria Luiza has a likely early one against Tubby Alequin and then a likely semifinal against either Vitória Assis (who took silver at Euros) or Emily Nicholson.

Ranked athletes:

  • #4 Larissa Campos
  • #5 Maria Luiza
  • #7 Vitória Assis
  • #8 Astrid Scholin
  • #9 Cassia Moura
  • #14 Caroline Brunacio

Other notable entries:

  • Amanda Alequin

Women's Light

We have a pleasant surprise here as 2024 World Champion Luiza Monteiro - who put down her belt in the Pyramid as a sign of retirement - has entered in late and is now the top seed for Pans! This is a tournament she's typically done very well at, so let's see if she's still the queen of the division now that's back (after a comparatively short time off). She could meet Jaine Fragoso in the semifinals, provided Jaine is able to handle wrestler Alex Enriquez first round. Maria Claudia of Infight is also tough along the way. Janaina Maia continues her Grand Slam hunt with her entry here, earning the second seed. She has a good draw to the semifinals, where she could see really anyone of those four - Faure, Zumba, Trindade, or Bruse. 

Ranked athletes:

  • #2 Janaina Maia- also #8 Pound-for-Pound
  • #7 Jaine Fragoso
  • #8 Stéphanie Faure
  • #15 Natália Zumba

Other notable entries:

  • Luiza Monteiro
  • Alex Enriquez
  • Amanda Bruse

Women's Middle

This is the bracket with the most black belt women entered at sixteen, so four matches to win. In the first quad, Vannessa Griffin stands as the one seed after Euros gold. I like her path to the semifinals where she things get considerably tougher. Vitoria Gabriela of Castro Team is a very impressive rookie black belt, Amanda Schurtz was on the Euro absolute podium after looking great with her submission-oriented offense, and Deise Leonanjo is one of the most aggressive black belts in competition today. Only one will emerge from that quarter, but any will be a tough matchup. Lis Clay earns the two seed and has a good path to the semifinals, where I think she will end up facing the 3 seed Larissa Santos. An x-factor is Chloé McNally, who returns after an extended layoff but has had great moments before.

Ranked athletes:

  • #4 Vannessa Griffin
  • #6 Vitoria Gabriela
  • #12 Amanda Schurtz

Other notable entries:

  • Elisabeth Clay

Women's Medium-Heavy

Seven quality entrants here, with 2025 European silver medalist Aurélie Le Vern at the top. She will face either Salla Simola or Denise Krahn - they both represent Hilti BJJ but different academies. You'd have to imagine there's some familiarity there but only one will medal. Maria Vincentini takes on Nadia Frankland on the other side, they both had big moments in 2024. Maca likely has the edge coming in because she's more experienced in the gi but we'll see. Fernanda Cristo and Nia Blackman are in the other quarter and whoever makes the final on this side will be making a big statement before Worlds. If I had to take one person from that side, it would likely be Maca.

Ranked athletes:

  • #5 Maria Carolina Vincentini
  • #6 Aurélie Le Vern
  • #8 Salla Simola
  • #13 Fernanda Cristo

Other notable entries:

  • Nadia Frankland
  • Nia Blackman

Women's Heavy

This is a tough bracket! Only five women but everyone here is a quality opponent. Larissa Dias is the one seed but the match to watch for me is the 2/3 semifinal of Izadora Silva taking on Maria Malyjasiak - a pair of tough veterans. Anabel Lopez is the x-factor here as the four seed, she is fresh off a no-gi world title and has a lot of competitive experience despite her young age.

Ranked athletes:

  • #3 Izadora Silva
  • #9 Larissa Dias
  • #13 Anabel Lopez

Other notable entries:

  • Maria Malyjasiak

Women's Super-Heavy

Gabi Pessanha and Isa Lemos are the only two here. While Isa is an impressive young black belt, Gabi is just too much and is the heavy favorite for double gold.

Ranked athletes:

  • #1 Gabi Pessanha - also #1 Pound-for-Pound
  • #9 Isa Lemos

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