The times are changing, and the incredible growth of women's jiu-jitsu will be on display at the 2018 IBJJF World Championship. 

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57 female black belts have signed up to compete at Worlds, and we’re still five days away from the registration deadline. 

At the time of publication of this article, there are 521 female competitors across all belt levels signed up for Worlds. 

Here is a look at the number of competitors at all belt levels. 

Registration ends on May 21, and weight classes can change for a further day or so after as athletes confirm their sign-up with the federation. 

Brown Belt

An early look at the list of sign-ups gives us a solid list of medal hopefuls. At brown belt, a few names stand out

• Roosterweight and 2017 purple belt world champ Juliane Caroline dos Santos Wiggers out of Alliance Mario Reis gym. 

• Light featherweight features the unstoppable Mayssa Bastos of GF Team, undefeated in 2018 and Euro and Pan champ. 

• Amal Amjahid competes in the featherweight division. She was European weight and absolute champion, and won both the Abu Dhabi World Pro and the London Grand Slam. 

• Vannessa Nancy Griffin of TLI and Brenda Heller of Gracie Humaita are both in at lightweight

• Cicero Costha's Thamara Ferreira Silva (Brazilian champ with double gold) and Jessica Constance Swanson of Soul Fighters (Pan champ) are two to watch at middleweight

• European champ Ane N. Svendsen of GF Team is signed up at medium-heavy, the same division she won in Portugal, as is Pan champ Jessica Lynn Guedry of Soul Fighters. 

2017 black belt medium heavyweight champ Nathiely de Jesus. Photo: Michael Sears

Black Belt

Black belt is the most stacked it's been in years. The only 2017 champs not to have signed up (at least not yet) are roosterweight Rikako Yuasa and lightweight Luiza Monteiro. 

There is plenty of new blood in the mix, and very few "veterans". First-year black belts include: 

Liwia Gluchowska (Absolute MMA Australia) and Emma Xiong (Gracie Humaita) at light featherweight

Nathalie Ribeiro (Checkmat) and Amanda Nogueira (GF Team) at featherweight

Erin Herle (Alliance) and Catherine Fuhro Perret (Checkmat) at lightweight

Renata Marinho (Alliance) and Raquel Canuto (Checkmat) at middleweight

Yacinta Nguyen (Toronto BJJ) at heavyweight. 

Scroll down for a total list of female black belt entrants.