By Michael Sears

The brown belt divisions at 2018 Worlds were exceptional in the depth of talent present, and made for a fun final event of the season to watch. 

Kaynan Duarte

20-year-old prodigy Kaynan Duarte of Atos capped off an incredible 2018 with double gold at Worlds after already winning the open class at Europeans and Pans this year. Duarte, a first year brown belt, defeated 2017 brown belt heavyweight World champ Vinicius Ferreira on his way to the heavyweight title. Later in the open class Kaynan would defeat three opponents, including Victor Hugo in the final. Duarte was promoted to black belt on the podium by his coach Andre Galvao. 

Kennedy Maciel, son of the legendary Cobrinha, was another 2018 champ who received his black belt after winning Worlds in the light-featherweight division. Kennedy won Pans this year and took third at Worlds a year ago. In his final, Kennedy persevered in a hard-fought victory over Malachi Edmond of Team Lloyd Irvin.

Levi Jones-Leary 

A pair of Unity Jiu Jitsu competitors took home the World gold in the lightweight and super-heavyweight divisions. At lightweight, Australian Levi-Jones Leary submitted three of five opponents. Levi won Europeans and Pans earlier this year. At super-heavyweight, Devhonte Johnson also won five matches to become the World champion. They were the only non-Brazilian brown belt male champions. 

Mauricio Oliveira of GF Team again looked dominant in the medium-heavyweight division. Oliveira has now won worlds at blue, purple and brown belt in three consecutive. Like Duarte, Mauricio is only 20 and has won Worlds at all the colored belts already. Mauricio’s ferocious passing was on display throughout his weight and the open class, where he finished in third after losing to ultra-heavyweight Victor Hugo via kneebar in the semifinal. 

• Atos teammates Leonardo Lara and Jonnatas Gracie clashed in the middleweight final, with Lara getting the win after Gracie was DQ’d for reaping. Lara was handed his black belt on the podium by coaches Caio and Diogo Almeida. 

• Victor Hugo followed up on his purple belt title from a year ago by becoming a brown belt World champ this year in the ultra-heavyweight division, also finishing second in the open class.

• Cicero Paiva pulled off the upset at rooster after taking out European, Brasileiro and Abu Dhabi World Pro champ Carlos Oliveira in the final. A late stalling call on Oliveira gave Paiva the victory.

• Matheus Gabriel of Checkmat battled through a stacked featherweight bracket, defeating European champion Richar Nogueira in the final. Gabriel would also get promoted to black belt on the podium. 

• Julie Wiggers of Alliance Mario Reis won roosterweight gold a year after winning the same as a purple belt. She was handed her black belt on the podium after her second Worlds gold in a row. 

• The women’s brown belt divisions saw much more depth of international talent and five of nine divisions were non-Brazilian athletes, namely Ffion Davies of the UK (feather) and Americans Talia Vaughan (lightweight), Jessica Swanson (middleweight), Kim Sarah Rice (heavyweight) and Elizabeth Foster (super-heavyweight). 

Read full results from the 2018 IBJJF World Championships

Watch the 2018 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship live

May 31 to June 3 | Long Beach, CA