The 2018 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship goes down on September 15-16 in New York, here's an early look at who's in. 

The bombshell news surrounding the IBJJF No-Gi Pans is that Gordon Ryan has signed up to compete, making this his first foray in an IBJJF tournament since November 2015, almost three years ago. Ryan was still a brown belt then, and believe it or not, a lightweight too. He competed in and won the No-Gi Worlds, but really made his name in 2016 and 2017 by going up in weight and winning ADCC, multiple EBIs and a bunch of superfights. 

No-Gi Pans is always considerably smaller than No-Gi Worlds, although there appear to be many more significant names signed up this year meaning we can expect some great showdowns. Let's take a look at the notable names and divisions. 

Ultra-Heavyweight: Gordon Returns, Kaynan Awaits

One day after Gordon's name appeared on the list for No-Gi Pans, Kaynan switched form his usual weight class of heavyweight to ultra-heavy, the same division Gordon is signed dup for. 

This can't be by coincidence, given Kaynan definitely sits below the 215lb weight limit where ultra-heavy begins. Atos teammate Keenan Cornelius commented that "Kaynan vs Gordon is a good match with no heel hooks," and he should know because he has trained and even competed against both. 

Gordon's known for his heel hooks but his game is certainly not just limited to this. He has underrated wrestling and a killer back attack system courtesy of coach John Danaher. Kaynan is well-rounded and the only real chink in his game is maybe the leg attacks, but with the comfort of straight leg locks only this match suddenly becomes a lot more intriguing. 

Also signed up in the UHW division are GF Team's Max Gimenis, and Fabio Melo of Tozi JJ. 

Heavy & Super-Heavy Bring out Big Guns

Middleweight is the biggest division right now, but heavy has got guys such as Thiago Sa of Checkmat and Devhonte Johnson, making his black belt debut. Super-heavy sees Jackson Sousa shoot for his second Pan No-Gi title in a row, following double gold in 2017. 

Sousa will have the likes of Aaron 'Tex' Johnson of Unity and Rafael Vasconcelos of Atos to contend with. Vasconcelos's lengthy frame gives anybody issues, and Johnson's surprisingly flexible inversions and well-developed leg attacks always make him a threat. 

Black Belt Women Promise Intrigue and Action

No-Gi World champions Pati Fontes and Talita Alencar are just two of the well-known names have signed up for this event, followed by regular podium finishers Gabi Lima, Heather Raftery, Samantha Cook and Maria Malyjasiak. 

The divisions are small– featherweight is the biggest at four entrants– but the absolute should present an interesting mix of styles (and sizes) that will be worth watching closely. 

"Big Dog" is Back

Ricardo Almeida is one of the most important figures in the North East jiu-jitsu scene. The one-time UFC fighter and now prominent MMA referee developed an extensive network of black belts in the area which gave birth to the careers of notable names such as Garry Tonon, Gordon Ryan and of course their original coach Tom DeBlass. 

Almeida has won No-Gi Pans twice in a row and will look to make it three times lucky, this time competing in the black belt Master 3 heavyweight division. 

Unity Jiu-Jitsu Takeover

The little team that could, Unity Jiu-Jitsu is a prime example of going for quality over quantity. Murilo Santana's tiny squad train out of one of the toughest rooms in New York, and the proof is in the results. Founded in late 2014, they took second place in the team trophy in 2016 and followed it with first place in 2017. His small but powerful army of colored belts clean up in most competitions they enter, and they're sure to aim high considering this event is in their back yard. 

Of the 20 entrants signed up as Unity, 18 of them will compete in the adult divisions and 16 of those from blue through brown. We may see the addition of bigger names such as Joao Miyao (it would be a surprise if he didn't compete, to be honest). 

It's important to note that there are an additional 10 athletes signed up as PSLPB Cicero Costha, with a number of those being based at Unity. 

The 2018 IBJJF No-Gi Pans will be live streamed on FloGrappling on Sep 15-16. Watch every match and every mat live or on demand only on FloGrappling.com.