The brackets are out for the 2020 IBJJF Pan Championships, and eagle-eyed fans will have noticed that at the bottom of each black belt division bracket there is a numbered list of all the competitors. These are the official seeds for each division, and they influence how the bracket is made. 

What is a seed, and how does seeding work? 

The IBJJF rank every competitor in the black belt divisions and assign them a “seed,” which determines their position in the bracket. 

The no.1-seeded competitor will be placed on the opposite side of the bracket from the second through fourth-seeded opponents, with the idea that the more highly seeded competitors will meet later in the competition. 

How are seeds decided? 

In IBJJF competitions, seeds are assigned automatically based on a number of criteria. Until a few years ago seeds were argued over by team leaders in a roundtable discussion prior to the event. It resulted in competitors with stronger negotiators being awarded favorable seeds, and the arguments often turned contentious or lasted for hours while team leaders jockeyed to create the best bracket for their athletes. 

A system was created that asses a competitor’s performance in IBJJF tournaments and awards a ranking based on results and rewards. The criteria the IBJJF will consider when assigning a seed are: 

• Were they a World champion in the last three years? 
• If so, when was their most recent title? 
• Points earned in IBJJF “Grand Slam” events (Europeans, Pans, Brasileiros, and Worlds).
• Were they a World champion four years ago? 
• Were they a World champion five years ago? 
• Were they a brown belt world champion last year? 
• Were they a World champion more than five years ago? 
• Points earned in all IBJJF events.  

This gives priority to current world champs, with a 2019 champ getting a higher seed than a champ from previous years. 

If there are no former world champs from the last three years, then the competitor with the most points won in IBJJF “Grand Slam” events will get the no.1 seed. 

Take a look at the below screenshot of the black belt lightweight division and you will see how the criteria affects the seeding

IBJJF Seeds by Division for 2020 Pan Championships 

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  ROOSTER

1. Lucas dos Santos Pinheiro | Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2. Francisco Jonas Borges Andrade | PSLPB Cicero Costha
3. Lee D. Rosenfield  | Form Jiu Jitsu Academy
4. Matheus Viana Magalhães | GF Team
5. Santos Rene Bruckner Rivera | Undisputed Tucson
6. Willis da Mota Nunes | CheckMat
7. Rashawn Emmanuel Kershaw | BJJ Globetrotters USA
8. Ronald Stephen Henderson Jr. | CheckMat
9. David B. Zennario | Masterskya

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  LIGHT FEATHER

1. Paulo Henrique Bordignon Miyao | PSLPB Cicero Costha 
2. Hiago Gama Sousa | Alliance 
3. Carlos Alberto Oliveira da Silva | GF Team 
4. Rene Eduardo Lopez | Cascao Jiu-Jitsu 
5. Pedro Paulo Dias Clementino | Carlson Gracie Team 
6. Suraj Kumar Budhram | Fight Sports 
7. Taniel Santos de Jesus | Ares BJJ 
8. João P R M S Figueredo | Gracie Barra 
9. Vincent Eliseo Saenz | Lovato Jiu-Jitsu
10. Kaio Cesar Abrantes Fonseca | Gracie Barra
11. Marcus Beddor | Pedro Sauer Team
12. Joshua Anthony Cisneros | Cleber Jiu Jitsu Visalia
13. Dennis A Pressey Jr | Atos Jiu-Jitsu
14. Elijah Rueben Tagalog | Gracie Barra JJ
15. Igor Gabriel P. Mancebo | Renato Tavares Association    

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  FEATHER

1. Matheus Gabriel Pinheiro Barros | CheckMat 
2. Isaac Doederlein | Alliance 
3. Gianni Paul Grippo | Alliance International 
4. João Pedro Bueno Mendes | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
5. Thiago Augusto Araujo Macedo | Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ 
6. Richar Emiliano Nogueira | Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ 
7. Emilio Alejandro Hernandez Rodriguez | Zenith BJJ 
8. Kennedy Leonardo Maciel | Alliance 
9. Adam Benayoun | Fifty/50 Jiu-Jitsu 
10. Orlando Fernando Castillo Andaviza | Fight Sports 
11. Brandon Woodly Walensky | Gracie Allegiance 
12. Frederico Augusto Alves Silva | Alliance International 
13. Raphael da Costa Cadena | Team Robson Moura 
14. Thiago Aguiar Abud | Unity Jiu-jitsu 
15. Danilo Soares Moreira | Ares BJJ 
16. Brian Mahecha | Winners Training Center 
17. Edward Hohl | Brasa CTA 
18. Thiago Cintra Vieira Brito | G13 BJJ USA 
19. Rodrigo Lopes Cardoso | Ares BJJ 
20. Giovanni Marcelo da Silva Carvalho | PSLPB Cicero Costha 
21. Joshua Michael Murdock | Brasa / CTA / RT 
22. Charles Denny Murdock | Brasa / CTA / RT 
23. Samuel Nagai Hatchwell | CheckMat 
24. Tyson David Antillon | Nova União 
25. Gabriel Ferreira da Silva | CheckMat USA 
26. Windson Ramos da Silva | CheckMat USA 
27. Michael Joseph Danyus III | Renato Tavares Association 
28. Eric M LLerena | Team Robson Moura

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  LIGHT

1. Jonnatas Gracie Araujo da Silva | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
2. Renato Forasieppi Alves Canuto | CheckMat 
3. Marcio Andre da Costa Barbosa Junior | Nova União
4. Michael Remigio Liera Jr. | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
5. Rodrigo Lamounier de Freitas | Rodrigo Freitas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 
6. Alexandre Faria Molinaro | Carlson Gracie Team 
7. Hugo Doerzapff Marques | Ares BJJ 
8. Edwin Najmi | Gracie Barra 
9. Kim Terra | Brasa CTA 
10. Johnatha Barbosa Alves | Art of Jiu Jitsu 
11. Paulo Gabriel Martins da Costa | Gracie Humaita 
12. Jeremy S. Jackson | Brasa CTA 
13. Johnny Joachin Tama Apolinario | Alliance 
14. Kevin Melendrez | Caveirinha Jiu-Jitsu Family USA 
15. Jose Mathias Macedo de Lira Luna | CheckMat 
16. Francisco Cuneo | Lotus Club USA 
17. Ricky Joey Semiglia | Pedro Sauer Team 
18. Bruno Valdivino de Carvalho | ZR Team Association 
19. Alexander Scott Lane | BJJ Revolution Team 
20. Rafael Rosendo dos Santos | Alliance 
21. Mauricio Esteban Gomez Bobadilla | American Top Team 
22. Kaisar Adilevich Saulebayev | Charles Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  MIDDLE

1. Levi Jones-Leary | Unity Jiu-jitsu 
2. Lucas Sette C. Valente Tobias | Gracie Barra 
3. Ronaldo Pereira de Souza Júnior | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
4. Felipe Cesar Silva | Unity Jiu-jitsu 
5. Vinicius Carvalho Garcia | Richardson BJJ 
6. Guthierry Barbosa Nascimento Conceição | Carlson Gracie Team 
7. Lucas Benévolo Valle | R1NG BJJ 
8. Rehan Muttalib | Alliance 
9. Juan Cleber Pio de Souza | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
10. Andre Nascimento dos Santos Gois | Alliance International
11. Carlos Jorge Alves Souza | Gracie Barra 
12. Ross Daniel Keeping | Gracie Humaita 
13. Dylan C. Whyte | Soul Fighters BJJ 
14. Julian L. Synan | Brasa CTA
15. Santiago Fermin Farina | Nova União
16. Pablo Lavaselli | Renzo Gracie Ottawa
17. Eric Thomas Ingram | Team LDMA
18. Saul Viayra | Gracie Barra JJ 
19. Vinicius Lino Wong | Alliance
20. Leonardo da Silva Guimaraes | GF Team
21. Thomas Justin Vernon Palmer | Atos JJ International
22. Kevin Cuervo Vieira | R1NG BJJ 
23. Nicolas Lora Ospina | Studio76 Jiu Jitsu Ecuador 
24. Joel Adan Torres Silva | GF Team
25. Jackson Nagai Hatchwell Junior | CheckMat

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  MEDIUM HEAVY

1. Manuel Ribamar V. de Oliveira Filho | Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ 
2. Otavio Ferreira de Sousa | Gracie Barra    
3. Gabriel Salles Muniz Almeida | CheckMat 
4. Jake Michael Watson | Maracaba BJJ 
5. José Matheus Macedo de Lira Luna | CheckMat 
6. Murilo Silva Ferreira de Santana | Unity Jiu-jitsu 
7. Joseph C. Watson | Gracie Barra JJ 
8. Ronnie Trey Louis Pace III | Team Royce Gracie 
9. Nathan Paz Barreto | Gracie Barra JJ 
10. Henrique Nóbrega e Silva | Integração / EOFC 
11. Jose Joaquin Valenzuela Torres | Fight Sports 
12. Matheus Lucas Rocha de Oliveira | Cassão Team 
13. Ulpiano Malachias Neto | Gracie Barra 
14. Yuri A V Silva | Fight Sports    
15. Armando Menezes Esquer | Cascao Jiu-Jitsu

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  HEAVY

1. Gustavo Espindola Batista | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
2. Horlando de Jesus Monteiro | KMR BJJ KIMURA 
3. Rafael Vasconcelos de Lima | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
4. Gilvan Gomes da Costa | Brazilian Top Team 
5. Dominique L. Bell | Atos JJ International  
6. Roberto Francisco Jimenez | Studio76 Jiu-Jitsu Las Vegas 
7. Nisar Amin Loynab | Atos JJ International 
8. Ashur Sami Darmo | TAC Team BJJ 
9. Nathan Albrecht Mendelsohn | Coalition 95 
10. Yuri Allison Paiva dos Santos | LEAD BJJ 
11. Hunter Lee Colvin | Renato Tavares Association 
12. Patrick A. de Almeida Goncalves | KMR BJJ KIMURA 
13. Jurgens Olivier Jansen | Gracie Barra 
14. Alejandro Enrique Villaparedes Quiroz | Alliance 
15. Michael Musumeci Jr. | Cascao Jiu-Jitsu 
16. Brian John Wells | Team Jucão 

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  SUPER HEAVY

1. Fellipe Andrew Leandro Silva | Alliance 
2. Keenan Kai-James Cornelius | Legion American Jiu-Jitsu 
3. Guilherme Augusto Soares Santos | Alliance 
4. Arnaldo Maidana de Oliveira | CheckMat 
5. Aaron Michael Johnson | Fight Sports 
6. Charles Kilyan Mcguire | American Top Team 
7. Devhonte M. Johnson | Unity Jiu-jitsu 
8. Roberto Torralbas | Team Lloyd Irvin 
9. Francisco Carlos de Leon | Gracie Barra 

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  ULTRA HEAVY

1. Max dos Santos Gimenis | GF Team 
2. Luiz Fernando de Azevedo Panza | CheckMat 
3. Stuart Randle Maddox | Luiz Palhares Jiu Jitsu 
4. Renato dos Santos Tagliari | Brasa CTA 
5. Leonardo Henrique D'avila Corrêa | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
6. Austin Wade Avera | R1NG BJJ 
7. Johnny Souza Gonçalves | Kronos BJJ HQ

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  LIGHT FEATHER 

1. Ana Talita de Oliveira Alencar | Alliance 
2. Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos | GF Team 
3. Ann Marie Kneib | Gracie Humaita 
4. Patrícia Maria N. Fontes dos Santos | CheckMat 

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  FEATHER

1. Gabrielle McComb Lima | Gracie Humaita 
2. Amanda Elouise Alequin | R1NG BJJ 
3. Lyanne Perez | Gracie Humaita 
4. Taylor Biagi | TAC Team BJJ 

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  LIGHT

1. Luiza Monteiro Moura da Costa | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
2. Nicole C. Sullivan | Atos Jiu-Jitsu 
3. Nathalie Wan Soares Veras Ribeiro | CheckMat 
4. Natasha Aileen Quiza | Fight Sports
5. Talia Marie Vaughan | Cascao Jiu-Jitsu 
6. Yanelisa Reyes | Jiu-Jitsu For The People - Sheridan BJJ

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  MIDDLE

1. Laurah Elizabeth Hallock | GF Team
2. Raquel Dayne Kaleialoha Canuto | CheckMat
3. Jessica Constance Swanson | BJJ Lab Naperville
4. Melissa Stricker Cueto | Gracie Humaita
5. Rafaela Ribeiro Guedes | Atos Jiu-Jitsu
6. Claire Elaine North | TAC Team BJJ 
7. Vannessa Nancy Griffin | Team Lloyd Irvin 
8. Brenda Ariane Oliveira Palheta | Club Pina Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  MEDIUM HEAVY

1. Andressa Mezari Cintra | Gracie Barra 
2. Maria Malyjasiak | Abmar Barbosa Association 
3. Vedha Clemente Toscano | CheckMat 
4. Brenda Heller Pessoa Freitas Barbosa | Nova União 
5. Emilly Alves Silva | Atos Jiu-Jitsu

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  HEAVY

1. Nathiely Karoline Melo de Jesus | Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  SUPER HEAVY

1. Jessica D Flowers | Gracie Barra 
2. Talita Andrea Nogueira | Alliance 
3. Kendall Marie Reusing | Gracie Barra 
4. Michelle Welti | Big Brothers