If you follow gi jiu-jitsu closely, you know one immutable fact about blue belts: the juvenile divisions are where you see the brightest prospects and toughest matches. These are the kids who have been training their whole lives and are already operating at an incredible skill level. Every year at the IBJJF European Championships, we see plenty of exciting young athletes, but a few will rise above the field.

The 2024 IBJJF World Championships are kicking off, and while most attention is going to the black belts on Saturday & Sunday, there will be a ton of amazing action in the colored belt divisions. Some of the fullest divisions will be the blue belts, with tons of young athletes trying to set themselves apart from the rest early in their jiu-jitsu careers.

The 2024 IBJJF World Championships are kicking off, and while most attention is going to the black belts on Saturday & Sunday, there will be a ton of amazing action in the colored belt divisions.

Kaynan Duarte ran the gauntlet to win the IBJJF Absolute No-Gi Grand Prix, defeating Giancarlo Bodoni in the final by points in a great performance for the Atos champion. Duarte defeated Haisam Rida and Dante Leon on his way to the final in a night where Atos and AOJ went undefeated. With the victory, he is the first to win an IBJJF absolute GP in both gi and no-gi. After the match, Kaynan called out Nicholas Meregali for a rematch from their 2023 WNO bout.

Alliance is one of the most historically successfully organizations in competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and every year they crown champions and earn medals in the Pyramid. In 2023, Alliance saw strong results again with black belts like Fellipe Andrew, Melissa Cueto, and Isaac Doederlein, and colored belts like Eduardo Alves and Helena Crevar, bringing home accolades.

Every year brings a new crop of colored belt world champions and medalists, a group that has won the toughest tournament possible at their current rank and proven ready for higher levels of challenge. Below is a list of the 2023 IBJJF World Champions that have been promoted to the next highest rank since winning their bracket. The list will be updated every few days for the next few months to reflect ongoing promotions.

Day two of the 2023 IBJJF World Championships has concluded and champions have been crowned in nearly every colored belt divisions for male and female athletes. On Friday, juvenile athletes, blue and brown belt women, and purple belt men competed, with a standout performances from double gold medalist brown belt Kauane Ramos da Silva standing as the most impressive feat of the day.

Rayron Gracie broke a season-long dry spell at the best possible time, securing the brown belt absolute title at the 2023 IBJJF World Championships in the first day of competition after securing a silver medal in the ultra heavyweight division.

O primeiro dia do Campeonato Mundial colocou em destaque futuros astros do Jiu-Jitsu mundial da faixa-azul e faixa-marrom adulto na Pirâmide de Long Beach, na Califórnia. As novas feras das faixas coloridas mostraram que a evolução do Jiu-Jitsu está cada vez mais avançada e que a cor da faixa não define o nível de Jiu-Jitsu.

The female brown belts take the mats on Friday at the 2023 IBJJF World Championships, as do the female blue belts and some of the male purple belts. Check out our list of the top athletes to watch for, as well as their start times and mat assignments.

The 2023 IBJJF World Championships are live, and the colored belts are first to take the mats. With hundreds of brown belts and blue belts registered to compete, it can be tough to keep track of the top athletes. We've got you covered. Check out our list for the key competitors to watch in each division below, as well as estimated start times and which mat they'll begin the tournament on.

There are only 10 athletes in 2023 who have accomplished the ultra-difficult task of winning the IBJJF Europeans, Pans, and Brasileiros, with a chance to win a world championship in just a few days. Keep an eye on these grapplers as they navigate their brackets and attempt to add to their already impressive resumes.

Blue belt João Victor “Bolinho” Nascimento dominated at the 2023 Brasileiros, winning double gold in an impressive field of up-and-coming grappling athletes. With seven fights, seven victories, and five submissions on the day, DreamArt’s Bolinho cemented himself on everyone’s radar just weeks before the 2023 World Championships.

Nos dois primeiros dias da semana, alguns dos melhores faixas-azuis do mundo disputaram entre si o posto de melhor atleta do Brasil. Na segunda-feira, dia 1 de abril, o pesadíssimo João Victor, o Bolinho, mostrou porque é o melhor faixa-azul da atualidade.

Eliza Nascimento added two more gold medals to her IBJJF 2023 Grand Slam campaign at Pans, securing double gold at the blue belt ranks with nine submissions in as many matches.