With 2024 coming to a close, it's time to reflect on one of the biggest years in grappling history. There was so much great action and so many elite athletes putting on incredible performances that we expanded our pool of nominees to eight - eight men who exemplified the highest level of the sport.

Mayssa Bastos was able to retain her ONE Atomweight Championship by decision, defeating former champion Danielle Kelly in a rematch. The two exchanges leg locks to begin the match, before trading positional attacks back and forth for the majority of the match. The most decisive exchange came late with Bastos transitioning her way to a deep inside heel hook that got her the deciding criteria to keep her belt.

Just about two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of competing in one of the biggest BJJ tournaments of my life – the 2024 ADCC World Championships.

The -77kg bracket is packed with talent from around the world, all ready to do battle to find out who is worthy of the title of ADCC World Champion. This division has two former champions, JT Torres and Davi Ramos, and five other place winners that will all be pushed by a young crop of emerging talent.

Taking place every two years, the ADCC World Championships have long been dominated by Brazilians and Americans in terms of participants by country. This year, Canada checks in behind Brazil, USA, and Australia as the fourth most represented country with six athletes qualifying to fight at the 2024 ADCC World Championships.

ADCC is less than a month away and the elite of the elite will take the mats to fight for the right to call themselves best in the world. For fans of grappling, the greatest technicians on Earth will be taking the mats - including the best of the best when it comes to guard passing.

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has seen its share of concerts, shows, sporting events and more, and the versatile venue on the famed Las Vegas Strip now will welcome the 2024 edition of the ADCC World Championship, which will take place Aug. 17-18.

Dante Leon, the 2022 bronze medalist at -77kg, will be returning to ADCC Worlds in August. Dante has set himself apart in the last few years as one of the top pound-for-pound grapplers in the world, having defeated black belt champions up several weight classes from his more natural 155/170. This will be his third consecutive appearance at ADCC Worlds, having placed top-4 in the prior two editions. The entire tournament will be streaming exclusively on FloGrappling.

The IBJJF has announced the brackets for the Feb. 29 IBJJF Absolute No-Gi Grand Prix, and the 8 men involved have their paths to first place. The tournament will feature ADCC Champions Kaynan Duarte and Giancarlo Bodoni, as well as IBJJF World Champions like Dante Leon, Elder Cruz, and Roosevelt Sousa. All the action will be streaming exclusively on FloGrappling.

The IBJJF No-Gi Grand Prix is quickly taking shape, with four major stars already entered into the 8-man open weight bracket. All of the action will take place February 29th in Costa Mesa, airing exclusively on FloGrappling.

Two of the top pound-for-pound grapplers on Earth will face off when Dante Leon defends his 155lb championship against 145lb champion Diego "Pato" Oliveira on Feb. 9 at WNO 22 in Costa Mesa, CA. This will mark Dante's first title defense and Pato will be aiming to become a WNO two-division champion with the victory.

Dante Leon has won two IBJJF No-Gi World Championships and has reached the semifinals at ADCC twice since 2019.

B-Team's Ethan Crelinsten and Pedigo Submission Fighting's Dante Leon are two of the best lightweight submission grapplers on Earth, and they are set to face off on Aug. 10 at Tezos WNO: Meregali vs Duarte for the vacant 155lb championship.

The bout will be on the main card of Tezos WNO 19: Meregali vs Duarte presented by Fat Tire on Thursday, August 10 in Austin, TX at the Palmer Event Center.

The 2023 IBJJF World Championships are over, and grappling athletes around the world are resetting for a new season. Some are switching their focus to no-gi, some are doubling down on their competitive schedule, and some are resting injuries or taking time away for other reasons. There are two IBJJF Opens happening this weekend, the first since Worlds, and here are seven black belts you can get excited about who will be in action.