IBJJF 2017 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Analyzing The Data: IBJJF 2017 Worlds Breakdown By Rank, Weight, & Gender

Analyzing The Data: IBJJF 2017 Worlds Breakdown By Rank, Weight, & Gender

The IBJJF 2017 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship begins on June 1, 2017. Before you watch the live stream on FloGrappling, take a look at these data visualizations to get an understanding of the makeup of the athletes competing in this tournament.

May 29, 2017 by Hywel Teague
Analyzing The Data: IBJJF 2017 Worlds Breakdown By Rank, Weight, & Gender
The IBJJF 2017 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship begins on June 1 in Long Beach, CA. Before you watch the live stream on FloGrappling, take a look at these data visualizations to get an understanding of the makeup of the athletes competing in this tournament.

We've collated the numbers for all entrants in the adult divisions, blue belt through black, male and female.

Read more:
• IBJJF 2017 Worlds Registration Is Closed! Who's In, Who's Out?
IBJJF 2017 Worlds Black Belt Breakdown: Favorites & Underdogs
27 New School Black Belts Making Their IBJJF Worlds Debut
• Follow our "Road to the Worlds" coverage

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Entrants By Division and Weight Category

MALE Rooster Light feather Feather Light Middle Medium heavy Heavy Super heavy Ultra heavy Total
Blue
34 61 97 118 93 67 41 37 34 582
Purple
29 69 94 104 98 50 41 27 21 533
Brown
22 31 54 56 60 47 27 15 22 334
Black
13 24 25 28 29 27 19 13 14 192
FEMALE Rooster Light feather Feather Light Middle Medium heavy Heavy Super heavy   Total
Blue
21 38 50 40 38 21 20 13 - 241
Purple
10 18 31 30 22 17 7 7 - 142
Brown
7 9 12 17 8 9 6 6 - 74
Black
5 9 7 9 8 6 5 2 - 51

The biggest divisions at the IBJJF 2017 Worlds are as follows: 
1. Blue belt / Male / Adult / Lightweight: 118 athletes 
2. Purple belt / Male / Adult / Lightweight: 104 athletes 
3. Purple belt / Male / Adult / Middleweight: 98 athletes 

For a blue belt lightweight to win gold, he would have to fight an incredible seven times in one day -- and that's not counting if he decided to also try his luck in the absolute division! 

The smallest divisions are all to be found from the women's ranks: 
1. Black belt / Female / Adult / Super heavy: 2
2. Black belt / Female / Adult / Rooster: 5
3. Black belt / Female / Adult / Medium heavy: 6
3. Brown belt / Female / Adult / Super heavy: 6
3. Brown belt / Female / Adult / Heavy: 6 

Number of Competitors by Belt

It's a well-known fact that to hold a black belt in jiu-jitsu is an achievement many strive for but not everybody will achieve. 

It is to be expected that proportionally more athletes would represent the lower ranks, as the drop-off in jiu-jitsu practitioners is something every academy and gym owner struggles with. It's a tough sport, and people often quit before making it to the higher ranks. 

But the data here is also influenced by the IBJJF's requirement that black belt competitors must qualify for Worlds by getting ranking points in tournaments throughout the season. This was introduced to keep the level at Worlds as high as possible, meaning only the most frequent and successful athletes are eligible to enter. 

Percentage of male competitors by rank:
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Percentage of female competitors by rank:
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Breakdown by Weight Division

When we look at the proportion of athletes by weight category, we see the same trend applying at almost every belt (and for both genders): The majority of competitors fall in the middle of the weight divisions, with less athletes at the lighter and heavier ends of the spectrum.

Male blue belt competitors:
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Female blue belt competitors:
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Male purple belt competitors:
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Female purple belt competitors:
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Male brown belt competitors:
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Female brown belt competitors:
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Male black belt competitors:
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Female black belt competitors:
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Watch the IBJJF 2017 World Championships LIVE or On Demand ONLY on FloGrappling!

How to Watch IBJJF 2017 Worlds 

On TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today.
STREAMING: Available only on FloGrappling via monthly or yearly memberships. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. SIGN UP HERE

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