IBJJF Black Belt Worlds Preview: Who Will Be The Best Of The Best?
IBJJF Black Belt Worlds Preview: Who Will Be The Best Of The Best?
With the IBJJF World Championships ready to pop off, who are the favorites in the stacked black belt brackets?
The IBJJF World Championships are ready to finally pop off and the biggest gi tournament in the world is packed with talent this year. Every match will be streamed exclusively on FloGrappling and there's over one hundred ranked athletes set to take the mats after a long season around the world. Now that the brackets are out, who's the favorite for gold?
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Black belt matches start on Saturday and continue onto Sunday. Things will begin with the absolute brackets (which will be set the day before) until the finals are set. Then they will run the elimination rounds. Women's brackets will also run the quarters and semis, with finalists advancing to the finals. For the men's brackets, the top 4 advance to Saturday and things begin that day with the semifinals.
The full brackets for all weights can be found here, they will be updated in real time.
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Every match of the 2025 IBJJF Worlds will be streamed live on FloGrappling and the FloSports App.
IBJJF Worlds Bracket Breakdowns
Men's Rooster
This has been a little bit of a chaotic weight this season, with three champions in the three majors to date (Hendrex, Fonacier, Otavio). Last year this weight belonged to Thalison up until Worlds - where he lost round one in a big upset. Now he's back, even though he's been out so far this year, and the two seed. That semifinal against Fonacier could be the two best guys in the weight class, and the biggest test of Jalen's career if it happens. On the other side, returning champion Bebeto is the one seed but since he's on the old side for this weight class, he's going to be on upset alert earlier than some other one seeds.
- #1 Jalen Fonacier
- #2 Bebeto Oliveira
- #3 Thalison Soares
- #4 Yuri Hendrex
- #6 Rodnei Barbosa
- #7 Rodrigo Otavio
- #8 Tadiyah Danforth
- #9 Yuri Silva
- #11 Lucas Castro
- #12 Everton Souza
- #13 Oziel Santos
- #15 Bruno Sena
- Nathanneal Jackson
- Jonas Andrade
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R2 - Thalison Soares vs Everton Souza/Relter Lima winner
- R2 - Nathanneal Jackson vs Tadiyah Danforth
Men's Light-Feather
This year looked like it was going to belong to Diogo "Baby Shark" Reis early on after a Euros gold medal and a desire to win all the Grand Slam tournaments. Then he suffered a pretty surprising upset loss to Rerisson Gabriel (who isn't in the tournament) in the finals of Pans and missed Brasileiros with illness. Now, he's got his chief rival in the way if he wants back on top. Diego Pato won the IBJJF Grand Slam with gold medals at every major and has looked incredible, especially down at light-feather. Pato & Baby Shark are 2-2 and now get a chance to settle things in another World finals. To get there, though, there will be a tough class pushing them. Pato's toughest test will likely be #9 Ishiguro and Baby Shark will have #4 Edmond, #7 Vaisman, and #10 Kaina in his way. No doubt Baby Shark has the tougher half of the bracket, but that's the way the seeding shakes out.
- #1 Diego Pato
- #3 Diogo Reis
- #4 Malachi Edmond
- #7 Jordan Vaisman
- #9 Shoya Ishiguro
- #10 Zach Kaina
- #11 Marcos Gomes
- #13 Roiter Lima
- #14 Carlos Junior
- #15 Leonardo Mário
- Leo Vilela
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Zach Kaina vs Leonardo Mário
- R1 - Roiter Lima vs Carlos Junior
Men's Feather
Featherweight has been the most chaotic weight at men's black belt for a while, with a new champion every year for the better part of a decade now. Meyram Alves will be looking to go back-to-back, though he has so many quality contenders in the way. Euros and Pans were won by Pato, who dropped down, and his teammate Cole Abate won Brasileiros. Past world champions in the division include Fabricio Andrey and Isaac Doederlein. The bottom half of the bracket seems especially harsh, with Cole, Fabricio, Meyram, Barreto, and both Sodres in the mix all just to make the final. Being on the top half is a huge boost to anyone's chances.
Ranked Athletes
- #2 Fabricio Andrey
- #3 Meyram Alves
- #4 Kennedy Maciel
- #5 Cole Abate
- #6 Diego Sodre
- #8 Alex Sodre
- #9 Ademir Barreto
- #10 Isaac Doederlein
- #11 Cleber Sousa
- #12 João Mendes
- #13 Israel Almeida Sousa
- #15 Marco Mendes
- Eduardo Granzotto
- Ismael Lima
- Gui Fernandes
- Sebastian Serpa
- Minho Yoon
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R2 - Thiago Macedo/João Mendes vs Isaac Doederlein
- R2 - Cole Abate vs Sebastian Serpa/Youngseo Cho
- R2 - Alex Sodre vs Fabricio Andrey/Eduardo Granzotto
Men's Light
This has been another chaotic weight that hasn't had one particular force rise to the top - then returning World silver medalist Andy Murasaki jumped in. He's been up at middle this season but he becomes the immediate favorite here to win. Andy has taken second three years in a row but this is the most favorable his bracket has ever been. The biggest roadblock on his way to the finals will likely be Leo Souza, who submitted his way through Euros to begin the season. Two big darkhorses here are Elijah Dorsey - who's ready to jump levels anytime - and 2019 world champion Matheus Gabriel. If Matheus can return to his pre-injury form then he will be right there with anyone.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Andy Murasaki
- #2 Alexandre de Jesus
- #4 Leo Souza
- #8 Pedro Maia
- #9 Elijah Dorsey
- #10 Matheus Gabriel
- #11 Natan Chueng
- #14 Leandro Lima
- #15 Julio Arantes
- Espen Mathiesen
- Thiago Saboia
- Gabriel Galvão
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Matheus Gabriel vs Rafael Silviera
- R1 - Alexandre de Jesus vs Gabriel Galvão
- R1 - Espen Mathiesen vs Jonata Gomes
Men's Middle
This weight class looks like Tainan's to win. Tainan came into black belt with as many expectations as anyone could have and in his first few years lived up to them all. That didn't last though, and his two most recent trips to Worlds resulted in upset losses. This season he has really devoted himself to the gi again and found his old rhythm and dominance, winning everything this season so far at middle. Look out for him to potentially see Ronaldo Junior in a rematch of old rivals in the semifinals.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Tainan Dalpra
- #4 Yan Pica-Pau
- #6 Jefferson Goteu
- #7 Yuri Rodrigues
- #8 Vinicius Martins
- #9 Rolando Samson
- #15 Rafael Borges
- Jose Luna
- Gabriel Avila
- Johnny Tama
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Matheus Luna vs Johnny Tama
- R2 - Vinicius Martins vs Gabriel Avila
Men's Medium-Heavy
This is a really tough, deep weight full of interesting styles and impressive athletes. Even still I still can't help but feel that it comes down to the top two athletes, Batista and Jansen. They are two world champions who have shown greatness for years, including last year when Batista went all submissions for gold (including over Jansen) and Jansen won double silver. A rematch may loom. The Vetoraci brothers and their judo skills have added a dynamic element to the weight class all season and they'll be in contention for the podium as well.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Gustavo Batista
- #2 Jansen Gomes
- #3 Davi Vetoraci
- #6 Matheus Vetoraci
- #7 Gabriel Costa
- #9 Mathias Luna
- #10 Angelo Claiborne
- #12 Raul Basilio
- #14 Rui Alves
- #15 Gabriel Brod
- Lucas Gualberto
- Paulo Merlin
- Manuel Ribamar
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Gustavo Batista vs Dory Aoun
- R1 - Matheus Spirandelli vs Angelo Claiborne
- R1 - Wallisson Souza vs Gabriel Brod
Men's Heavy
Adam Wardzinski, jiu-jitsu's own Cinderella Man, has been the dominant force this season, winning all the majors at black belt heavyweight up to now with his classic butterfly guard, top pressure, and more. Now, he gets the chance to go back-to-back with another deep bracket of young, hungry contenders. Adam is obviously the favorite here but he’s got a lot of landmines awaiting him including his last gi loss in Machado. Many are high on young black belt Ferreira, who’s managed to keep it close with Adam this year.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Adam Wardzinski
- #3 Pedro Machado
- #8 Leo Ferreira
- #10 Rider Zuchi
- #11 Patrick Gaudio
- #12 Mateus Rodrigues
- #13 Lucas Norat
- #15 Jesse Vuorio
- Robson Freitas
- Nico Maglicic
- Jose Jurema
- Hygor Brito
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R2 - Elder Cruz/Lucas Calado vs Patrick Gaudio
- R1 - Jose Jurema vs Robson Freitas
Men's Super-Heavy
This seemed like a chaotic weight to start the year, with young black belts Windson Torres and Nolan Stuart winning Euros and Pans. Now, tho, Eric Munoz is down from ultra-heavy to reclaim his throne after silver here last year. He is the favorite for double gold and I don’t see who stops him if he’s really on. Still, there’s some really impressive athletes here like Nolan. Watch out for that omoplata!
Ranked Athletes
- #2 Erich Munis
- #3 Nolan Stuart
- #4 Marcelo Gomide
- #5 Luiz Henrique Betta
- #7 Lucas Alves
- #9 Windson Torres
- #11 Marcos Carrozzino
- #14 Gabriel Haddad Oliveira
- Vincius Liberati
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Marcos Carrozzino vs Gabriel Oliveira
Men's Ultra-Heavy
I think we’re in for one of our most fun ultra heavy worlds brackets in a few years, with many quality guys in the mix here and a likely first time champion emerging. Marcus Scooby has risen to the top of the weight after some great performances that really started with the crown last year. He’s big, mobile, and technical. When he’s aggressive, he’s tough to beat. There’s a lot of good guys here, as you’d expect, like Gui Augusto and Gutemberg Pereira who both could win their first World gold. Luis Cantereira started the year really strong with Euro double gold but had some problems later in the year. If he’s back in early form, he could be the guy here.
Ranked Athletes
- #2 Marcus Ribeiro
- #3 Gui Augusto
- #5 Luis Cantereria
- #6 Lucas Montalvão
- #7 Gutemberg Pereira
- #9 Helder Jose
- #10 Roosevelt Souza
- #11 Seif-Eddine Houmine
- #13 Anderson Gomes
- #14 Kjetil Lydvo
- #15 Pedro Lucas
- Leon Mendonça
- Anderson Munis
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Anderson Gomes vs Gui Augusto
- R2 - Lucas Montalvão vs Anderson Munis
Women's Rooster
Mayssa is back to further establish herself as the best women’s rooster ever and after her dominance last year at Worlds and this year at Brasileiros she’s earned her reputation. She’s not unbeatable however, as we saw at Pans when she dropped a surprise semi match up a weight. Can anyone slow down bjj’s smallest juggernaut?
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Mayssa Bastos
- #3 Ana Lima da Silva
- #4 Tháis Felipe
- #5 Mariana Cabral
- #6 Diana Teixeira
- #7 Jhenifer Aquino
- #9 Lavinia Barbosa
- #11 Gabby Etzel
- #12 Melody Wong
- #14 Mara Kelly
- #15 Amanda Rymarz-Freitas
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Jhenifer Aquino vs Melody Wong
Women's Light-Feather
This is shaping up to be a tightly contested bracket with no clear-cut favorite, making it one of the more unpredictable and exciting divisions. Amanda Canuto leads a deep field that includes rising stars like Shelby Murphey and Brenda Larissa, as well as seasoned competitors such as Jessica Caroline. With several athletes having traded wins throughout the season and no dominant force emerging, this weight class is wide open for a breakout performance or a dark horse run. The early matchup to watch is definitely Amanda Monteiro vs. Mia Funegra. Amanda is a returning finalist here but she may have the worst draw! Mia qualified here by winning brown belt no-go Worlds, but her lack of points means she’s low in the division. Her black belt debut is right in the deep end.
Ranked Athletes
- #3 Amanda Canuto
- #4 Shelby Murphey
- #5 Brenda Larissa
- #6 Jessica Caroline
- #7 Diana Teixeira
- #8 Jessie Crane
- #9 Naiomi Matthews
- #12 Rose-Marie El Sharouni
- #13 Mia Funegra
- #15 Pati Fontes
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Amanda Monteiro vs Mia Funegra
Women's Feather
I would say that the story of this weight class all year has been the rise of Camora up through featherweight in this debut year for her Caio won Brown belt world’s last year and has been on a tear so far in 2025 taking third of the Europeans, second pans, and then finally winning brasileiros. She’s established that she’s world class but if she can get it done this year, that may be the craziest rise we’ve ever seen in jiu-jitsu. Still she has a tough road, with Gabi McComb lurking second round. That’s a bad style but not insurmountable for Cassia.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Cassia Moura
- #2 Margot Ciccarelli
- #3 Maria Luiza
- #4 Larissa Campos
- #5 Emily Nicholson
- #6 Vitória Assis
- #7 Gabriela Pereira
- #9 Emilia Pakulski
- #10 Astrid Scholin
- #11 Caroline Brunacio
- Gabi McComb
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Vitoria Assis vs Gabi McComb
- R1 - Gabriela Pereira vs Caroline Brunacio
Women's Light
This lightweight division is one of the best three horse races. I can remember in sometime in the Black belt divisions any one of the top three here between Luiza, Janaina, and Brianna could all win on the right day and all three have wins over at least one of the other others still it’s been Janaina this year who’s been able to win all of the majors, including a submission in the finals of pans over Luiza and a decision win over Brianna. I believe it will take one of those three to beat either of the other two which is a huge advantage for Luiza, who is going to be on the other side of the bracket from the others.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Janaina Lebre
- #2 Luiza Monteiro
- #3 Brianna Ste-Marie
- #7 Vitoria Vieira
- #8 Jaine Fragoso
- #10 Stéphanie Delphine Faure
- #11 Maria Cláudia
- #12 Natália Zumba
- #15 Vitoria Ulrich
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Stephanie Delphine Faure vs Maria Claudia
Women's Middle
For the first time in years, we’re guaranteed a new champion in this bracket with Andressa Cintra out. There’s so much parity at this weight that I could see two dozen combinations of quarterfinals and not be surprised - no one is safe. American Lis Clay is the number one ranked woman here after winning Brasileiros. If she’s able to get it done, it’ll be the toughest bracket she’s ever won.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Elisabeth Clay
- #2 Rebeca Lima
- #3 Thalyta Lima
- #4 Larissa Martins
- #5 Alexia Arantes
- #6 Gisele Tavares
- #7 Vannessa Griffin
- #8 Ana Beatriz Silva
- #12 Kennedy Franklin
- #13 Emily Ferreira
- #14 Deise Leonanjo
- #15 Amanda Schurtz
- Gabriele Schuck
- Sula-Mae Loewenthal
- Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths
- Chloé McNally
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R2 - Chloe McNally vs Amanda Schurtz
Women's Medium-Heavy
Thamara was a somewhat surprising champion here last year who has kept her winning ways in 2025 with Brasileiros gold but not much else for elite competition. She’s got a tough class right on her heels now, with Maria “Maca” Carolina Vicentini, Ingrid’s Alves, and Aurelie Le Vern all contending. Expect a lot of fun matches in this bracket.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Thamara Ferreira
- #2 Maria Carolina Vicentini
- #3 Ingridd Alves
- #4 Aurélie Le Vern
- #6 Salla Simola
- #8 Alexia Arantes
- #9 Nia Blackman
- #10 Fernanda Cristo
- #11 Giovanna Carniero
- #12 Magdalena Loska
- #13 Lyzz Mitrovic
- #15 Bruna Farah
- Maria Malyjasiak
Best Early Matches (Before Quarters)
- R1 - Maria Carolina Vicentini vs Bruna Farah
- R1 - Giovanna Carniero vs Aurélie Le Vern
- R1 - Kauane Ramos vs Fernanda Cristo
- R1 - Salla Simola vs Nia Blackman
- R1 - Maria Malyjasiak vs Nadia Frankland
Women's Heavy
Can Yara finally get it done? She was stuck for so long behind Gabi at ultra-heavy and has been elite for years. Now down at heavy she can finally get over that finish line if she can navigate the field she did at Brasileiros. Ramiro’s won here last year and Mel Stricker is always ready for porrada, but watch for Yara to be the big dog here.
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Yara Soares
- #2 Tamiris Silva
- #3 Melissa Cueto
- #4 Izadora Silva
- #7 Larissa Dias
- #10 Anabel Lopez
- #12 Karoline Caramori
- Maria Ruffatto
Women's Super-Heavy
Gabi seemed destined to earn herself another double gold Grand Slam and extend that prodigious win streak to infinity - then Tayane was able to do the impossible at Brasileiros and captured the win and the gold in a stunning upset. Now they meet again with even bigger stakes. Will Gabi get it done and establish order once again? Or can Tayane summon the magic she had from Brazil in the pyramid?
Ranked Athletes
- #1 Gabi Pessanha
- #2 Tayane Porfírio
- #5 Mayara Custódio
- #8 Isa Lemos
- #14 Maria Barboza
Have You Heard Of The IBJJF Grand Slam?
The IBJJF Grand Slam is a collection of four major gi tournaments throughout the season.
Here’s the schedule for those events:
- The European Championships – Jan. 17-25
- The Pan Championships – March 19-23
- The Brazilian National Championship – April 26-May 4
- The World Championships – May 28-June 2
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