As the IBJJF Masters World Championships return, the stage is set for one of the biggest showcases of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the calendar. While the sport’s biggest names often shine in the adult divisions, the Masters divisions offer something really fun—years of experience, refined technique, and fierce competitive spirit. With thousands of athletes stepping onto the mats in pursuit of gold, it can be tough to know where to focus your attention.

To help you navigate the action, we've highlighted six black belt divisions that promise standout matchups and compelling brackets.

Masters 1 Women's Medium-Heavy

This is one of the better brackets in entire tournament, given the depth and unpredictability of the field. There's only eight in the bracket but here are some of those entries: Lyzz Mitrovic, Maggie Grindatti, Chloé McNally, and Denise Krahn. I think on their best day any of these four can win gold and from the semifinals on it's going to be close calls. Whoever wins this weight will have overcome a really tough bracket and fans will definitely enjoy watching the scraps. Matches go down Thursday.

Masters 1 Men's Middle

This weight has two of the best masters in the entire tournament in the same division as Jaime Canuto and Jackson Nagai are both signed up. Jackson is a 2024 World & Pan champion who has been slowly moving more into the Masters divisions. He has a vicious style with a lot of brutal offense, and through his run is sure to hit some exciting moves. In his way for gold will be Jaime Canuto, himself an exciting and successful competitor. Jaime has one of the best flying armbars I have seen and he can pull it off in the first round or the finals. This has all the potential to be the match of the tournament if they hit, but also in the mix will be Alef Brito. Alef is a really underrated guy who won his first two matches at adult worlds this year and won Pans at this masters weight. He is a major landmine for whichever of the other two guys draws him before the finals. Matches go down Thursday.

Masters 1 Women's Light

Fans should be tuned in to see Ffion's return to the gi, her first tournament like this since winning gold at the 2023 Worlds. I personally have always found her best style to be in the gi, given her ability to throw, so I am really interested to see how she is moving in what I believe is her first masters tournament. The big matchup to watch here is against Catherine Perret, the wild CheckMat black belt with a ton of competition experience at the highest levels. Perret is very physical and aggressive, so a match against the more tactical Davies should be a fun clash. Should happen Thursday.

Masters 1 Men's Heavy

This is a big division with 34 black belts in the mix on the opening day of the event and there's so many quality names here that observant fans will recognize. Leading the way is Horlando Monteiro who has always bubbled under the surface as one of the best heavyweights of this generation. Pushing him will be contenders like WNO veteran Dory Aoun, no-gi World Champ Faris Benlamkadem, and Caio Paganini. Also in the bracket are landmines like Thomas Bracher, Anthony Robinson, and Yeppie Tomasian. Should happen Thursday.

Masters 2 Men's Middle

Two of the most dynamic and exciting masters black belts are signed up for the same division, and if they meet then fans should definitely check it out. I'm talking about Piter Frank and AJ Agazarm, who fought earlier this year at the IBJJF Masters North Americans (the tournament they hold before adult Worlds in the Pyramid). There it was Piter Frank scoring early and holding on late as Agazarm wasn't able to secure the back before time ran out. I think a rematch here is inevitable given the very high skill level of both. Piter is an electric black belt who jumps into attacks, dances his way to the mats, and always puts on a show. AJ is a long-time contender who is known for his wrestling, escaping, and polemic nature off the mats. Matches go down Thursday.

Masters 7 Men's Heavy

IBJJF Masters Worlds is going to be a historic event in so many ways but not least of which will be happening in the Masters 7 division when Julio Cesar takes the mat. Julio Cesar is an eighth degree coral belt and the leader of GF Team, one of the best jiu-jitsu associations in the world. Julio will become the first eighth degree coral belt to compete at Masters World and seeing someone who has reached that level of mastery is something that any fan can respect and enjoy. Cesar won the IBJJF Euros, Pans, and Brasileiros (and the open class at Pans), so this medal will mean the grand slam for the legendary GF Team figure. His division is scheduled for Friday, August 29th.

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