The AOJ Dynasty: Can Anyone Stop the Squad in Kissimmee?
The AOJ Dynasty: Can Anyone Stop the Squad in Kissimmee?
In 2025 AOJ claimed their first major team title, and they are looking to repeat the achievement at the 2026 IBJJF Pan Championship on March 25-29th!
Last year, the narrative around the team points race shifted. For decades, the IBJJF podiums were dominated by the massive, global affiliations. But in 2025, Art of Jiu-Jitsu (AOJ) officially kicked the door down, securing their first-ever major team title and proving that a concentrated "super-camp" could out-point the giants.
As we head into the 2026 Pan Championship, the question isn’t whether AOJ is a contender—it’s whether anyone has the depth to actually stop them.
The "AOJ Style" vs. The Field
What makes the Costa Mesa crew so dangerous at Pans isn’t just their technical proficiency; it’s their consistency. When you see the AOJ logo on the brackets, you know exactly what you’re getting: clinical jiu-jitsu, impenetrable guards, and a pace that rarely fades in the final two minutes.
With stalwarts like Tainan Dalpra expected to lead the charge, the team has a "guaranteed points" factor that is hard to match. Dalpra’s quest to reclaim his absolute dominance at middleweight provides a massive anchor for the team score, but the real damage is done in the lighter divisions.
The X-Factors: The Fresh AOJ Black Belts
While standout stars like Tainan, Diego Pato, and Cole Abate remain the leading staples of the team, the 2026 title defense likely rests on the shoulders of fresh black belts like Mateo Cardona and Marcos Gomes. Cardona cut his teeth in the black belt ranks at this years European Champion where he was able to bring home a silver medal, and proved he is a contender in the lightweight ranks and a viable option for team points from AOJ. Meanwhile, Gomes remains one of the most technical and resilient athletes in the roosterweight field, but will face a challenging division including the likes of Jalen Fonacier, Bebeto Oliveira, and other notable roosterweights coming for the Pans title.
If these two can secure gold—or even deep podium finishes—it forces the legacy teams to have a near-perfect tournament to keep up.
Can the "Big Teams" Respond?
To beat AOJ in Kissimmee, it’s going to take more than just individual standouts. AOJ has grown from just a few potential podium finishes, to having multiple contenders for the title in every division, a major factor in upping their chances in returning to the top of the team podium at this year's IBJJF Pan Championship on March 25-29th.
What To Expect
Pans has always been a "numbers game," but AOJ has figured out how to win with precision. If the brackets hold form, the Silver Spurs Arena might just turn into another victory lap for the squad from Southern California. There is often a narrative in the jiu-jitsu world that there is a coverage bias towards AOJ, but the truth is that AOJ has a bias towards winning.
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