At FloGrappling, we’re always searching for the athletes who represent the future of jiu-jitsu, people that fans should get excited about as the next vanguard of greatness in this martial art & sport. That’s the goal of our “Prospect of the Month” series, where we highlight one rising star you should know before the rest of the world catches on.
This month we are highlighting Zain Chaudhry, Canada's top juvenile blue belt who has been turning in incredible results in IBJJF competition. The Action & Reaction MMA Toronto athlete has cemented himself early in the season as the top young super-heavy prospect in the world - and with his success in the absolute he may prove to be an open class threat to watch in the future as well.
In 2025, Zain won gold at every IBJJF major, grand slamming his way through juvenile one blue belt's super-heavy (the largest division offered). He added open class gold at Europeans as well. In 2026, he graduated to juvenile two and continued his success with a dominant European Championships - double gold again in Lisbon. Zain could very realistically Grand Slam both of his years at blue belt, a feat which would set him up as one of the stars to watch in this next generation.
What really stands out when you watch Zain is his style. He's a big, broad, tall kid but you'd never know that from the way he plays guard. This kid has an incredibly nuanced berimbolo series that he has been able to make work against some very talented athletes (including other former Prospects of the Month). Physically maturity can be a huge differentiator for success in the juvenile divisions but Zain has transcended that with his high level of technical skill at his young age.
We reached out to Zain's coach Fernando Zulick about the honor and he had this to say about Zain's consistency and success;
"Talent opens the door, but hard work keeps it open."
Canada has slowly been producing more elite grappling talent, with Zain as their most exciting gi prospect in years. Action & Reaction was central to Cicero Costha's third place finish at Euros in the juvenile team standings and also bring a strong team to this week's Pans. Zain will be competing at the Pan Championship this week, Saturday at 12:46pm ET. If you have the chance, catch some of his matches and you will see quickly why we are so confident that this month's pick has such a bright future.