The first day of black belt competition at the 2019 Pan Championships delivered the kind action expected of such a high caliber event. 

The 2019 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship black belt absolute division will run on Mats 5-8, with men on 5 & 8 and women on 6 & 7. Watch the live stream here. 

Follow along as I recap the opening rounds of the male black belt weight divisions. The black belts start at 9.00am sharp with qualifying rounds and they'll work through to the quarterfinals (which go down tomorrow, Sunday March 23). 

The women’s black belt absolute has 14 competitors signed up and is remarkable for the fact that Gabi Garcia makes her return to gi jiu-jitsu. 

The brackets are out for the Pan black belt absolute division! Get a look at them right here.

The men’s purple belt divisions lit up the opening day of the 2019 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Irvine, CA. Of the 10 available gold medals, nine were claimed by Brazilians while the Japanese grappler Hiryu Niwa took top spot in the roosterweight division. 

The medium-heavy purple belt division was filled to the brim with rising talents from around the world, but none performed more beautifully today then Gordo Jiu-Jitsu representative Pedro Machado.

The largest black belt division at this year’s Pans, middleweight also has a ridiculous amount of athletes with a legit shot of challenging for the title.  

The heavyweight division always offers plenty of entertainment, but this year we should see a three way race to gold between powerhouse athletes Leandro Lo, Patrick Gaudio and Kaynan Duarte. 

It's the eve of the IBJJF 2019 Pan Championships, and as per tradition, the event is set to run the adult purple belt divisions over the first two days of competition, bringing the sport's budding talents to the fore.