Gordon Ryan has promised that 2018 is the year we’ll see him compete in the gi. The IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship is the first major tournament of the year on U.S. soil, so will Ryan show up to challenge the status quo? 

Taking place in Irvine, CA, on March 7-11, "Pans" is one of the most important tournaments of the year and is often considered second only to the World Championships in terms of prestige. 

If Ryan plans to disrupt the gi scene, then Pans would be the perfect opportunity to spoil some dreams. But there is a catch — if Ryan wants to compete at Pans, he will need to test drive his gi in some smaller tournaments first. 

What does Gordon Ryan need to do to compete at Pans? 

There is an entry requirement for IBJJF Pans — all black belts must have 20 ranking points to register. 

Earning ranking points is done via winning medals at IBJJF tournaments, such as one of the many International Opens the federation hosts in locations all over the world. 

This means that only active top-tier black belts qualify to compete at what is one of the IBJJF’s big four events of the year, which along with Euros, Brazilian Nationals, and Worlds is known as one of its “grand slam” series. 

A gold medal in his weight class (TBD, but expected to be ultra-heavyweight) at an International Open would be worth 27 points. A gold medal in the absolute division (open class) would be worth 40.5 points. Ryan would only need to win one gold medal at an IBJJF International Open and he would have enough points to compete at Pans. 

Competitions between now and Pans

There are only two tournaments that Ryan can still available to sign up for between now and the registration deadline for Pans (Feb. 26).

They are the IBJJF Mexico City Winter International Open (Feb. 24, registration deadline Feb. 16) and the IBJJF San Francisco International Open (Feb. 25, registration deadline Feb. 16). 

As an added bonus, Ryan could compete no-gi in the same weekend at Mexico if he felt like it, as the IBJFF is running gi and no-gi divisions the same weekend! 

There is a very slim chance we’ll see Ryan compete at Pans. As it’s such an important tournament, it will often reach capacity ahead of the registration deadline, meaning even if Ryan were to compete in Mexico City or San Francisco he may not get the necessary points in time. 

Still, we can hope! 

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