2018 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship

IBJJF 2018 World No-Gi: Results from Black Belt Finals

IBJJF 2018 World No-Gi: Results from Black Belt Finals

The action is now over– here are the results and the links to match videos from the 2018 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship.

Dec 16, 2018 by Hywel Teague
IBJJF 2018 World No-Gi: Results from Black Belt Finals

The action is now over– here are the results and the links to match videos from the 2018 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship.


Male roosterweight

Semifinal: Cicero Saldana def Kristian Woodmansee (watch video)

Semifinal: Nobuhiro Sawada win via default vs Ronald Henderson, no show

Final: Nobuhiro Sawada def Cicero Saldana Paiva via decision (watch video)

It seemed Paiva would take the roosterweight gold medal as he was ahead 6-4 going into the last 30 seconds of the match, but a last-second sweep from the Japanese black belt evened the score. The decision was split with two of the three referees giving it to Sawada.

Adult / Male / Black / Rooster

1 - Nobuhiro Sawada - Tri-Force Jiu-Jitsu Academy

2 - Cícero Lívio Ribeiro Saldanha Paiva - Ares BJJ Brasil

3 - Kristian R Woodmansee - Atos Jiu-Jitsu


Male light-featherweight

Semifinal: Joao Miyao def Cleber Sousa 

Semifinal: Tomoyuki Hashimoto def Hiago George (watch video)

Final: Tomoyuki Hashimoto vs Joao Miyao (watch video)

As you'd expect from these two technicians this was a match characterized by  a lot of intricate guard work and leg fighting. Miyao took a unanimous decision after the match ended 2-2, 1-1 adv. 

Adult / Male / Black / Light-Feather

1 - João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao - Cicero Costha Internacional

2 - Tomoyuki Hashimoto - Carpe Diem

3 - Cleber de Sousa Fernandes - Atos Jiu-Jitsu

3 - Hiago George Santos Silva - Cicero Costha Internacional


Male featherweight

Semifinal: Gilson Nunes def Ian Sanders via Triangle (watch video)

A super fast triangle from Checkmat black belt Nunes, who scored the submission in about a minute over the little-known but very tough no-gi specialist Ian Sanders. 

Semifinal: Kennedy Maciel def Pablo Mantovani 5-0 (watch video)

Composed and calm, Maciel cruised to a solid victory over Atos black belt Pablo Mantovani. A strong start to the day for Cobrinha Jr. 

Final: Kennedy Maciel def Gilson Nunes 2-0 (watch video)

In his first major tournament as a black belt "Cobrinha Jr" proved that he belongs among the best in the world. The final was hard fought as Nunes proved a worthy opponent of a black belt World Championship final, but Maciel earned the win via an ankle pick.

Adult / Male / Black / Feather

1 - Kennedy Leonardo Maciel - Alliance

2 - Gilson Nunes De Oliveira Neto - CheckMat

3 - Ian Phyllip Sanders - Rodrigo Freitas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 - Pablo Mantovani Dutra - Atos Jiu-Jitsu


Male lightweight

Semifinal: Marcio Andre def Fred Silva (watch video

2016 No-Gi World champ Marcio Andre proved there are levels to this game as he put over 16 points on Alliance black belt Alves. 

Semifinal: Gianni Grippo def Rodrigo Freitas 3-0 (watch video)

Grippo's momentum carried him to a decisive win over the crafty veteran Rodrigo Freitas, winning via pass points. 

Final: Gianni Grippo def Mario Andre via rear naked choke (watch video

You want a lesson in how to win when you're down? Watch this match! Gianni Grippo wins his first No-Gi World gold medal by submitting Marcio Andre with just one minute left in the match. Grippo was down two and hit a beautiful pass that exposed Andre's back. The Brazilian did an excellent job of denying Grippo the points for the hooks but Grippo sunk in the match-ending choke for the win. Huge.

Adult / Male / Black / Light

1 - Gianni Paul Grippo - Alliance

2 - Marcio Andre da Costa Barbosa Junior - Nova União

3 - Frederico Augusto Alves Silva - Alliance JJ

3 - Rodrigo Lamounier de Freitas - Rodrigo Freitas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu


Male middleweight

Semifinal: Jaime Canuto def Manuel Ribamar via referee's decision (watch video)

The hard-fought 10-minute match resulted in a tied score with Canto winning via unanimous referee's decision. 

Semifinal: Hugo Marques def Dante Leon 0-0, 1-0 adv (watch video)

A match characterized by wrestling scrambles, this physical encounter was dead even except for one advantage in favor of the Soul Fighters rep. 

Final: Hugo Marques def Jaime Canuto 2-0 (watch video)

The middleweight final between Marques and Canuto ended up a largely uneventful affair with Soul Fighters rep Marques winning via two points. 

Adult / Male / Black / Middle

1 - Hugo Doerzapff Marques - Soul Fighters BJJ

2 - Jaime Soares Canuto - GF Team

3 - Dante Leon - GF Team

3 - Manuel Ribamar V. de Oliveira Filho - Unity Jiu-jitsu


Male medium-heavyweight

Semifinal: Marcos Tinoco def Murilo Santana 0-0, 1-0 (watch video

Marcos Tinoco managed to avoid getting sucked into Murilo Santana's guard and worked his way to a win via advantage. 

Semifinal: Josh Hinger def Matheus Diniz 8-5 (watch video

The most exciting semifinal of the day, Hinger racked up a huge 8-point lead early. Diniz mounted an incredible comeback and came close to tapping Hinger with a Japanese necktie but ran out of time. A great back and forth match.

Final: Josh Hinger def Marcos Tinoco via north-south choke (watch video)

Atos black belt Josh Hinger can now add three-time World No-Gi champion to his list of credentials, an incredible achievement bolstered by the fact he scored a dramatic submission win over Marcos Tinoco in the final via north-south choke. 

Adult / Male / Black / Medium-Heavy

1 - Joshua Roy Hinger - Atos Jiu-Jitsu

2 - Marcos Vinícius da Silva Tinoco - Alliance

3 - Matheus Oliveira Diniz - Alliance

3 - Murilo Silva Ferreira de Santana - Unity Jiu-jitsu


Male heavyweight

Semifinal: Jackson Sousa def Devhonte Johnson 0-0, 2-0 adv (watch video)

Devhonte's first No-Gi Worlds as a black belt sees him make the podium, but Jackson Sousa's experience and strategic edge carries him into the final. 

Semifinal: Tim Spriggs def Thiago Sa 2-0 (watch video)

Spriggs used a high work rate and pressed forward non-stop against Thiago Sa. A takedown with around two minutes left in the bout gave it to Spriggs, who scored a solid double leg while down on advantages to win.

Final: Tim Spriggs def Jackson Sousa via referee's decision (watch video)

This knock-down drag-out match was chippy from almost start to finish and it ended with Spriggs taking a decision after as it was tied 4-4. His non-stop work rate in the later period of the match got the attention of the judges and they unnaimously awarded Spriggs the win and the title of World No-Gi champion. The usually-reserved Spriggs allowed some emotion to show as he conquered his first major title at black belt. 

Adult / Male / Black / Heavy

1 - Timothy-Michael Spriggs - Team Lloyd Irvin

2 - Jackson Sousa dos Santos - CheckMat

3 - Devhonte M. Johnson - Unity Jiu-jitsu

3 - Thiago Sá Fortes Silva - CheckMat


Male super-heavyweight

Semifinal: Kaynan Duarte vs Patrick Gaudio – Gaudio withdrew due to injury 

Semifinal: James Puopolo def Eliot Kelly via points – watch video

While a few leg attacks looked close to ending the match early, it went the distance with Puopolo winning via points.

Final: Kaynan Duarte def James Puopolo via guillotine (watch video

It only took two and a half minutes for Atos standout Kaynan Duarte to catch a guillotine choke against Puopolo, marking another huge win for the rookie black belt. His fearsome guillotine choke is no secret, but now it's been felt in the black belt ranks it's a warning to the opposition – don't take this youngster likely because he's already one of the best in the world. 

Adult / Male / Black / Ultra-Heavy

1 - Kaynan Casemiro Duarte - Atos Jiu-Jitsu

2 - James Richard Puopolo - Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

3 - Eliot Andrew Kelly - Yemaso Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu


Male ultra-heavyweight

Semifinal: Gordon Ryan def Yuri Simoes 11-0 (watch video)

Gordon tested the IBJJF's reaping rules to the limit, using the leg lace position to twice sweep Simoes rather than attack for the (prohibited) submission. The final sweep came with around a minute left and saw Gordon pass and mount Simoes to win via a huge 11 points to zero.

Semifinal: Roberto Abreu def Max Gimenis via points (watch video)

Cyborg's wrestling was on display in this match (and all weekend, in fact) and he repeatedly dumped the giant Gimenis and rode top position for a convincing win and moved one step closer to his sixth No-Gi World title.

Final: Gordon Ryan def Roberto Abreu via DQ (watch video)

A lackluster ending to the ultra-heavyweight division as Cyborg conceded 2 points via repeated penalties for passivity / inactivity and then DQ'd for slapping Ryan in the face. Ryan worked exclusively from seated guard the entire match and struggled to make a real connection with Cyborg, who mostly stayed on the outside and avoided getting too deep into Ryan's game. Because of Cyborg's DQ, that gave Yuri Simoes the silver medal. 

Adult / Male / Black / Ultra-Heavy

1 - Gordon F. Ryan III - Renzo Gracie Academy

2 - Yuri Costa Simões M. da Silva - Brasa CTA

3 - Max dos Santos Gimenis - GF Team


Male absolute 

Final: Gordon Ryan def Yuri Simoes 0-0, 1-0 adv (watch video)

A very different match from their earlier match in the ultra-heavyweight division: Simoes played a careful strategy obviously developed with his coach Caio Terra and worked to pass without getting sucked into Gordon's leg entanglements. It worked for almost the full match save for a moment earlier where Gordon got an advantage for a near butterfly guard sweep in the first minute of the match. 

Adult / Male / Black / Open Class 

1 - Gordon F. Ryan III - Renzo Gracie Academy

2 - Yuri Costa Simões M. da Silva - Brasa CTA

3 - Jackson Sousa dos Santos - CheckMat

3 - Thiago Sá Fortes Silva - CheckMat



Female light-featherweight

Final: Mayssa Bastos def Pati Fontes via rear naked choke (watch video)

It was one-way traffic in the light-featherweight final with Bastos racking up nine points and finishing the match with a rear naked choke with only 19 seconds left on the clock. 

Adult / Female / Black / Light-Feather

1 - Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos - GF Team

2 - Patrícia Maria N. Fontes dos Santos - CheckMat

3 - Miriam Cardoso Cerqueira - Elite Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Redmond

3 - Sofia Rosa Amarante - Fight Sports


Female featherweight

Final: Ffion Davies def Amanda Monteiro 7-0 (watch video)

Newly-promoted black belt Ffion Davies got her black belt just two weeks ago but proved she is well-equipped to compete at the highest level. Passing and mounting Amanda Monteiro, the British grappler rode top position to victory. 

Adult / Female / Black / Feather

1 - Ffion Eira Davies - ECJJA

2 - Amanda Monteiro Nogueira - GF Team

3 - Heather H. Raftery - Atos Jiu-Jitsu

3 - Jessica Cristina C. A. dos Santos - Elite Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Redmond


Female lightweight

Final: Catherine Perret vs Tammi Musumeci (watch video)

Rookie black belt Perret got a big win over a former World champion in Tammi Musumeci by scoring two advantages in this bout. The Checkmat black belt has arrived in the black belt division and proved her no-gi strengths with this gold medal. 

Adult / Female / Black / Light

1 - Catherine Fuhro Perret - CheckMat

2 - Tammi Alana Musumeci - Brasa CTA

3 - Jena Rae Bishop - Gracie Humaita San Diego Competition Team

3 - Michelle Zonato Nicolini - CheckMat


Female middleweight

Final: Beatriz Mesquita def Ana Carolina Vieira 2-0 (watch video)

Mesquita's wrestling and strategic edge was key in this match as she scored an early takedown against Vieira and then used excellent defensive wrestling to nullify any counter attacks. 

Adult / Female / Black / Middle

1 - Beatriz de Oliveira Mesquita - Gracie Humaita

2 - Ana Carolina Vieira Srour - GF Team

3 - Leoni Munslow - New School BJJ

3 - Sarah Elizabeth Kaufman - Pacific Top Team


Female medium-heavyweight

Final: Luanna Alzuguir def Claudia do Val 4-4, 2-1 adv (watch video

It was an incredible comeback from the veteran Alzuguir, who claimed her first World No-Gi black belt title with a late reversal that put her ahead on the scoreboard. A dramatic finish. 

Adult / Female / Black / Medium-Heavy

1 - Luanna Alzuguir Marton Moraes - Alliance

2 - Claudia Fernanda Onofre Valim Doval - De La Riva JJ

3 - Amanda Loewen - SBG International (SBGI)

3 - Anna Sophia Maria Nordenö - Hilti Fight Center


Female heavyweight

Final: Nathiely de Jesus def Maria Malyjasiak 6-6, 1-0 adv (watch video)

Jesus wins her second World Championship gold medal of the year after her performance at the gi Worlds in June. A razor-thin battle against the Polish black belt Malyjasiak was decided on just one advantage. 

Adult / Female / Black / Heavy

1 - Nathiely Karoline Melo de Jesus - Unity Jiu-jitsu

2 - Maria Malyjasiak - Zenith BJJ

3 - Andresa Correa - Alliance


Female super-heavyweight

Final: Jessica Flowers def Nivia Moura via kimura (watch video

After taking double gold in 2017, Gracie Barra's Flowers won her third World No-Gi gold medal by tapping out Nivia Moura with a savage kimura. 

Adult / Female / Black / Super-Heavy

1 - Jessica da Silva Oliveira - Gracie Barra

2 - Nivia de Souza Moura - Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu

3 - Alejandra Gonzalez - Carlson Gracie Team


Female absolute

Final: Beatriz Mesquita def Jessica Flowers 0-0, 2-0 adv (watch video)

It took a while for Mesquita to solve the question that Flowers posed, being physically much bigger and stronger. The middleweight champion showed patience and poise in searching out any chink in the armor, coming within a hair's width of taking the Gracie Barra back belt's back in the final minute of the match. 

Adult / Female / Black / Open Class 

1 - Beatriz de Oliveira Mesquita - Gracie Humaita 

2 - Jessica da Silva Oliveira - Gracie Barra

3 - Amanda Loewen - SBGi

3 - Anna Sophia Maria Nordeno - Hilti Fight Center