With 17 competitors the featherweight division is an interesting mix of promising young talent and crafty veterans. 

2018 World champion Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor (Team Lloyd Irvin) will be competing for the first time this year at Pans. Hill-Taylor has yet to win this event in two attempts as a black belt, finishing in third place in 2017 and as the runner-up last March. 

Contending with Hill-Taylor in the featherweight division should be the man he defeated in last year’s World final, Leonardo Saggioro (BTT). Saggioro was the runner-up at Worlds in both 2017 and 2018 and is also the reigning UAEJJF lightweight King of Mats. Hill-Taylor came out on top 4-2 in their only meeting. Saggioro most recently took bronze at the European Championships. 

One of the hottest prospects in recent years, Kennedy Maciel (Alliance) will be competing in his first Pans at black belt this weekend. Maciel won both Worlds and Pans at brown belt at light-featherweight in 2018, and is 18-3 so far in his short black belt career. Joining Kennedy in the featherweight bracket will be his Alliance teammate Isaac Doederlein, who is a fixture on the podium these last months: he was the silver medalist two months ago at Europeans, and took silver at both the ADGS London and the Lightweight King of Mats, losing to Paulo Miyao (who is signed up at light-feather) in all three matches. 

Rafael Mansur (Atos) was the 2018 Brazilian National champion and will be competing for the first time since switching to Andre Galvao's growing squad. 

Matheus Gabriel (Checkmat) will also be appearing in his first Pans as a black belt after winning Worlds at brown belt featherweight in 2018. 

Joao Mendes (Atos, bronze at Euros in January), veterans Samir Chantre (Ares) and Thiago Macedo (Rodrigo Pinheiro) and up-and-comer Cole Franson (Tinguinha) should be other names to look out for in Irvine.

Watch the 2019 Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship LIVE or On Demand ONLY on FloGrappling from Mar 21-24.