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. 

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Leandro Lo has been at the very top of the jiu-jitsu world since he earned his black belt in 2011. The NS Brotherhood team leader is a six-time World champion, eight-time Pan champion, four-time Brazilian National champion, four-time World Pro Champion– and these are just his black belt accomplishments. 

And yet – however tiny they may be – chinks in the armor have begun to appear. 

A freak injury sustained during the 2018 Heavyweight World Championship final against Mahamed Aly forced Lo to accept second place for the second year running. 

The moment Lo's shoulder separated from its' socket.  

We didn’t see him in competition again for nearly eight months until the inaugural BJJ Stars event in February where he took on rival Nicholas Meregali– one of only two men to beat Leandro in a World Championship black belt final that wasn’t the absolute division– in a hotly-anticipated superfight. The match was thrilling as always, but Meregali was able to win in spectacular fashion by taking Lo's back in the dying seconds of the round. 

What's going on here? 

Surely, it's far, far too early to say that Leandro is losing his edge– but it could be argued that the competition has been catching him up. They're younger and hungry, and Lo stands in the way of the next generation's championship goals. 

The most important challenge to date

Which is exactly why the heavyweight division at the 2019 Pan Championships is one of Leandro's most important challenges to date: should he make it to the final (which we fully expect to happen unless there are some shocking upsets) he'll probably take on either rising superstar Kaynan Duarte (Atos) or monster Patrick Gaudio (GF Team).  

Should either of those two men be able to topple Lo, it would signal a true changing of the guard and the rise of the next generation. 

Enter Kaynan Duarte

The Atos competitor hasn’t even completed his first year as a black belt and is already considered one of the favorites for the event. Duarte is incredibly poised; he rarely seems to be out of position or in a hurry anytime he competes.

Equally comfortable on top or playing guard, Duarte has strengths in all areas – and he can end the fight in an instant should the opportunity present itself, as evidenced in his European absolute match against Zenith competitor Fellipe Andrew.  

Kaynan vs Leandro is the most exciting potential matchup of the entire event. It's a true clash of generations: Leandro, the all-time great vs the limitless potential of the freshman black belt Kaynan.

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Patrick Gaudio: GF Team's Lion

One of the main players to watch in any division he enters, Gaudio is one of the toughest GF Team competitors has a habit of taking out favorites. 

His shocking toehold submission over Romulo Barral (where the Gracie Barra veteran refused to tap and had his ankle dislocated) in 2017 remains the stuff of legend. Gaudio again made waves in 2018 when he managed to beat Keenan Cornelius by referee decision in one of the most talked-about results of all-time. 

And don't forget Gaudio is a returning Pan champ: he defeated Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa for medium-heavyweight gold in 2017. 

Gaudio's game is equal parts sheer brutality and technical mastery. He has a highly-underrated guard game, and once he sweeps to top position, his passing is relentless. 

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He will almost certainly face Kaynan Duarte in the semifinal, which means two of the most physically-imposing men in the arena this weekend will be going head to head... the winner of which will likely meet Leandro in the final.  

We can hardly contain our excitement for the incredible matches that lie ahead.