The IBJJF Pan Championships stand as one of the high points of the gi season – competitors have shaken off the cobwebs from the early months of the year and are typically in peak physical and mental condition. 

Read on to see a preliminary list of competitors and get up to speed on some of the biggest stories coming to the IBJJF 2020 Pan Championships. 

Watch the IBJJF 2020 Pan Championships LIVE On FloGrappling March 18*-22

History In The Making: Leandro Going For 10?

Though he has yet to officially throw names in the hat, we've got it on good authority that Leandro Lo will be returning to the Bren Center for another appearance at the Pan Championships. 

With eight titles to his name, Lo is already the winningest black belt at the Pan Championships. Despite a lackluster 2019 which saw him have a downturn in wins for the first time in his career, there's no reason to assume Leandro isn't a front-runner in the heavyweight division. 

Can Ribamar Continue Hot Streak?

Manuel Ribamar has looked untouchable since moving to medium-heavy for No-Gi Worlds at the end of 2019, where he picked up his very first IBJJF major title at black belt; he followed up that success at the European Championships where he ran up an uncontested 38-0 points. 

We asked before Euros if this would be the year of "the Riba," and if he locks in another title, it would be pretty hard to argue otherwise.

Victor Hugo: The Next Big Thing?

Another entrant whose name isn't currently present on the competitor's list, Victor Hugo has confirmed with us previously that he intends to earn double gold at the Pan Championships.

The Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu monster has already bested some of the biggest names in the sport in the short eight months he’s been a black belt, including Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, Nicholas Meregali, and Ricardo Evangelista. 

Pans will likely be his toughest challenge yet, though we feel it’s time to stop looking at Hugo as the upstart and place him at the front of the contender's list.

Women's Lightweight Division Is Looking Stacked

With six competitors signed up a month out, including No-Gi World Champs Nathalie Ribeiro and Raquel Canuto, the women's black belt lightweight division is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting of the tournament. 

Set to take on the veteran champions are black belt newcomers Nikki Sullivan and Hope Douglass. 

Will We See Keenan?

It would be fair to say that 2020 has been a mixed bag for Keenan Cornelius. 

The European heavyweight champion took home silver in the absolute after getting submitted by Fellipe Andrew, an event which marked the first time Cornelius had been submitted in the gi as a black belt.

His next appearance saw him lose a tightly contested match to rookie black belt Roberto Jimenez at Who’s #1 in Costa Mesa, California, earlier this month.

Despite the unpredictable results, Keenan is always a lock for hitting the podium and he may well take the opportunity to bounce back at Pans and show he's still in contention for his first world title. 

Mikey Musumeci Intends To Tackle The Absolute

Michael Musuemci Jr. has made his intentions clear: he wants to challenge himself against the biggest and baddest black belts on the planet. The three-time world champion told us on Who's #1 (The Show) that his current idea is to compete only in the absolute division at the 2020 Pan Championships and skip his weight class. (see the clip below; skip to 38 minutes).

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Black Belt Entrants

List Current as of 2/17

BLACK / Adult / Male / Rooster

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light-Feather

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Female / Rooster

BLACK / Adult / Female / Light-Feather

BLACK / Adult / Female / Feather

BLACK / Adult / Female / Light

BLACK / Adult / Female / Middle

BLACK / Adult / Female / Medium-Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Female / Heavy

BLACK / Adult / Female / Super-Heavy