Updated March 13: Please note the 2020 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship has been cancelled

As the registration period for the IBJJF 2020 Pan Championships draws close to an end, three more crucial names slid into the black belt divisions: Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor from TLI is in at featherweight, Unity Jiu-Jitsu's Levi Jones-Leary will be fighting at lightweight, and Alliance / Dream Art leader Isaque Bahiense is in for middle. 

The appearance of these three competitors shifts the landscape of their respective divisions and ups the stakes for what appears to be the most exciting event of the year to date. 

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Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor - Featherweight

No. 3-ranked Jamil Hill-Taylor’s appearance on the list of signups officially makes featherweight one of the most difficult; he'll join No. 1 FW Matheus Gabriel and No. 2 Issac Dooderlien.

All three all have history; Jamil had to settle for second place at Pans last year after losing a razor-thin match to Gabriel from Checkmat in the final and is surely hungry to get that win back. Doederlein has suffered two close losses to Jamil, but is currently in the midst of the best competitive period of his career, with gold at Brasileiros in May of 2019 and recently becoming the 2020 European Champ. 

With a total of 25 competitors, many of which are ranked inside the top 10 for the category, the featherweight division is a must-watch this at the 2020 Pan Championships. 

Levi Jones-Leary - Lightweight

Many fans have been waiting with bated breath for Levi Jones-Leary’s return to competition and the intermission is finally coming to a close. 

The Australian found himself climbing up to the No. 2 position on the lightweight rankings after an impressive campaign at Spyder 2019. The King Of Kings tournament where est two world champions on his way to claiming $100k.

Other key names in this division at Pans this year include World's silver medalist and No. 4-ranked lightweight Lucas Valente, European Champion and third-ranked lightweight Jonnatas Gracie, plus Renato Canuto, Johnathan Alves, Mario Andre, Johnny Tama, and Hugo Marques. 

Isaque Bahiense - Middleweight

After skipping the European Championships to focus on coaching his Dream Art / Alliance team, Isaque Bahiense is back to try to win back-to-back Pan Championship titles. One of the most successful athletes of his generation, the No. 3-ranked middleweight is a huge problem for anyone in his division and should be considered the man to beat at the 2020 Pans Championships. 

That is not to say that Isaque is without stiff competition — 24 game competitors, including former Pans and Worlds Gold Medalist Otavio Sousa, Marcos Tinoco, Servio Tulio, and the Luna brothers (Matheus and Mathias) are all set to compete in the same division.