The most anticipated gi tournament of the year returns to the iconic Walter Pyramid in just a few days time, and it is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most competitive editions of the tournament in its rich 25-year history.

The light featherweight division at the 2021 No-Gi Pan Championships will feature some of the best 135 pound-ers, and several more looking to break into the top-10. Paulo Miyao will be the likely favorite here. He hasn’t won a no-gi title since winning Pan No-Gi in 2015, and he had a rough go in 2020, losing each of his only two matches. Still, he’s one of the hardest to beat on the IBJJF platform.