Check out the results and video highlights from the adult black belt divisions at the 2024 IBJJF Worlds, which took place over the weekend.
The dust has settled on another edition of the IBJJF Worlds, the most prestigious gi jiu-jitsu tournament in the sport. Black belts competed on Saturday and Sunday with plenty of notable results.
View the full event results from every division at the 2024 IBJJF Worlds here.
Art of Jiu-Jitsu stars suffer upsets
Perhaps more than any other Worlds in recent memory, the 2024 Worlds were marked by a number of big upsets. Some of the most significant upsets came against the otherwise dominant Art of Jiu-Jitsu athletes.
Tainan Dalpra‘s quest for his third world title was cut short in the quarterfinals of the middleweight division when he suffered a stunning disqualification loss to Checkmat’s Francisco Lo. The DQ came in a somewhat controversial fashion, as Dalpra was called for illegally torquing his opponent’s knee from the underhook De La Riva position. Lo would go on to earn silver in the division.
In the roosterweight division, Thalison Soares fell to Andrew Soares in his first match of the tournament, putting an end to his bid for his first IBJJF grand slam. Thalison came into the event riding a massive wave of momentum, having captured gold at the 2024 IBJJF Pans, Euros, and Brasileiros.
Finally, in the featherweight division, 19-year-old phenom Cole Abate made his much-anticipated black belt Worlds debut, but made a surprising first-round exit, falling to Leonardo Vilela.
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira and Mica Galvao shine
It wasn’t all bad for the famed Art of Jiu-Jitsu squad, as light-featherweight Diego “Pato” Oliveira earned his third world title to further cement himself as the top pound-for-pound competitor in jiu-jitsu, gi or no-gi. The current IBJJF no-gi world champion as well as a two-division Who’s Number One champion, “Pato” has proven himself to be at the top of the food chain in both modalities and looks to be the most technical and dangerous competitor in BJJ today.
Also, young prodigy Mica Galvao completed his first IBJJF grand slam, taking home gold in the lightweight division. The Melqui Galvao product looked in top form all weekend and capped his run with a victory over familiar foe Andy Murasaki in the final. Like “Pato,” Galvao is a real threat in both gi and no-gi competition, and his incredible run through the IBJJF gi season further establishes him as one of jiu-jitsu’s top pound-for-pound athletes.
Gabi Pessanha and Andressa Cintra extend reigns of dominance
On the women’s side, top competitors Gabi Pessanha and Andressa Cintra both continued their dominant streaks.
Super-heavyweight athlete Pessanha further solidified herself as one of the most dominant grapplers ever seen in BJJ, as she picked up her third consecutive double-gold grand slam. Now riding a winning streak that dates back to 2021, Pessanha is in desperate need of competition, but at this point, she looks to be head and shoulders above the vast majority of her opponents. She capped her 2024 Worlds run with a lightning-fast ankle lock finish in the absolute final against frequent foe Yara Soares.
Also, in the middleweight division, Gracie Barra’s Cintra earned her fifth straight Worlds gold, adding to her impressive trophy case that also includes a pair of no-gi world titles. With her well-rounded skill set and knack for finding the submission, Cintra is undeniably one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound grapplers.
Breakout performances from Meyram Maquine and Adam Wardzinski
Naturally, the event also saw plenty of breakout performances. Two of the most notable belong to Meyram Maquine and Adam Wardzinski.
While featherweight standout Maquine was already a 2022 world champion, he truly made his mark at the 2024 Worlds, employing an entertaining, relentless style of guard passing and submission hunting to take home gold in arguably the tournament’s most stacked division. What’s more, the Brazilian made it to the podium in the absolute division with a run that included a victory over the always-dangerous heavyweight competitor Roberto Jimenez.
Also, Polish star Adam Wardzinski became the first male European black belt world champion with an epic run through the heavyweight division. Wardzinski submitted all four of his opponents, utilizing his trademark butterfly guard and pressure passing game to great success.
2024 IBJJF Worlds black belt results
Women’s divisions
Rooster:
1st Mayssa Bastos
2nd Jhenifer Aquino
3rd Mariana Cabral Rolszt
3rd Ana Carolina de Andrade Lima Soares da Silva
Light feather
1st Thamires Diogenes de Aquino
2nd Amanda Monteiro Canuto
3rd Jessica Caroline Coelho Dantas
3rd Emily Rosalynn Nicholson
Feather
1st Nathalie “Tata” Ribeiro
2nd Ana Rodrigues
3rd Margot Ciccarelli
3rd Larissa Campos
Light
1st Luiza Monteiro
2nd Brianna Ste-Marie
3rd Stephanie Caroline Delphine Faure
3rd Jaine da Silva Fragoso
Middle
1st Andressa Cintra
2nd Larissa Martins
3rd Indridd Alves de Sousa
3rd Rebeca Ferreira de Lima
Medium heavy
1st Thamara Ferreira
2nd Maria Carolina Baron Vicentini
3rd Amy Campo
3rd Salla Mari Simola
Heavy
1st Tamiris Fernanda da Silva
2nd Amanda Magda
3rd Melissa Stricker
3rd Larissa Dias de Almeida
Super heavy
1st Gabi Pessanha
2nd Yara Soares
3rd Mayara Monteiro Custodio
3rd Maryanna Santos Cardoso
Absolute
1st Gabi Pessanha
2nd Yara Soares
3rd Maria Malyjasiak
3rd Amy Campo
Men’s divisions
Rooster
1st Carlos “Bebeto” Oliveira
2nd Zayed Alkatheeri
3rd Andrew Soares
3rd Rodnei Barbosa
Light feather
1st Diego “Pato” Oliveira
2nd Jonas Andrade
3rd Keven Carrasco
3rd Matheus Rodrigues de Lima
Feather
1st Meyram Maquine
2nd Ademir Barreto
3rd Alexssandro Sodre
3rd Diego Sodre
Light
1st Mica Galvao
2nd Andy Murasaki
3rd Pedro Henrique Maia Costa
3rd Luiz Paulo
Middle
1st Jackson Nagai
2nd Francisco Lo
3rd Yan Lucas Cordeiro Paiva
3rd Jhonathan Marques Pessanha
Medium heavy
1st Gustavo Batista
2nd Jansen Gomes
3rd Isaque Bahiense
3rd Ronaldo Junior
Heavy
1st Adam Wardzinksi
2nd Vinicius Liberati
3rd Rider Zuchi
3rd Paulo Merlin
Super heavy
1st Anderson Munis
2nd Erich Munis
3rd Marcelo Gomide Oliveira
3rd Harryson Santana Pereira
Ultra heavy
1st Yatan Bueno
2nd Pedro Alex dos Santos Pimenta
3rd Guilherme Augusto Soares Santos
3rd Seif-Eddine Houmine
Absolute
1st Erich Munis
2nd Jansen Gomes
3rd Marcus “Scooby” Ribeiro
3rd Meyram Maquine
