2018 IBJJF No-Gi Pans: black belt division preview

The 2018 edition of the Pan IBJJF No-Gi Pans features a wealth of talent and former champions across the men’s and women’s black belt divisions.

The time is upon the grappling world again as one of the biggest no-gi events of the year is scheduled in New York. The 2018 Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF No-Gi Championship is set to kick off this Saturday.

As with every year before it, this tournament brings together some of the top names in the sport across multiple divisions. However, many of the biggest stories sit within the black belt divisions and this year looks to continue the trend of many action-packed matches.

Starting with the men, there are a number of storylines worth watching. Many of the lightweight weight classes have divisions that include one true standout as the potential winner. At Roosterweight, Light Feather and Featherweight, Lucas Pinheiro, Joao Miyao and Jamil Hill-Taylor stand out as the men to beat. But what makes No-Gi Pans so intriguing is that there’s a wide open space for an unheralded name to come out of the background and take the crown.

Gianni Grippo, a 2017 No-Gi Worlds champion, is expected to take the title at lightweight, but one must never underestimate AJ Agazarm, who frequently pulls out strong performances when the lights are shining the brightest. Matheus Gonzaga, who has performed well in 2018 but not taken home any major titles, is another name to watch within the group. Plus, Frederico Augusto Alves Silva, who placed second in 2017, is returning in a position to play spoiler to both Grippo and Agazarm.

The middle and middle heavyweight divisions also have some returning competitors that have seen success in the past. Dante Leon is looking to defend his 2017 title at middleweight, while Vinicius Canabarro is returning to the middle-heavy division where he placed third last year. He’s the only returning individual who made the podium last year and is a top name expected to win the group.

New black belt, Devhonte Johnson is expected to make some noise this weekend as he competes within his new rank. Coming off of extensive success as a brown belt, Johnson is a young lion who has the potential to have a long run of success whenever he steps on the mat.

The Super Heavyweight division seems to be the most competitive as three former champions are set to be in the same group. Aaron “Tex” Johnson, Jackson Sousa and Rafael Vasconcelos de Lima are all looking to add yet another title to their claim.

And one cannot talk about this year’s event without talking about Gordon Ryan stepping onto the IBJJF mats. He placed third back in 2014 before moving onto other tournaments such as his 2017 ADCC title run. Ryan has consistently backed up his promotional talk and many eyes are watching to see if he can take home a no-gi title this weekend.

No preview would be complete without talking about the women; who frequently bring out some of the most competitive and technical matches of the tournament. Patricia Fontes and Fiona Watson are expected to close out the light featherweight division in yet another match within their storied back and forth. Talita Alencar, who placed third in featherweight last year, is a favorite to take the title since Watson and Fontes have moved down a division. Then there’s AaRae Alexander and Catherine Perret who are the top two names in the light featherweight division.

No-Gi Pans are one of the most exciting tournaments of the year and the 2018 edition is no different from those of the past. With all of the content available on FloGrappling, it’s easy to get enthralled in this tournament from blue belt all the way through black. Even though each division features a favorite, do not turn away from the action because a big name can go down and completely blow up the bracket.