Team Brazil ready to embark to the 1995 Pan. Pictures: Rodrigo Clark’s archives

There are only a couple of videos about it on YouTube.

It’s almost impossible to find pictures of the event as well.

The final results are not even posted either on the IBJJF or the CBJJ webpages.

Even so, it did happen.

On June 1995, the first Pan Jiu-Jitsu championship took place in Irvine, California.

The Brazilian athletes all flew together from Rio to compete.

Competitors and his medals after the tournament in California, in 1995.

Among them, people like Roberto “Gordo” Correa, Marcio Feitosa, Alexandre Soca, Rodrigo Clark, Marcelo Tetel, Rommel Cardozo, Leão Teixeira, Fernando Yamasaki, Vinicius Draculino, and many others.

GRACIEMAG founder Luca Atalla, then a 21-year-old competitor, also was there and managed to get a silver medal and report the event for the “Jornal Gracie”, GRACIEMAG’s embryo.

“I had five matches in the blue belt lightweight and ended up with the second place,” remembers Luca.

Leão Teixeira refereeing during first BJJ Pan-Ams, in 1995

Now master, José Henrique Leão Teixeira worked as a referee in the first Pan. He tells us a little bit about the adventure of organizing a championship in the ’90’s:

“It was a big test for us. Carlos Gracie Jr (CBJJ President) had the plan of doing a championship outside Brazil, once he felt Jiu-Jitsu needed to grow and that would only happen with a tournament in the USA. The idea was to have a Brazil vs. USA matches. The first challenge was to get visas to all the athletes, more than 40. We managed to have a meeting with the American Consul in Rio, Mister Olsen, if I’m not mistaken. We travelled with a huge group, many of which on their first international trip. We were welcomed by Joe Moreira in Irvine and the mood in the hotel was of complete euphoria. Everyone wanted to compete so much that the hotel manager reserved a separated room for the guys to train. It was great to see guys from all different squads rolling together. The day of the event begun with the Brazilian anthem playing and all athletes forming on the mat. I remember one great fight between Joe Moreira’s student Bob Bass and Marcio Feitosa, at brown belt.”

“It was a battle and Marcinho was defeated for the first time since he was a yellow belt”, remembers Leão Teixeira. “In the end, it was an event that many didn’t believe that we would be able to put together. We did everything, from setting the mats to refereeing. When we got back to Brazil we had the feeling of contributing with the growth of the sport.”

The group after rolling, at Joe Moreira’s academy

Rodrigo Clark, founder of Gracie Barra Santa Barbara, also recollects on the championship:

“The Pan 95 was a turning point in my life, on and off the mats. It was not only my first competition outside Brazil but also the first time I competed as an ‘adult’. I was only 17 back then and had only competed as a juvenile. It was an amazing experience to be able to compete with the big names of the sport. The actual trip to the USA was important to the development of Jiu-Jitsu. Until then, there was huge barrier dividing the academies in Brazil. After that championship, it started to change. During the trip, we had the chance to get to know our biggest rivals, which created a lot of respected among us. I remember the moment of boarding to the US, when we hardly knew each other and also the moment we came back, when new friendships were already formed. I’m sure that everyone that took part in that trip has a lot of great memories of those days of glory, fighting and fun.”

Rodrigo Clark and the rest of the team waiting to fly to the USA

Gold medalist Alexandre “Soca” Carneiro, leader of Soca BJJ in New York, was also in that group that travelled from Rio to compete in the USA. He tells us what he remembers of the first Pan.

“I believe it was my first international trip to compete. We had a trial in Rio to decide who was going and I won the right to compete representing Brazil. Sadly, when we got to California, Fernando Yamasaki decided not to compete in my division and instead fight my teammate Vinicius Draculino in the light-featherweight. I ended up with a medal without fighting. The event was cool, but there weren’t many competitors. The real good thing was to get a whole bunch of friends together from several generations and academies. I wish I had competed, but it was still nice to be there.”

Vinicius Magalhaes, aka Draculino, tells us what he remembers from the match: “It was a historical event and it was a pleasure to take part in it. We didn’t have many black belts back then. In my division, the light-feather, there was only me so I fought Fernando Yamasaki. This fight became the turning point where I decided to take my career in Jiu-Jitsu seriously. I knew that with that championship the sport had been launched internationally.”

This year, the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship is taking place in March, in Florida.

Visit ibjjf.com and check the full results and more history about the tournament. Oss…

*Por João Oliveira

Quais são os benefícios que um professor de Jiu-Jitsu oferece à comunidade onde ele atua?
MARCIO FERREIRA: Um professor de Jiu-Jitsu oferece inúmeros benefícios à comunidade, incluindo a promoção de um estilo de vida saudável através da prática regular de exercícios físicos. Ele também ajuda a desenvolver disciplina, respeito e autoconfiança nos alunos. Além disso, um professor de Jiu-Jitsu pode ser um mentor e um modelo positivo, promovendo valores como perseverança e trabalho em equipe. Ao fornecer um ambiente seguro e inclusivo para a prática da arte marcial, ele contribui para a coesão social e oferece um espaço onde pessoas de diferentes idades e origens podem se conectar e crescer juntas.

Além de ensinar Jiu-Jitsu, você tem uma carreira vitoriosa como competidor. Quais foram as suas principais conquistas e o que você aprendeu com elas?
Minhas principais conquistas incluem ser campeão pan-americano em 2022 na faixa-roxa, conquistar o segundo lugar no campeonato mundial no mesmo ano, e ser campeão do North America. Atualmente, em 2024, sou o número 1 do mundo na faixa-marrom. Essas vitórias me ensinaram a importância da dedicação, da preparação e do foco. Cada competição me trouxe lições valiosas sobre resiliência e a necessidade de superar desafios e adversidades. Aprendi também que o sucesso não vem apenas das vitórias, mas do crescimento contínuo e das experiências adquiridas ao longo do caminho.

Qual é o seu grande objetivo para o futuro da carreira?
Meu grande objetivo é continuar crescendo e evoluindo tanto como competidor quanto como professor. Desejo alcançar o título mundial na faixa-preta e, eventualmente, abrir minha própria academia de Jiu-Jitsu para continuar ensinando e inspirando a próxima geração de praticantes. Além disso, quero contribuir para a expansão e reconhecimento do Jiu-Jitsu como uma arte marcial e um esporte global, promovendo seus benefícios físicos e mentais para um público mais amplo.

Quando alguém hesita em treinar Jiu-Jitsu, o que você costuma dizer para convencer essa pessoa a vestir o kimono e começar a jornada na arte suave?
Encorajo a pessoa a experimentar uma aula para sentir na pele a energia positiva e o espírito de camaradagem que existem nos tatames. Costumo dizer que o Jiu-Jitsu é mais do que apenas uma arte marcial; é uma jornada de autoconhecimento e crescimento pessoal. A prática regular oferece inúmeros benefícios, como melhora da forma física, redução do estresse e aumento da autoconfiança. Também ressalto que o Jiu-Jitsu é uma comunidade acolhedora onde todos são incentivados a aprender e evoluir juntos, independentemente de idade ou nível de experiência.

Você tem uma ampla formação e experiência como árbitro de competições de Jiu-Jitsu. Quais são os benefícios que isso oferece à sua carreira de uma maneira geral?
Minha experiência como árbitro de Jiu-Jitsu oferece uma perspectiva única sobre o esporte. Me ajuda a entender melhor as regras e nuances das competições, o que me torna um competidor mais estratégico e informado. Além disso, atuar como árbitro me permite desenvolver habilidades de tomada de decisão rápida e justa, além de fortalecer minha capacidade de liderança e comunicação. Esses atributos são valiosos tanto dentro quanto fora dos tatames, contribuindo para meu crescimento profissional e pessoal.

Conte um pouco sobre a sua experiência ensinando Jiu-Jitsu para militares da ativa nos Estados Unidos.
Ensinar Jiu-Jitsu para militares tem sido uma experiência extremamente gratificante. Os militares são alunos dedicados e disciplinados, eles trazem intensidade e foco únicos para os treinos. O Jiu-Jitsu é particularmente útil para eles, pois melhora sua capacidade de defesa pessoal, condicionamento físico e controle emocional em situações de alta pressão. Trabalhar com militares também me permite adaptar e expandir meu método de ensino, criando técnicas e estratégias específicas para atender às necessidades de segurança e combate deles. Essa experiência enriqueceu minha abordagem pedagógica e me proporcionou a oportunidade de contribuir para a preparação e o bem-estar de indivíduos que servem seu país.

Juliederson conheceu o ídolo Anderson Silva no QG da Atos em San Diego. Foto: Divulgação

Faixa-preta da equipe Atos, Juliederson Rodrigues costuma repetir aos amigos de treino que, no Jiu-Jitsu, o segredo é aproveitar ao máximo o tempo em cada faixa, com paciência e zero ansiedade de ver a faixa-preta na cintura.

Foi esta a sua receita para chegar longe. Entre seus maiores feitos, Juliederson conquistou o ouro no Pan da IBJJF em 2022, na faixa-marrom peso leve master 1. Graduado professor em dezembro de 2022, o faixa-preta de André Galvão dividiu com a equipe GRACIEMAG o que aprendeu ao longo de sua trajetória.

GRACIEMAG: Dá para treinar solto no QG da Atos com aqueles monstros à solta?

JULIEDERSON RODRIGUES: Dá sim. Na Atos tem todo tipo de treino que você puder imaginar. Se quiser treinar somente com campeões mundiais, você consegue; se quiser treinar um soltinho também pode, afinal eles possuem vários horários de aula, com níveis diferentes, como qualquer grande escola de Jiu-Jitsu.

Você ainda lembra do seu primeiro contato com o Jiu-Jitsu?

Meu primeiro treino foi em 2010, num projeto social da prefeitura de Macaé, no Rio de Janeiro. O legal foi que eu tinha ido surfar no dia, perto de casa. Quando voltávamos, um amigo que surfava comigo me chamou para ir lá treinar pela primeira vez. Desde então me apaixonei pelo esporte.

Você ao receber a faixa-preta disse que foi capaz de aproveitar ao máximo cada uma das faixas coloridas, sem pressa nem pressão. O que aconselha aos novatos em relação a isso?

Costumo aconselhar meus amigos a aproveitar o processo. O ideal no Jiu-Jitsu é não ter a troca de faixa como meta, e sim pensar na evolução como artista marcial. Sempre falo que é melhor ser um faixa-roxa que endurece com os marrons do que um marrom que toma apavoro de faixa-azul!

E qual foi a faixa na qual você tomou mais “apavoro”?

A azul. Foi a faixa mais sofrida pra mim, afinal foi a fase em que eu mais treinei Jiu-Jitsu, e não conseguia ganhar nada nos campeonatos. Mas segui em frente, o macete é entender que tudo faz parte do caminho, as derrotas também podem ser úteis para quem quer evoluir.

Quais serão suas metas para 2024?

Costumo separar meu ano competitivo por trimestre – neste primeiro trimestre meu foco será totalmente voltado ao Pan da IBJJF. Vou lutar alguns Opens também, mas no geral quero treinar bastante e corrigir as falhas que sei que preciso melhorar.

Como foi parar no dojo do André Galvao?

Sempre fui fã do Galvão, eu assistia aos vídeos de luta dele e sonhava em treinar fora do país. Decidi assim vir para a Atos.

O que aprendeu de melhor com ele e com seu mestre no Brasil, César Maillet?

Meu mestre no Brasil é um cara com uma energia muito boa, o César Maillet. Aprendi com ele muito sobre a vida, e que o Jiu-Jitsu é uma arma fortíssima para fazer amigos e não inimigos, mesmo nos campeonatos. Com o André Galvão, aprendi que o Jiu-Jitsu é uma verdadeira faculdade para a vida, e que em cima do tatame você pode tirar várias lições de como se comportar no dia a dia.

Photo: Personal Archive

Women’s jiu-jitsu has been growing fast, and one effect of this is noticeable in IBJJF events. From the blue belt up to the brown – where Thamires Monteiro competes – women are more professional and standing out more.

A few weeks ago, Thamires shone at the 2021 Pan, held in Orlando, Florida. The young Checkmat star defeated three opponents to bag the gold medal in the lightweight division. In the final, she scored ten points on Joanna Christine (Tac Team BJJ).

“I did three fights in the division; no points or advantages were scored against me in the course of the competition,” Thamires said in a recent interview. “I was able to put my whole game into action. I was one step ahead of the other girls.”

She trains at Checkmat La Habra, in California, alongside her husband, the black-belt Jackson Douglas. The 23-year-old Thamires dreams of becoming a strong black-belt. She trains under Lucas Leite, who is charged with shaping her way of fighting. At the Pan, for example, her way of conducting matches was quite clear – always scoring as much as possible until reaching a submission.

“The training is fully focused on competition: specific training and brawling,” she said with a laugh. “I love guard-passing; it’s my favorite game! But it’s been a while since I started challenging myself on the bottom, and it’s going well… I confess I even like it!”

Thamires then shared some thoughts on the growth of women’s BJJ: “I believe we’re on the right path to gaining our due recognition, but changes take time. Each passing year, the quantity of girls in competitions goes up, which really helps bring visibility to women’s BJJ. Big events like Fight to Win, BJJ Stars, BJJ Bet are including girls in their events. Of course it’s still one or two women’s fights to a card with five men’s fights, but it’s getting better. The more women we have in the competitive jiu-jitsu scene, the more visibility we’ll have and, consequently, the more opportunities. I hope.”

In the course of her career, Thamires has won gold medals in the American Nationals (weight and absolute), Brazilians Nationals and Pan.

Photo: IBJJF/Facebook

Yago Souza, 27, is back on the competition scene. After a long hiatus where he had to overcome injuries and make personal decisions, the black-belt started competing masterfully again in 2021, and has already racked up four gold medals, won at the Orleans Open, Orlando Open, Memphis Open and Houston Open – and, just this month, the IBJJF’s Orlando Summer Open.

“I was absent because of my period of adaptation to the U.S. and also the various injuries suffered, which was very difficult for me to adapt to,” he explained in a recent interview. “I also had a period of adaptation to the food and routine from here, which is all very different from what I used to have in Brazil. But now it’s all normal, and I know the path to achieving great titles again. I’m very happy about having won four straight opens, and now my goal is to sign up for the absolutes to test myself more, just like I did at the Memphis Open.”

A Pan and European champion in the black belt, Yago is thirsty to repeat the feats he accomplished in big events in 2016 and 2017, when he won most of the tournaments he took part in, notching wins against Otávio Sousa, Vitor Oliveira, Josh Hinger, Marcos Tinoco and AJ, for example.

“My biggest goal in 2021 is to keep myself competing and 100% healthy to reach the greatest version of myself in the big competitions and get a good result,” he said. “I’m practicing plenty of jiu-jitsu and lifting weights to strengthen my body, all done truly with great care. I train five times a week. I’m happy with the moment I’m living.”

Yago likes fighting on top and on the bottom, which often greatly hinders the strategies of opponents, who don’t know where to attack during the fight.

“I’ve always liked being versatile,” he said. “I’ve always tried to learn about everything and never limit myself to just one type of technique. My biggest goal in jiu-jitsu is to reach a high technical level. I really like working with the basics, because I see that the basics are getting lost as the years go by. People want to skip the basics and learn complicated things; that’s why I insist on the basics. The basics are the base for everything.”

Yago has gold medals from the World Championship and Brazilian Nationals, events also held by the IBJJF.

Photo: Personal Archive

Esdras Jr is in the midst of a great phase on the competitive circuit of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). The black-belt from Ares has been going strong for four consecutive tournaments – he became champion at the IBJJF’s Dallas Open, Houston Open, New Orleans Atlanta Open and, most recently, at the No-Gi Pan, one of the most important competitions on the 2021 calendar.

His latest triumph, along with the points won in previous tourneys, caused Esdras to grab the top spot in the master 1 feather division with 135 points – nine more than the UFC fighter Rani Yahya.

In a recent interview, Esdras Jr spoke of what makes him a champion in 2021. “It’s hard to talk about just on aspect, but I think consistency is the key to reaching any goal. Maybe I’m not even training more in terms of volume, but without a doubt, I’m trying to train in a more intelligent way. Knowing how to understand your body and respect your limits is very important to comprehending when you have to do that training session where you’re fighting for real – most days! – or train by trying to understand and control the situations more. I’ve been going hard in my physical preparation since late last year, focusing a lot on injury prevention work. I’m feeling very well physically and mentally.”

To earn the gold medal at the No-Gi Pan, Esdras Jr had to defeat three tough opponents, including Silvio Duran (Nova União) in the semifinal round and Ermilio Lima (Fight Sports) in the final.

According to Esdras, he felt well and prepared for each match. “I was happy with my performance,” he said. “But I can say the toughest fight this time was cutting weight. The last time I weighed less than 67kg, I was in middle school! This Pan was the first time I hit feather in no-gi, which is well below feather in the gi. On the day of the competition, I woke up weighing 66kg – there I woke up feeling well and ready to fight. It was an incredible journey.”

Photo: Personal Archive

He went on to offer advice on winning any BJJ competition: “First, one should not worry about the result! Perhaps it seems like madness to say that, but when we think about results too much, the tendency is to demand a lot of ourselves, and I believe this demand brings about unnecessary tension. Step on the mat alert, but with tranquility. It’s about doing what you trained to do, match by match, trusting yourself and your jiu-jitsu. That’s all you should think about. Have patience to play – jiu-jitsu is like chess.”

And finally, on the subject of mindset, he said: “When you do what must be done, it works out! It’s a matter of training hard, dieting, physical preparation, technical and tactical training, knowing your strong points and developing a game plan. It’s impossible not to feel well and prepared. Step on the mat and believe that your plan is going to work. Work on your mind to be positive when things don’t come out as planned, because knowing how to control your mind is important. Believe until the end! I couldn’t go without mentioning also Fellipe Barros, my mental coach, who is always there when I need him.”

In the United States, Esdras trains beside Osvaldo Queixinho at Ares BJJ in Phoenix, Arizona.

Photo: Personal archive

In search of new challenges, after having won a world title in 2019, Matheus Gabriel went up two weight divisions and started competing amongst the middleweights. At the No-Gi Pan, held in May in Texas, the black-belt from Checkmat won his first big no-gi title and, to boot, made his name stand out in a division featuring Hugo Marques (Ares BJJ), Felipinho Cesar (Unity) and Leonardo Silva (GFTeam) — three of the opponents he had to beat on his path to the gold medal.

In the final, he was faced with the extremely tough Hugo Marques and came out victorious by two points from a penalty, because as Matheus was trying to sweep, Hugo escaped to try to defend his position. It’s worth noting that this was among the matches most talked about online, and in a recent interview, the champion explained why.

“The final was a real battle; it was attack against attack,” Matheus said. “He tried to pass my guard, but fortunately I managed to sweep. I climbed the leg and he went outside, which ended up giving me points due to a penalty against him. He got angry, because he thought the ref shouldn’t have given me the points — but it’s the rule! They had posted and talked about this rule days before the event. Anyway, I won! But he didn’t show up at the podium; I thought there was a lack of professionalism from his part. I wouldn’t do that; it was ugly and it’s bad for the sport.”

Photo: Personal archive

Before the final, Matheus finished Michael Trasso via triangle and beat Leo Silva and Felipinho on points. Matheus proved, in practice, that the mass he had gained didn’t slow him down.

“I felt very good fighting at middleweight,” he said. “It was fun and at the same time challenging. Because of the fact that I moved up in weight, the BJJ media talked about it. I felt very good, I felt stronger, and I kept my speed. Fighting new opponents was challenging too, since I had been fighting as a featherweight for a long time. My differentiator in no-gi is to fight moving forward. My guard also helps me a lot. I have a good guard and know that without the gi, it’s very hard to get past the difficulty offered by the fight. I’m excited for my next challenges.”

This being only his second competition in no-gi, Matheus added: “I’m writing my story in the sport. I’m excited about the new possibilities and the visibility that fighting no-gi offers. I want to do superfights, compete in tourneys and show all my potential. Really excited!”

Matheus will be fighting again in June, when new competitions start getting announced.

The brazilian athlete dreams of seeing the world through Jiu-Jitsu. Photo: Personal archive

Hailing from Manaus, Amazonas, Kalel Santos is one of the stars of jiu-jitsu’s new generation. Trained by Cícero Costha in Ipiranga, São Paulo, the young black-belt is part of the pool of talent currently making the roosterweight division so competitive. He’s coming off some important victories in events from the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro Tour’s Grand Slam, such as his gold medals attained in Rio de Janeiro, London, Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles.

A black-belt of one year, Kalel is excited about the challenges the sport’s elite offers in competition. His dream is to win the IBJJF’s World Championship and give his family a better life through the sport.

“Jiu-jitsu is a professional sport, and today we can have the certainty of improving our lives through the sport. I’m very happy for this,” he said in a recent interview. “I come from Manaus and have several examples of people who made it in jiu-jitsu. I have the dream of winning the Worlds and improving my family’s life. I want to travel the world, get to know new cultures and have my own gym. I dream of setting up a social project to give kids opportunities, also.”

With no-gi competitions experiencing a high tide, Kalel will be fighting at the IBJJF’s Pan this month in Houston, Texas. This is the second-biggest yearly no-gi tournament, after the No-Gi Worlds.

“About my division, I usually say it’s a category of fast, precise guys, where you can’t afford to make mistakes. Since no-gi makes the fight faster, I will prioritize my strategy of starting out ahead and exploiting my opponent’s errors. It’s all about having control! I usually play guard a lot, however I like passing more. It’s a complete game.”

A representative of Submit Your Friend/Cicero Costha, a gym in the United States, Kalel wrapped up by talking about how his training has been going at the biggest hub for sport jiu-jitsu:

“My training sessions here are very productive, and most of my friends are here. Because of that, sometimes we set up a camp where the training gets even better — the lighter guys plus the friends from team Cícero Costha.”

Leandro Lo and João Gabriel in the 2017 absolute final. Beatriz Lina/GRACIEMAG

This Thursday, March 21st, marks the kickoff to another explosive edition of the Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship. Four action-packed days will unfold at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif. — and there’s no shortage of strong black-belts.

World champions like Leandro Lo, Gabi Garcia, Paulo Miyao, Isaque Bahiense, Mahamed Aly, Shane Hill-Taylor, Michael Musumeci, Claudio Calasans, Otávio Sousa, Tarsis Humphreys, Léo Nogueira, Antônio Braga Neto, Luiza Nogueira, Talita Treta, Lucas Hulk, Gustavo Batista, Luiza Monteiro, Karen Antunes, Talita Alencar, Ana Carolina Vieira, Amanda Monteiro and Nathiely de Jesus will be vying for glory with new talents hungry to leave their mark.

Guilherme Iunes, Vinicius Gimenes, Alberto Ramos and Arthur Gogó, partners of Graciemag, are also enrolled in the adult and masters age groups and ready to fight for the top spots.

Find out below who are the big names likely to rock the arena later this week.

MEN

WOMEN

Leandro Lo e João Gabriel frente a frente na final do absoluto no Pan de 2017. Foto: Beatriz Lina/GRACIEMAG

Na próxima quinta-feira, dia 21 de março, teremos o pontapé inicial para mais uma edição explosiva do Pan-Americano de Jiu-Jitsu da IBJJF. Serão quatro dias de ação no Bren Event Center, em Irvine, na Califórnia, e a lista de faixas-pretas deste ano está recheada.

Campeões mundiais como Leandro Lo, Gabi Garcia, Paulo Miyao, Isaque Bahiense, Mahamed Aly, Shane Hill-Taylor, Michael Musumeci, Claudio Calasans, Otávio Sousa, Tarsis Humphfreys, Léo Nogueira, Antônio Braga Neto, Luiza Nogueira, Talita Treta, Lucas Hulk, Gustavo Batista, Luiza Monteiro, Karen Antunes, Talita Alencar, Ana Carolina Vieira, Amanda Monteiro e Nathiely de Jesus entram para embolar as divisões do adulto, contra jovens e ávidos novos talentos do Jiu-Jitsu prontos para conquistar o seu lugar entre os melhores do mundo.

Representantes do time GMI, cascas-grossas como Guilherme Iunes, Vinicius Gimenes, Alberto Ramos e Arthur Gogó também estão entre os inscritos, no adulto e no master, prontos para brigar pelas cabeças.

Confira na lista abaixo os principais destaques do torneio e poste nos comentários o nome que faltou na lista e suas principais apostas para campeões de peso e do absoluto!

FEMININO

Exciting battles marked the first day of the Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF No-Gi Championship, held this Saturday in New York.

Local athlete Gordon Ryan of Renzo Gracie Academy did great in the ultra-heavy and absolute divisions. Known for his success in American events where only the submission can determine a winner, the 2015 ADCC champion student under John Danaher showed his effectiveness and kept up his habit of winning without any need for a point count.

In the ultra-heavy division, Ryan bested Max Gimenis (GFTeam) with a rear naked choke. In the open, facing Kaynan Duarte (Atos), Ryan had an uphill battle, trailing his opponent on the scoreboard. At the end of the match, Ryan tied the score as he swept back, and then went for the mount that would give him the win. Refusing to allow the points, Kaynan turned sideways, and Ryan submitted him with another RNC.

Also noteworthy were light featherweight champion João Miyao; Gianni Gripo, who defeated AJ Agazarm in the lightweight final; Marcos Tinoco, the medium heavyweight champion; and Romulo Caju, who beat Thiago Sá to take down the heavyweight division.

Read on for Saturday’s results.

Black / Adult / Male / Rooster
1 – Kristian R Woodmansee – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Christopher Michael Noonan – The Hive Martial Arts Academy

Black / Adult / Male / Light-Feather
1 – João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao – Cicero Costha Internacional
2 – Alexis Alduncin Barragan – Renzo Gracie Mexico
3 – Alex Ecklin – Masterskya
3 – Perez R. Figueroa Jr. – Team Redzovic

Black / Adult / Male / Feather
1 – Ian Phyllip Sanders – Rodrigo Freitas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Pablo Mantovani Dutra – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Adam Benayoun – Fifty/50 Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Silvio Duran de Barros Saraiva – Vitor Shaolin BJJ

Black / Adult / Male / Light
1 – Gianni Paul Grippo – Alliance
2 – AJ Agazarm – Gracie Barra
3 – Herbert Mitchell Pontes Burns – Associação Oriente
3 – Matheus Evangelista Gonzaga – Alliance Marcelo Garcia

Black / Adult / Male / Middle
1 – Dante Leon – GF Team
2 – Michael Trasso – Gracie Humaita San Diego Competition Team
3 – Enrique D. Galarza – Silver Fox BJJ
3 – Olivier Kee-Seng – Sampa BJJ International

Black / Adult / Male / Medium-Heavy
1 – Marcos Vinícius da Silva Tinoco – Alliance
2 – Nicholas Patrick Calvanese – TAC Team BJJ
3 – Isiah Olajide “ShoNuff” Wright – Easton BJJ
3 – Michael Anthony Perez – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Black / Adult / Male / Heavy
1 – Romulo de Souza Azevedo – Vitor Shaolin BJJ
2 – Thiago Sá Fortes Silva – CheckMat
3 – Benjamin Zachary Lenyard – Brazilian Top Team
3 – Diogo Sampaio Araujo – Soul Fighters BJJ Connecticut

Black / Adult / Male / Super-Heavy
1 – Aaron Michael Johnson – Unity Jiu-jitsu
2 – Jackson Sousa dos Santos – CheckMat
3 – Alexandre Bueno de Oliveira – GF Team
3 – Roberto Torralbas – Team Lloyd Irvin

Black / Adult / Male / Ultra-Heavy
1 – Gordon F. Ryan III – Renzo Gracie Academy
2 – Max dos Santos Gimenis – GF Team
3 – Charles Kilyan Mcguire – American Top Team Fort Lauderdale
3 – Kaynan Casemiro Duarte – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Black / Adult / Male / Open Class
1 – Gordon F. Ryan III – Renzo Gracie Academy
2 – Kaynan Casemiro Duarte – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Jackson Sousa dos Santos – CheckMat
3 – Max dos Santos Gimenis – GF Team

Black / Adult / Female / Light-Feather
1 – Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos – GF Team
2 – Patrícia Maria N. Fontes dos Santos – CheckMat
3 – Fiona M. Watson – Fight Club
3 – Sofia Rosa Amarante – Fight Sports

Black / Adult / Female / Feather
1 – Jessica Cristina C. A. dos Santos – Elite Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Redmond
2 – Ana Talita de Oliveira Alencar – Alliance
3 – Gabriella E. Romero – Legacy Jiu-Jitsu – Team Alberto Crane

Black / Adult / Female / Light
1 – Catherine Fuhro Perret – CheckMat
2 – Aarae Alexander – Team Lloyd Irvin
3 – Heather H. Raftery – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Black / Adult / Female / Middle
1 – Gabrielle McComb Lima – Gracie Humaita South Bay
2 – Vanessa Sue Wexler – Gracie Barra

Black / Adult / Female / Medium-Heavy
1 – Monique Ricardo Carvalho – CheckMat

Black / Adult / Female / Heavy
1 – Maria Malyjasiak – Zenith BJJ – Las Vegas
2 – Samantha Lea Cook – CheckMat

Black / Adult / Female / Super-Heavy
1 – Alison Victoria Tremblay – Brazilian Top Team

Batalhas eletrizantes marcaram o primeiro dia do Pan-Americano de Jiu-Jitsu Sem Kimono da IBJJF, o Pan No-Gi, realizado nesse sábado, dia 15 de setembro, em Nova York.

Atleta local, o faixa-preta Gordon Ryan, da Renzo Gracie Academy, fez bonito nas categorias pesadíssimo e absoluto. Conhecido por seus sucessos nos eventos americanos onde apenas a finalização define o vencedor, o aluno de John Danaher campeão do ADCC 2015 mostrou sua eficiência no torneio da IBJJF, e seguiu sua linha de vencer sem a necessidade de pontos ou vantagens.

Na divisão de pesadíssimos, Gordon encarou e superou Max Gimenis (GFTeam) após finalizar no mata-leão. Já no absoluto, contra Kaynan Duarte (Atos), Gordon teve dificuldades ao começar atrás no placar. No fim da luta, Gordon empatou em pontos, ao raspar de volta e partiu para a montada que valeria a vitória. Para não aceitar os pontos, Kaynan virou de lado, e Gordon atacou no mata-leão de ouro no peso aberto.

Outros destaques ficaram para João Miyao, campeão no peso pluma; Gianni Gripo, que superou AJ Agazarm na final do peso leve; Marcos Tinoco, ouro no meio-pesado; e Romulo Caju, que superou Thiago Sá na final do pesado.

Confira abaixo os resultados da faixa-preta!

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Galo

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Pluma

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Pena

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Leve

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Médio

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Meio-Pesado

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Pesado

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Super Pesado

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Pesadíssimo

Preta / Adulto / Masculino / Enum_WeightDivision_Open Class_Label

Preta / Adulto / Feminino / Pluma

Preta / Adulto / Feminino / Pena

Preta / Adulto / Feminino / Leve

Preta / Adulto / Feminino / Médio

Preta / Adulto / Feminino / Meio-Pesado

Preta / Adulto / Feminino / Pesado

Preta / Adulto / Feminino / Super Pesado