IBJJF No-Gi Pans 2022 Results

The final big event of the year - the IBJJF No Gi Pans - is in the books. As always, FloGrappling has the coverage - and the videos - you need to read and see. As for highlights, check out the performance of brown belt Jacob Couch in his match up against New Wave (formerly Danaher Death Squad) representative Luke Griffith.

Props also to the performances of the Corbe brothers at Feather and Light (there's something about these jiu-jitsu brotherhoods; I've been wanting to write about that for years!). And congratulations to Elizabeth Clay in taking home double gold (Middle and Absolute).

It was also great to see Keenan Cornelius back on the competition mat. Things didn't work out as he would have liked, but it was great to hear his attitude and demeanor about where he is and what his next steps are. He would be a great interview - especially if he were willing to go there about his early training, his relationship with top competitors over the years, the future of gi entanglement strategy in jiu-jitsu ...

The next big event in the IBJJF calendar will be coming sooner than you think: the IBJJF European championships for 2023 will be held in late January - at Paris' Institut du Judo, no less!

IBJJF No-Gi Pans Brackets Revealed

Is it anti-climactic to have the IBJJF No-Gi Pans after the ADCC? Or is this year's event going to take advantage of the momentum from one of the most exciting ADCC tournaments of all time?

Either way, the No-Gi Pans are coming this weekend and the brackets have now been revealed.

Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Playlist: Black Belt Adult Feather

I'm biased in favor of the division. But I think it's fair to say that black belt adult featherweight has plenty of talented jiu-jitsu competitors for fans of heavier weight combatants, as well.

Here I'm sampling some of the more interesting contests. I'm especially highlighting some of the top competitors that DIDN'T make the podium, let alone the finals. This is all the more unfortunate insofar as the division suffered one of the event's infamous first place close-outs with Alexssandro Pinto Sodre of Nova Uniao and Raimundo Diego Pinto Sodre of Nova Uniao taking first and second respectively without contest.

Richard Emiliano Nogueira and teammate Thiago Augusto Araujo Macedo closed out third place

*

Kennedy Leonardo Maciel v Richard Emiliano Nogueira

Richard Emiliano Nogueira v. Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor

Isaac Doederlein v. Alexsssandro Pinto Sodre

Raimundo Diego Pinto Sodre v. Richard Emiliano Nogueira

Thiago Augusto Araujo Macedo v. Alexssandro Pinto Sodre

Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Playlist: Middleweight Champion Tainan Dalpra

 

Photo Credit: RVCA

Tainan Dalpra (Art of Jiu-Jitsu) was one of the biggest sensations at the Pan American championships this year. He won the World championship last year, and did not disappoint with his performance this year at the Pan.

Here's a look at his gold medal winning campaign this spring as he won the Middleweight division at the IBJJF Pan. (FloGrappling subscription required).

Finals

TAINAN DALPRA VS JEFERSON GUARESI

Semifinals

TAINAN DALPRA COSTA vs RONALDO PEREIRA DE SOUZA JÚNIOR

Quaterfinals

TAINAN DALPRA COSTA vs EDUARDO AVELAR DE CARVALHO

Elimination

ROBERTO FRANCISCO JIMENEZ vs TAINAN DALPRA COSTA

Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Playlist: Black Belt Feather Master 5

The IBJJF Pan American championships are in the books. To make watching and tape study a little (actually, a lot) easier. I'm putting together a playlist of certain competitors and certain divisions. Credit to FloGrappling for making the videos available, and you'll need a FloGrappling subscription to watch them. 

First up is "my" division: Black Belt Featherweight | Master 5. I always want to see what competitors my size and rank are up to first. 

Black Belt Feather | Master 5

Finals

ALESSANDRO CIRONE NAGAISHI vs RENATO SAMPAIO TAVARES FILHO

Semifinals

ALESSANDRO CIRONE NAGAISHI vs MICHAEL CHUNGSIK YUN

RENATO SAMPAIO TAVARES FILHO vs ANDREI OSTI ANDREZZO

Quarterfinals

ROBERT SCOTT SCHWARTZ vs ALESSANDRO CIRONE NAGAISHI

RICARDO GUEDES DE OLIVEIRA vs MICHAEL CHUNGSIK YUN

SAMUEL JOSEPH vs ANDREI OSTI ANDREZZO

Congratulations to Professor Carlos Sievert!

Master 1 Heavyweight Division IBJJF 2018 Pan Am Champion

Watch the final at FloGrappling!

Should Closing Out a Division Be a Double DQ?

One of the great innovations of the IBJJF Pan 2014 tournament was a double disqualification in the men's master light feather finals that sent rivals for first and second packing for the bronze, and boosted the Pair Formerly Known As Third Place Winners into a contest for gold and silver.

The most appropriate, if not accurate, point about the double DQ suggested that the two players, both in guard (of course) were essentially "daring" the referee to call repeated stalling penalties. The referee more than met the challenge, handing out double stalling penalty after double stalling penalty against the would-be leg wrestlers until eventually calling both "competitors" to their feet to administer the disqualifications.

And while this was not the first double DQ for stalling in a high level competition, the solution, giving the third place finishers the chance to compete for first and second, was novel. And something I'd like to see more of.

The stalling penalty is fundamentally a penalty for refusing to engage. What is a greater refusal to engage than to refuse to even begin the contest when your turn is called? And so much the worse if the contest in question is the most important one of all: the one that decides a champion.

So if two competitors reach the finals and refuse to compete, why not let them eat bronze? They still get their place on the podium, and the hardware for smartphone photos with teammates and fans. But we as fans of sport jiu-jitsu get what every sports fan in every legitimate sport gets - now including Division I college football: a final contest.

Half of the finals in this year's adult male black belt division were division close-outs (I'm generously including the Absolute division, otherwise it would be more than half). Light-feather. Feather. Light. Medium-Heavy. Heavy. All wrapped up without a final match to determine a champion. That is madness.

There are more modest solutions than the one I'm proposing. Teams could be limited to a single entrant per division per school to prevent close-outs. More divisions could be added to give teams better ability to spread their top competitors around (allegedly Atos' Andre Galvao competed at Ultra-Heavy this year for just such a reason).

But radical times call for radical action. And if 5 out of 10 closed out divisions isn't radical, I don't know what is.

While the IBJJF is busy trying to keep black belt riff raff out of the Worlds, the Federation might want to spend a little time figuring out how to ensure a final in at least half of its matches.*

* This does not include the women's divisions which, for a variety of reasons, did not have a single division-close-out. That said, I'm willing to bet that the ladies would give us a final regardless of who was on the other side of the handslap and fistbump.

Pan Masters: Me and My Imaginary Friends

I call the competitors of the Master 4 division of the IBJJF Pan 2014 tournament "my imaginary friends" not because they don't exist, but because, in terms of the Pan, I don't.

I always like to get the measure of the division I would compete in if I participated in the Pan, something I've never done and probably will never do. It's easily the only opportunity in the world I'd ever have to compete against guys my own size and age. The division includes a couple of pretty active guys: Adimilson Brites, who won the Euro Master 4 lightweight division this year, and Gardner, who came in third at the same event. Also noteworthy is the comeback of Ricardo Guimaraes, who was battling stomach cancer just two years ago.

And I don't mind saying that last note suggests more than a few things, arguably the least important yet most relevant of which being the fact that competing at the Pan - even just once - is probably something I need to do before I'm done.

Being on the road so much with my new Clark Kent/Peter Parker seems to both make it more AND less likely that I'll make the time in March for the event (in between business trips to London in February and San Jose in April). But maybe more important is finding the kind of training time that would make a Pan appearance worthwhile. I'm still struggling to come up with a new training regime more than a year after moving from the Daily Planet to the Daily Bugle.

In any event, I'll be tuning in to the live Pan coverage starting next week, cheering on Professors Carlos and Griff, Coaches Angela and Ed, and teammates Gordon, Phil, and John - along with a host of others. I may even do a little live tweeting or FBing to help friends find friends on the mat, imaginary or not.

Tales of the Pan: Confirmado

Inspiration Du Jour

Professor Griff's Pan Plan

With the Pan underway, I don't feel too badly about sharing Prof Griff's Pan Plan, aka "Everything you needed to know about preparing for the Pan (or any major tournament), but didn't know you needed to ask."

*


"So, I highly recommend bringing a few things for the trip This will help you save money down there, as you won't have to buy replacements that you're only going to use for a few days. Also, you'll have more cash for stuff that you can't necessarily get easily up here. Budovideos usually has a booth, as does Koral, and maybe you just HAVE to have that gi/DVD/book/trinket. Besides, there's usually a Shoyoroll that drops around then. Way more fun to spend money on stuff like that than stuff you forgot.

This isn't a full list, but this is some of what I always wish had more of when I forget:

At least two gis. Make sure you weigh them. Know the weights, and make sure you have budgeted your own weight accordingly. For instance:

Griff's Tournament Gi and belt - 4.3 lbs
Griff - 215
Total - 219.3
Griff needs to make: 222

The lighter the gi, the heavier you can be. So bring at least two, just in case. Having to buy one on site isn't real fun.

Make sure all your patches are secure. I'm sure Nadir Ucgen Kiyanclar or I will sell you the name of the rad tailor we found who turns patch repair jobs around in a couple hours otherwise. Starting bid - $100 ;). (Don't undercut me, Nadir)

Cell phone chargers (bring two if you can). You'd be surprised (unless you have worked for a wireless carrier) how much faster your battery drains in a place like that. Also, bring a spare battery, or one of those iPhone external power packs. Trust me on this.

A list of hospitals that are covered by your health insurance provider. This is easy. Just call them and ask about where you should go in Irvine/Santa Ana/Costa Mesa. Accidents happen, and nobody wants to deal with thousands in bills as a result.

Any vitamins/supplements you take. Bring an extra day's worth. Also, athletic tape, braces, knee pads, etc. Big 5 runs are no fun and expensive.

Headphones/music player, books(if you're so inclined). I'm a huge Kindle fan, and if you are as well, you can save space by downloading the app for your smartphone/tablet and just access your stuff from there. Between the airport, the hotel, ad just waiting around to fight, there will be tons of downtime, so you need to have something to keep yourself occupied. If you're a gamer and you own a DS or PSP, that would be good as well.

Running shoes/sweats/hoodie. Nobody LIKES cutting weight. That said, missing weight for a tournament like this really isn't an option. At some point, you may realize you are a few pounds over. If that happens, you have to fix it.

Extra spending cash:). Like I said, there will be trinkets. Also, there's a Brazilian BBQ stand. Expensive, but totes worth it.

Feel free to add to this if you can think of anything I missed."

Where Art Thou, Faria Fanboys and Fangals?

From Caleb, of Fightworks Podcast fame, doing Pan 2012 coverage this April.

Here's a question for you, Shawn (Williams). A thought question.

We know that the Mendes brothers have come up with a series of techniques that have made them very successful over the past few years - or, at least, employed. I won't say "invented" but at least make use of.

Bernardo Faria has a very unique sequence that he tends to do regularly that you might expect guys to start emulating, as well. Why aren't more people, at least vocally, professing to be a follower of Faria the way we hear people jump on the Mendes brothers?

I"m sitting here watching the rebroadcast of the Pan and paying muito attention to Bernardo Faria's signature guard pass - one that Prof Rodrigo has taught us a hundred times here at GB Seattle. I think I am about to start "emulating."

A Pan 2012 Recap from Bloody Elbow

The 2012 Pan Ams took place this last weekend and with over 3,200 competitors it goes down as the largest single BJJ event in history. The mats were full to bursting almost every moment of the four day event and there is almost too much to talk about.

Read the rest here.

Caio: Rafa = P4P Best

Caio Terra: “Rafael Mendes is Jiu-Jitsu’s number one pound for pound”

“To me Rafael Mendes would also win the absolute at the Pan, if he’d competed in it. I’d put money on him,” he told friends shortly after Rafa Mendes grabbed Rubens Cobrinha’s arm and coaxed a tapout in the featherweight final.

“I have no doubt in my mind that he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world right now. I don’t think anyone doubts that anymore, especially with the superiority he showed at this Pan,” said Caio in conclusion.

GracieMag Coverage of Pan 2012

Pan 2012: the day Rafael Mendes was waiting for and other stories

Though it was the day known around the world as “Fools Day,” what happened this Sunday, the last day of the 2012 Pan, was very much serious business, however hard to believe it seemed.

Ever since 2009, when they first faced each other, every time Rafael Mendes and Rubens Cobrinha have stepped into the competition area together all eyes turn their way and they put on truly riveting displays.

The score between the two was already amply in favor of Mendes. Still there was something missing, and Rafael knew it.

From Personal Bests to Pan Am Mania

As of this Saturday's training, where Prof. Rodrigo had us drilling both the lateral counter to re-grip against the spider guard and a move I'm calling the sprawl toreano, I'm 16 sessions for the month , 3.75x as my 4-week training average, and in pretty good position for my best quarter of training ever. I'll need to hit the mat 18 times in April in order to reach a new quarterly best (current personal best is 49x in three months), but I'm thinking it's doable with a little discipline. April has historically been a good training month for me, with two of my three best months in the past three years being April and May (both with 17x).

Already this has been my best third quarter. I'll only need to train six times in April to reach a new personal best for the "coming into spring" months of February, March, and April. No need to make excuses, but I've felt like it has been a real battle this year breaking out of hibernation mode and getting into the academy. There have been some illnesses, and the car breakdown last week. But when I step back and look at the numbers, they show pretty good attendance, all things considered.

That said, the current goal is to put a great deal more focus into my training. Saturday's session, both the instructional from Prof Rodrigo and some after-class work with Prof Kevin really helped put a few things into place. It didn't hurt to have the Pan Jiu-Jitsu tournament this weekend to keep the jiu-jitsu spirits in a giddy mood, and there was quite a lot I learned about watching everyone from blue belts to black belts give it their all on the tatame (sneak preview of lessons learned? Omoplatas are back. Bow and arrow chokes are the finish of champions. Never let the other guy get his grips.)

More on the goals later. A good, exciting and contemplative weekend of BJJ.

Fightworks Podcast Interviews Caio Terra

Next to Rodolfo Viera, the talk of the Pan 2011 was Caio Terra. Caio not only submitted all of his opponents en route to a gold medal victory over rival Bruno Malfacine, but called out steroid users in jiu-jitsu, suggesting that all Mundial finalists should be tested for performance-enhancing drugs.

#237 Caio Terra and the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Caleb of The Fightworks Podcast catches up with the Pan champion in the first Podcast interview after the event.

Rei Rodolfo

When I listed some of my top memories from a weekend of watching the Pan 2011 Jiu Jitsu championships, the performance of Rodolfo Viera was at the top of my list.

In turns out I wasn't alone. The other evening, while training with Prof Rodrigo, I heard Lance talking about how impressed he was by the irresistible top pressure and passing game of Viera.

Here's an interview that Gracie Magazine did with the absolute and weight class black belt winner of the 2011 Pan - including footage of one of his tougher matches of the tournament.

Rodolfo going for the gold in Abu Dhabi

Does your winning two divisions at the Pan make you confident you can repeat the feat at the World Pro?

The Pan gave me a lot of confidence because pretty much all the current top fighters were there. I feel that to win weight and open weight I had to fight really well. I only got tired in a couple of matches, when I felt my grip wearing out a but, but in the others I was fresh. That did give me a lot of confidence. I hope it will stay that way in Abu Dhabi. There the fights will only be six minutes, so there will be no way to get tired.

Gracie Barra and the Pan 2011

There was a thread in message board somewhere in which someone was lamenting the absence of Gracie Barra medalists.

Clearly this person was focused on the adult black belt division only. If you look at the overall point score for adult, masters and seniors, and female divisions combined (novice and juvenile excluded), you see a very different picture:

Gracie Barra 156
Gracie Humaita 141
Alliance 118
BJJ Revolution Team 72
Lloyd Irvin MA 70
Atos 42

If you include all divisions, then Gracie Humaita edges out Gracie Barra by about 6 or 7 points. But those gains come from the novice division exclusively and, at the end of the day, I'm not sure what to make of a novice division championship.

Spring Training: The Road to the May Revolution

Technically, I'm in Week Two of the 8WeeksOut camp for the Revoution tournament in May. I'm hoping to use the momentum of missing the March Revolution due to late injury and still-fresh memories of a great Pan JJ Championship this weekend to get my training off to a solid start.

The big change is going to be in my training schedule. Training during the day is just too stressful, right now, and I feel too much as if I am constantly in a rush - both to arrive on time and to leave to get back to The Daily Planet.

So what I'm looking at over the next two months is this training Monday and Wednesday evenings, Friday afternoon and at the Live Training/Open Mat at Gracie Barra Federal Way on Sunday afternoons.

This locks up a four-day training week. If I can train on a Saturday, then maybe I'll skip the Sunday training. But we'll see how that goes.

With regard to conditioning, I'm focusing on aerobics early, of course. But I'm also doing more weightlifting than I have in a while - albeit mostly for muscular endurance purposes. I'm also stretching 6 times a week, alternating upper body and lower body to keep the sessions brief (and to keep myself from dreading it each evening).

I'm starting from a pretty low training ebb, with my four-week training average down to 1.0 after missing nearly three weeks with the toe/foot hyperextension. So it will be worth seeing how fast I can get that number up to 4.0 - Week Five of camp, at the earliest, doing the math.

One of the things that comes up time and time again in these interviews with guys and gals that have won the Pan is the focus and dedication that goes into it. A large part of what I have to do now is to figure out just how much I want to win - both in the runup to the May revolution, as well as in the run up to what will hopefully be my first appearance as a competitor at the Pan in 2012.