After some of the most exhilarating black belt matches ever in a major championship, the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships are now in the rear view mirror. The event kicked off with some amazing performances in the colored belt divisions and was capped off by epic black belt matches, where the sports best athletes pushed for the submission all throughout the second major championship of 2023.

Double Gold Medalist Nicholas Meregali Goes On Submission Spree

For the first time since 2017, Nicholas Meregali returned to the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships. Nicholas was on a mission to win double gold and finish all of his opponents. He started his Pans campaign in the open class, winning three matches on Saturday March 25th. He won those matches in dominant fashion, winning by smother choke from the mount and two collars chokes from the back to advance to the open class final against Erich Munis.

Nicholas returned to action on Sunday in the ultra heavy division where he had three matches to take gold. He hit another collar choke from the back in his quarterfinal to advance to the semifinal against Roosevelt Souza. Roosevelt was the only competitor to put Nicholas in any type of danger at the Pans, as he used a crab ride position to nearly get to Nicholas’ back. Nicholas, however, showed poise and tremendous defense to escape, take the back, and finish with a collar choke from the back. The ultra heavy final was against Yatan Bueno of Dream Art, a match that lasted just over three minutes and ended with yet another collar choke from the back, Nicholas’ fifth of the Pans.

The open class final was a rematch of the 2022 Worlds open class and super heavy finals. Erich Munis of Dream Art was also on an absolute tear at the Pans. Prior to the open class final, Erich had won six matches, getting the submission in four of them and winning gold at super heavy. Nicholas pulled guard to start the match and used an omoplata to sweep and put the first points on the board. The most significant moment of the match came when Erich attempted a single leg takedown. Nicholas countered it and ended up in top position, scoring two more points and putting himself in a solid passing position. He passed the half guard straight into mount and upped his lead to 11-0, where the match would end. Nicholas Meregali’s 2023 Pans run was nothing short of incredible and ended with six submissions out of his seven matches.

Gabrieli Pessanha Wins 7th Straight Double Gold

Coming into the 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships, Gabrieli Pessanha had won double gold at six straight major events. At Europeans, Gabrieli had four matches and four submissions, her best performance to date. Her return at the Pans featured three submissions out of five fights to take super heavy and open class gold.

The last time Gabrieli Pessanha lost a match was all the way back in 2021. The 2X World Champion lost via points to Ana Vieira in the 2021 Pans open class semifinal and got her chance to avenge the loss in this year’s Pans open class final. It was a close match, but Gabrieli was able to use her world-class guard to sweep Ana and win the match by two points.

Middleweight Kingpin Tainan Dalpra Wins 3rd Pans, Remains Undefeated

Since getting his black belt in 2020, Tainan Dalpra has been flawless in competition. He was undefeated in black belt IBJJF matches coming into the 2023 Pans, and improved that record to 54-0 with another incredible performance. In his three matches Tainan earned wins over Felipe Cesar Silva, Rolando Samson, and Pedro Maia, finishing chokes from the back in his semifinal and final matches. With 2023 gold medals at the Europeans and Pans, could we see Tainan attempt to win another gold at Brazilian Nationals and secure the Grand Slam?

Adam Wardzinski Pulls Off Insane Comeback To Win Heavyweight Title

2019 World No-Gi and 2022 European Champion Adam Wardzinski is regarded as one of the most technical heavyweights of his generation. The butterfly guard master competed in the heavyweight division at the Pans, putting on the best performance of his career thus far. He won two of his first three matches with chokes from the back, advancing to the final against Fellipe Andrew, who had defeated Adam in the 2023 European final just two months ago. Fellipe took control of the match early and racked up eleven points to Adam’s two with just over a minute and forty seconds left in the match. Adam answered with his second butterfly sweep of the match, putting the score at 11-4 with ninety seconds left. From there, Adam transitioned from a knee cut position to the mount, getting the pass and mount points to even the score. A last second cross choke attempt earned Adam the advantage he needed to get the lead and his first Pan title. The final will certainly go down in the history books as one of the best comebacks in Pans history.

Nova Uniao Featherweight Marcio Andre Wins Biggest Title Of His Career

Marcio Andre returned to the featherweight division at the 2023 Pans and won what was arguably the biggest title of his career thus far. The four time European champion won his last major title at the 2018 Europeans, and had competed in heavier weight categories for most of his tournaments since. In his featherweight return, Marcio defeated Joao Mendes and Israel Sousa to advance to the final against 2021 World Champion Fabricio Andrey. The final was back and forth, with Fabricio scoring with a takedown and a sweep to Marcio’s two sweeps. In the end, the match was decided by advantages that Marcio earned with takedown, sweep, and pass attempts.

The following are the 2023 Pan black belt champions:

Male

Rooster - Zayed Alkatheeri

Light Feather - Diogo Reis

Feather - Marcio Andre

Light - Johnatha Alves

Middle - Tainan Dalpra

Medium-Heavy - Gustavo Batista

Heavy - Adam Wardzinski

Super Heavy - Erich Munis

Ultra Heavy - Nicholas Meregali

Open Class - Nicholas Meregali

Female

Rooster - Jessica Caroline

Light Feather - Mayssa Bastos

Feather - Anna Rodrigues

Light - Luiza Monteiro

Middle - Elisabeth Clay

Medium-Heavy - Ana Vieira

Heavy - Larissa Dias

Super Heavy - Gabrieli Pessanha

Open Class - Gabrieli Pessanha

2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships Team Results

Adult Male

1. Dream Art
2. Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3. Alliance

Adult Female

1. Dream Art
2. GF Team
3. Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Master

1. Gracie Barra
2. Alliance
3. GF Team

Juvenile

1. Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2. Art of Jiu Jitsu
3. Alliance

Novice

1. Pedigo Submission Fighting
2. Rilion Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy
3. Gracie Barra

If you missed any of the action from the 2023 Pans, be sure to catch all of the replays on FloGrappling.