The 2023 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships, the second major tournament of 2023, took place at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. There were tons of intriguing storylines heading into the tournament including the return of Nicholas Meregali, the dominance of Gabrieli Pessanha and Tainan Dalpra, the pursuit of a second major title in 2023 by multiple athletes, and much more. Like the Europeans, the Pans also had a great finish rate, particularly among elite black belts. The following is a deep dive into the black belt submissions from the quarterfinals through the finals at the 2023 Pans.

Standout Submission Artists

Nicholas Meregali was the top submission artist of the 2023 Pans. Throughout his double gold campaign, Nicholas submitted 6 of his 7 opponents. There were many other athletes who also put the submission at the forefront of their strategy at the Pans, as evidenced by the number of black belt champions who submitted at least half of their opponents. The following figures also include submissions from eliminatory matches.

Nicholas Meregali - Ultra Heavy & Open Class Champion, 6 submissions, 85.71% submission rate

Gabrieli Pessanha - Super Heavy & Open Class Champion, 3 submissions, 60% submission rate

Gustavo Batista - Medium-Heavyweight, 3 submissions, 75% submission rate

Erich Munis - Super Heavy Champion, 4 submissions, 57.14% submission rate

Anna Rodrigues - Featherweight Champion, 2 submissions, 66.67% submission rate

Tainan Dalpra - Middleweight Champion, 2 submissions, 66.67% submission rate

Quarters - Finals Submission Rate Of 37.29%

From the quarterfinals through the finals at the Pans, there were a total of 44 submissions out of 118 matches for a rate of 37.29%. In the male black belt divisions there were 67 matches and 26 submissions (38.81%) and in the female black belt divisions there were 51 matches and 18 submissions (35.29%). The female super heavy division was the only category with a 100% submission rate.  Male ultra heavy came in second, with 5 of the 7 matches ending in submission for a 71.43% rate.

Most Effective Submissions

Just as we saw at the 2023 Europeans, the most effective submission was the choke from the back. Chokes from the back made up exactly half of the submissions in both events. The next most common submissions were the armbar and the kneebar, where there were 4 of each. Combined, the armbar and kneebar made up 18.18% of submissions, still far below chokes from the back. There were 13 different submissions used in these Pans matches, compared to 11 at the Europeans.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the 2023 Pans were another major championship where the sport’s elite continued to prioritize jiu-jitsu that is focused on getting the submission. Between the Europeans and the Pans there were 224 black belt adult matches from the quarterfinals through the finals with 90 submissions, a 40.18% submission rate. The next major championship is the 2023 Brazilian Nationals where we’ll likely see more of this attacking style of jiu-jitsu.