The 2023 World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships was the biggest Worlds No-Gi of all time. The event took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada from December 7th through the 9th, and featured incredible matches all throughout the weekend. Atos was the standout team of the event, capturing the adult male and female team titles after winning six gold medals. Below is a full recap of the 2023 Worlds No-Gi. 

Ffion Wins Double Gold To Become 4X World No-Gi Champion

2023 has been an absolutely fantastic year for Ffion Davies. After relocating her training to Essential BJJ in New York back in 2022, Ffion has put on the best performances of her career and cemented herself as one of the most accomplished active competitors in the sport. In June, Ffion won her second World title in the gi, once again solidifying her position as the best lightweight in the world in the gi. She returned to IBJJF competition at the Worlds No-Gi, where she competed in the lightweight and absolute divisions. Ffion entered the event as a 2X World No-Gi Champion, winning her first two titles in 2018 and 2021.

Throughout the event, Ffion showed exactly why she is considered one of the best competitors on the planet. She started her Worlds No-Gi campaign in the absolute division, where she won three matches to advance to the final. At lightweight, Ffion won her semifinal match by kata gatame to set herself up for a potential double gold. Her final in the lightweight division was against Amanda Bruse of Atos. She took the back, passed, and mounted her way to a dominant 21-0 victory. The absolute final was against Gabi McComb, who had submitted Ffion back at the 2021 Worlds No-Gi. This match was a different story, however. Gabi started the match in control, locking in a triangle that Ffion managed to escape. The attack lit a fire under Ffion, however, as she then used a takedown attempt to get to Gabi’s back, finishing with a rear naked choke. With the double gold medal performance, Ffion is now a 4X IBJJF World No-Gi Champion. 

Roberto Hits 100% Submission Rate In Absolute Division

Coming into the 2023 Worlds No-Gi, Roberto Jimenez had developed a reputation as being one of the best back takers in the sport. He showed exactly why he has that reputation in Vegas, as he consistently took his opponents backs and got choke finishes. Roberto favored the top position in most of his matches, often relying on stack passes to expose his opponent’s backs. Once on the back, Roberto would trap an arm and finish with a one arm choke. His run in the absolute division was flawless, as submitted all five of his opponents. In addition to his gold medal run in the absolute, Roberto also took bronze in the heavyweight division. His record for the weekend was 7-1 with six submissions.

Pato Wins Gi And No-Gi Gold in 2023

2023 has been a huge success for Diego Pato. After losing in the finals of the Europeans and Pans to start the year, Pato bounced back and won his second World title in the gi. Pato also competed at Jiu-Jitsu CON and The Crown, putting on solid performances before jumping into his first major no-gi event of the year, the Worlds No-Gi. The featherweight division at the Worlds No-Gi had more World No-Gi Champions than any other division, as Pato was joined by Gianni Grippo and Kennedy Maciel in the bracket. Pato defeated Kennedy in a close match in the quarterfinals and faced Gianni in the featherweight final. After a sweep, two guard passes, and knee on belly, Pato built a big 10-0 lead over Gianni, one that he’d hold onto until the time expired. With the win, Pato earned his second World title of 2023 and is now a 2X World Champion in both gi and no-gi. 

Junny Wins Third Major No-Gi Title of 2023 

Unity Jiu-Jitsu’s Edwin “Junny” Ocasio came into 2023 without a major IBJJF title at black belt. His years of dedication to reaching the highest level in the sport paid off in a big way this year, starting at the 2023 Pan No-Gi in Fort Worth, Texas. He won his first major championship gold at that event and then traveled to Rome, Italy for the European No-Gi. Junny won two of his three matches at European No-Gi by submission and captured his second major no-gi title of 2023. Finally, at the Worlds No-Gi, Junny capped off an incredible string of results with another gold medal in Las Vegas. His run at 2023 major no-gi tournaments included three gold medals, a 10-0 record, and four submission victories.

Gracie Barra’s Lucas Valente And Andressa Cintra Both Win Gold

Lucas Valente and Andressa Cintra have long been two of Gracie Barra’s most successful active competitors. Lucas had won gold at the Brazilian and American Nationals along with hitting the podium at the Worlds and Pans. Andressa is a 4X World Champion in the gi and won her first World No-Gi title one year ago in 2022. Lucas competed at the Worlds No-Gi in the lightweight division, where he submitted his first three opponents to advance to the semifinal. There, he defeated Atos Jiu-Jitsu’s Daniel Sathler to advance to the final against Deandre Corbe, a 2022 Pan No-Gi lightweight champion. Lucas used his closed guard early in the match to attack straight armlocks, earning a pair of advantages for his efforts. Deandre and Lucas traded sweeps over the next several minutes, but it was the early submission attacks that ultimately led to Lucas’s victory as he captured his first IBJJF black belt World title.

Andressa Cintra competed in the heavyweight division, where she had two matches. Her semifinal was against Luciana Mota of Alliance. The match lasted under thirty seconds, as Andressa locked in an inside heel hook from the 50/50 position. Her final was against 2021 Worlds No-Gi double gold medalist Rafaela Guedes. Andressa started the match by pulling to closed guard, and it didn’t take long for her to get into her attacks. Her breakthrough came about four minutes into the match, as Andressa attacked an armbar from the bottom position. Rafaela did her best to defend, but Andressa put her down to her back where she got the finish. It was Andressa’s second straight year winning gold at the event. 

Athletes With 100% Submission Rate

There were three athletes at the 2023 Worlds No-Gi that finished every one of their opponents in their division by submission. In the male absolute division, the aforementioned Roberto Jimenez submitted all five of his opponents. Gracie Barra’s Kendall Reusing returned to IBJJF competition for the first time since the 2021 American Nationals. The 2019 Worlds No-Gi double gold medalist added a third gold medal at the event to her resume in Vegas, as she submitted both of her opponents to secure super-heavyweight gold. Andressa Cintra was the third athlete with a 100% submission rate. She submitted both of her opponents in the heavyweight division, becoming the second Gracie Barra athlete, along with Kendall Reusing, to submit all her opponents. 

2023 World No-Gi Champions:

Male

Rooster - Everton Teixeira

Light Feather - Edwin Ocasio

Feather - Diego Pato

Light - Lucas Valente

Middle - Tommy Langaker

Medium-Heavy - Ronaldo Junior

Heavy - Elder Cruz

Super-Heavy - Javier Zaruski

Ultra-Heavy - Roosevelt Souza

Absolute - Roberto Jimenez

Female

Rooster - Mayssa Bastos

Light-Feather - Tammi Musumeci

Feather - Alexandria Enriquez

Light - Ffion Davies

Middle - Gabrielle McComb

Medium-Heavy - Elizabeth Mitrovic

Heavy - Andressa Cintra

Super-Heavy - Kendall Reusing

Absolute - Ffion Davies

2023 Worlds No-Gi team results:

Adult Male

1. Atos Jiu-Jitsu

2. Gracie Barra

3. Art of Jiu Jitsu

Adult Female

1. Atos Jiu-Jtisu

2. Art of Jiu Jitsu

3. Alliance

Juvenile

1. Art of Jiu Jitsu

2. Alliance

3. Watkins Wrecking Crew

Master

1. Gracie Barra

2. Alliance

3. GF Team - Jiu Art