By: Lorena Balli

The energy in the Pyramid was intense from start to finish for the 28th edition of the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships. This year’s event brought both the amazing energy that the event has come to be known for along with some spectacular performances from elite level black belts. There were a total of 352 black belt matches, making it the biggest Worlds ever recorded. The following is a recap of another epic edition of the World Championships.

Black belts started their Worlds campaigns on Saturday, June 1st. The matches were very competitive, as veteran and new black belts turned in amazing performances. By the end of the day the female finals and the male semi-finals were set. The first black belt World Champion of 2024 was Mayssa Bastos. Coming into the event, Mayssa had already won four World titles and was the winningest rooster weight in female black belt history. She won her first two matches by submission and put on yet another dominant performance in the final, winning by points and securing her fifth black belt World title. 

Mayssa wasn’t the only champion going for her fifth title in 2024. Gracie Barra’s Andressa Cintra also came into the event with four gold medals. After three tough matches, Andressa advanced to the middleweight final. The final was yet another dominant display of jiu-jitsu, as Andressa took her opponent’s back and finished with a choke, securing her fifth black belt World title in five consecutive World Championships.

Mica Galvao won the Europeans, Pans, and Brasileiros in 2024, leaving just one major gi championship remaining. In his first three matches at the Worlds, Mica submitted all three of his opponents in quick and stunning fashion. His semi-final and final matches were against Pedro Maia and Andy Murasaki, respectively. Mica defeated both of the Worlds silver medalists by points, capping off an unforgettable 2024 that saw him win every major gi championship. 

Atos athletes Luiza Monteiro and Gustavo Batista both won their third world titles, with Gustavo submitting three of four opponents and Luiza getting the finish in all her matches. Luiza left the mats with three world championship titles and a public retirement from Grand Slam tournaments. Throughout her career, Luiza won every Grand Slam tournament multiple times, making it to an astonishing twelve black belt Worlds finals.

InFight’s Gabriel Pessanha came into the event just after securing the athlete Grand Slam for the third consecutive season, a feat that has never been accomplished in jiu-jitsu. She put on yet another unforgettable performance at the 2024 Worlds, winning five of her six matches by straight footlock. With her win in the absolute final, Gabrieli broke the record for most consecutive black belt absolute titles.

Adam Wardzinski became the first Polish World Champion in IBJJF history, winning gold in the heavyweight division. It was Adam’s first medal at the World Championships as a black belt. Throughout his Worlds campaign, Adam showed the aggressive style of jiu-jitsu he’s become known for, utilizing the butterfly guard and knee cut passes to overwhelm his opponents. He finished the event with a 100% submission rate, finishing his first match by choke, second by triangle, third with an ezekiel choke, and the finals with a head and arm choke. 

2022 light-featherweight World Champion Meyram Alves entered a stacked featherweight division in 2024. He not only went up a weight class, he also jumped into the absolute division. After a total a nine fights, Meyram left the Pyramid with gold at featherweight and bronze in the absolute, a stunning accomplishment for the Dream Art representative. Meyram's 3rd place finish in the absolute division was only the second time a featherweight had made the black belt absolute podium at the Worlds, with Royler Gracie accomplishing the same feat in 1997.

Below are the full black belt results from the 2024 World Championships.

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  ROOSTER

1 CARLOS ALBERTO OLIVEIRA DA SILVA, GF Team

2 ZAYED ABDULNASER A A ALKATHEERI, Alliance

3 ANDREW SOARES DOS SANTOS, Vision

3 RODNEI BARBOSA GABRIEL JR., CheckMat

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  LIGHT FEATHER

1 DIEGO OLIVEIRA BATISTA, Art of Jiu Jitsu

2 FRANCISCO JONAS B. ANDRADE, Cicero Costha Internacional

3 KEVEN CARRASCO, Ares BJJ

3 MATHEUS RODRIGUES DE LIMA, Vision

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  FEATHER

1 MEYRAM MAQUINÉ ALVES, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2 ADEMIR BARRETO DE ARAÚJO, GF Team

3 ALEXSSANDRO PINTO SODRÉ, Nova União

3 RAIMUNDO DIEGO PINTO SODRE, Nova União

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  LIGHT

1 MICAEL FERREIRA GALVÂO, Melqui Galvão Jiu-jitsu

2 ANDY TOMAS MURASAKI PEREIRA, Atos Jiu-Jitsu

3 PEDRO HENRIQUE MAIA COSTA, Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu

3 LUIZ PAULO CARNEIRO MEDEIROS, Alliance

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  MIDDLE

1 JACKSON NAGAI HATCHWELL JUNIOR, CheckMat

2 FRANCISCO DE ASSIS LEMOS LO, CheckMat

3 YAN LUCAS CORDEIRO PAIVA, Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu

3 JHONATHAN MARQUES PESSANHA, Círculo De Jiu-Jitsu

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  MEDIUM HEAVY

1 GUSTAVO ESPINDOLA BATISTA, Atos Jiu-Jitsu

2 JANSEN GOMES RAMOS, CheckMat

3 ISAQUE BAHIENSE BRAZ, DreamArt

3 RONALDO PEREIRA DE SOUZA JÚNIOR, Atos Jiu-Jitsu

ADULT  MALE  BLACK HEAVY

1 ADAM WARDZINSKI, CheckMat

2 VINICIUS LIBERATI, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 RIDER ZUCHI SAMELO DO AMARAL, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 PAULO HENRIQUE MERLIN, Gracie Barra

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  SUPER HEAVY

1 ANDERSON MUNIS DOS SANTOS, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2 ERICH MUNIS DOS SANTOS, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 MARCELO GOMIDE OLIVEIRA, Syd Trinity Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 HARRYSON SANTANA PEREIRA, Ataque Duplo

ADULT  MALE  BLACK  ULTRA HEAVY

1 YATAN MARTINS BUENO, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2 PEDRO ALEX DOS SANTOS PIMENTA, GF Team

3 GUILHERME AUGUSTO SOARES SANTOS, Alliance

3 SEIF-EDDINE HOUMINE, GF Team

Female

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  ROOSTER

1 MAYSSA CALDAS PEREIRA BASTOS, Art of Jiu Jitsu

2 JHENIFER DIOGENES DE AQUINO, Atos Jiu-Jitsu

3 MARIANA CABRAL ROLSZT, Gracie Humaita South Bay

3 ANA CAROLINA DE ANDRADE LIMA SOARES DA SILVA, Art of Jiu Jitsu

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  LIGHT FEATHER

1 THAMIRES DIÓGENES DE AQUINO, GF Team

2 AMANDA MONTEIRO CANUTO, GF Team

3 JESSICA CAROLINE COELHO DANTAS, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 EMILY ROSALYNN NICHOLSON, Art of Jiu Jitsu CM

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  FEATHER

1 NATHALIE WAN SOARES VERAS RIBEIRO, CheckMat

2 ANA CRISTINA ARAUJO RODRIGUES, DreamArt

3 MARGOT CICCARELLI, Art of Jiu Jitsu

3 LARISSA CAMPOS CARVALHO, Art of Jiu Jitsu

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  LIGHT

1 LUIZA MONTEIRO MOURA DA COSTA, Atos Jiu-Jitsu

2 BRIANNA STE-MARIE, Brazilian Top Team Int.

3 STÉPHANIE CAROLINE DELPHINE FAURE, CheckMat

3 JAINE DA SILVA FRAGOSO, Atos JJ International

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  MIDDLE

1 ANDRESSA MEZARI CINTRA, Gracie Barra

2 LARISSA MARTINS DOS SANTOS, DreamArt

3 INGRIDD ALVES DE SOUSA, DreamArt

3 REBECA FERREIRA DE LIMA, GF Team

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  MEDIUM HEAVY

1 THAMARA FERREIRA SILVA, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2 MARIA CAROLINA BARÓN VICENTINI, Art of Jiu Jitsu

3 AMY SCOT CAMPO, Zenith BJJ

3 SALLA MARI SIMOLA, Hilti BJJ Turku

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  HEAVY

1 TAMIRIS FERNANDA DA SILVA, DreamArt

2 AMANDA MAGDA DE OLIVEIRA, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 MELISSA STRICKER CUETO, Alliance

3 LARISSA DIAS DE ALMEIDA, R1NG BJJ

ADULT  FEMALE  BLACK  SUPER HEAVY

1 GABRIELI PESSANHA DE SOUZA MARINHO, Infight JJ

2 YARA SOARES DO NASCIMENTO, Fratres Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

3 MAYARA MONTEIRO CUSTÓDIO, CheckMat

3 MARYANNA SANTOS CARDOSO, CheckMat

Stay tuned for more incredible stories and all the results of the 2024 Worlds tournament here on IBJJF.com/news.