Nicholas Meregali returned to the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships for the first time since 2017, his rookie season as a black belt. His Pans campaign was nothing short of incredible. Throughout his seven matches in the ultra heavy and open class divisions Nicholas went for the finish, sweeping his opponents, attacking their backs, and submitting from dominant positions. The following is a deep dive into Nicholas Meregali’s run at the 2023 Pans.

2023 Pans Key Figures

-Ultra Heavyweight & Open Class Champion

-7-0 with 6 submissions

-85.71% submission rate

-5 collar chokes from the back, 1 choke from the mount

-34:22 total time on the mat; average match length of 4:55

-Outscored opponents 39-4 across 7 matches

Ultra Heavy Champion - 3 fights, 3 submissions

In the ultra heavy division, Nicholas had three matches. His quarterfinal was against Jose Inacio Dos Santos. It was a technical masterclass where Nicholas scored with a sweep, a pass, and a back take before finishing a collar choke from the back. The semifinal was the only match where Nicholas looked to be in any significant danger. Roosevelt Souza of Fight Sports nearly took Nicholas’s back off a crab ride early in the match. Nicholas, however, showed that he is not only a master of submissions, but also of defense and escapes. He escaped the near back take, swept Roosevelt, took the back, and finished with another collar choke. Yatan Bueno of Dream Art was Nicholas’ final opponent at ultra heavy. Nicholas went right for the submission in this match, pulling guard and getting to work on a back attack. He secured his grips in the collar during the transition to the back and got his third submission in the division.

Open Class Champion - 4 fights, 3 submissions

Nicholas had four matches in the open class division at the 2023 Pans, the first three of which he finished with submissions from dominant positions. His opening match of the division was against Josh Guerra, a match he finished via choke from the mount after scoring nine unanswered points. The quarterfinal was against Roberto Jimenez. Roberto scored the first points of the match with a takedown, but Nicholas countered with a sweep and a collar choke from the back just over three minutes into the match. 2022 Pan Champion Dimitrius Souza was Nicholas’ semifinal opponent. He scored two points with a sweep from the de la riva x position and went into a back attack, finishing with a collar choke from the back. The final was one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. It was a rematch from the 2022 Worlds against Dream Art’s Erich Munis, who had a tremendous run in the tournament in his own right. The first points of the match were scored by Nicholas with an omoplata sweep. The defining moment of the match, however, came off a single leg attempt by Erich. Nicholas countered the position beautifully, putting Erich on his back and scoring another two points. He ended up in a solid passing position, getting the pass and mount position to put the final score at 11-0. Nicholas Meregali ended his 2023 Pans campaign with two gold medals and six submissions, a run that will be remembered for years to come.

You can watch the replays of all of Nicholas' matches from the 2023 Pans on flograppling.com.