The IBJJF 2022 No-Gi Pans are taking place this upcoming weekend, and they promise to be a highly entertaining affair! Apart from almost 40 black belts registering for the event, we will see some names we’ve missed on the competition mats this year, like Keenan Cornelius, Michel Langhi, Nathiely de Jesus, and Bruno Frazatto!
The Usual No-GI Pans Suspects
The 2022 IBJJF No-Gi Pans are always an exciting affair, far more than their Gi counterpart, if I may say. The event is set for October 14-16 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.
So far, there have been a large number of high-profile names registering for the event, which promises yet another no-gi spectacle only a couple of weeks after the ADCC broke all previous grappling event records.
While I don’t expect that the No-Gi Pans will come close to the ADCC, the black belt roster is still very very impressive.
The men’s lightweight division certainly seems like fireworks. The always entertaining (read: controversial) AJ Agazarm is there, along with fellow No-Gi Pans champions Johnny Tama and Marcio Andre. Rodrigo Francioni, a protege of Cyborg is also in the division, as is Rodrigo Freitas and Alexandre Molinaro.
Another division to keep an eye on are the medium heavyweights. In an 18 men’s division, the likes of Oliver Taza, Gabriel Arges, Manuel Ribamar, Rodrigo Lopes, and Jaime Canuto will welcome an impressive number of prospects and new black belts in what promises to be a very exciting division of Jiu-Jitsu!
Among the ladies, the light featherweight division features some crazy potential matchups, with Alex Nguyen and Mayssa Bastosthe favorites.
Elisabeth Clay enters the middleweight division, with rising stars like Betina Pereira and Jessica Buchman looking to prove themselves at the black belt level. Returning two-time champion Vannessa Griffin will be looking to take them all for a test drive.
A Few Almost Forgotten Superstars
There are also those that have decided to graze the mats with their presence at the No-Gi Pans after a substantial hiatus.
Bruno Frazatto comes back into the featherweight division, in his first competitive outing since 2019 when he faced Tye Ruotolo at the 2019 ADCC. He has been busy with his new academy Atos Atlanta. It seems the academy is thriving which allows Bruno to return to the adult featherweight division this year.
Nathiely de Jesus will return to the women’s super heavyweight division, after a substantial time off due to the birth of her daughter.
Michael Langhi is another name we haven’t seen in the competition brackets for a while. The lightweight three-time world champion is coming back out of retirement, having taken time off since 2019. Primarily a Gi player, it will be fun to see how he fares in one of the most stacked No-Gi Pans divisions.
Keenan Cornelius is arguably the most notable name out of the returning champions. Missing in action since the 202 Euros, Keenan returns to the super heavyweight division after a very difficult couple of years dealing with a back injury and “super pinkeye”. I, for one, can’t wait to see him coming to No-Gi once again.
The Brown Belts
Apart from a hefty roster of almost 40 black belts, there are also some really solid brown belts that are looking to catch the spotlight at the 2022 IBJJF No-Gi Pans.
Jacob Couch of Pedigo Submission Fighting will try to replicate his purple belt efforts from 2020 when he won the title.
New Wave’s Luke Griffith is one that may scupper Couch’s plans, in what we certainly hope will happen as a match-up in this year’s No-Gi Pans.
Rene Sousa, the buggy choke maestro is also on the roster, looking to impress in the medium heavyweight division.
Among the ladies, Sophia Cassella, The EBI queen will keep everyone on the edge of their seats in the area now that she is free to use her intricate heel hook game as a brown belt.
ADCC veteran Giovanna Jara enters the heavyweight division, and at only 19 years of age is looking to prove she is going to be the next big thing in her division.
Another Grappling Weekend
After a successful 2022 ADCC, the No-GI pans provide yet another exciting weekend of grappling. I expect them to shed a light on who we can expect to see battling for places at the next ADCC which is set for 2024 in Las Vegas.
