The IBJJF’s medium heavyweight division has always garnered some of the most fan friendly athletes. At 188-lbs, these competitors have the perfect blend of explosiveness and braun mixed with agility, technique and precision.

Between the 2022 IBJJF World Master Championships, and the closely-related adult tournament, the 2022 IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con just down the hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, there will be thousands of grapplers competing in Vegas this week.

This year's IBJJF World Championships was one of the most highly anticipated of all time. And it delivered, with amazing matchups, budding rivalries, and hours of great jiu-jitsu. In retrospect, it was also a historic year for the event. The 26th edition of IBJJF Worlds saw records broken and history made across the black belt divisions. Here are some of the most notable superlatives now in the history books.

The most anticipated gi tournament of the year returns to the iconic Walter Pyramid in just a few days time, and it is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most competitive editions of the tournament in its rich 25-year history.

The black belt class of 2021 is a who's who of top notch competitors, many of whom are likely to grace the top of black belt podiums in the coming months. Below are the athletes who earned the rank of black belt in December.

The 2021 IBJJF Worlds finals are set! The absolute divisions and the women’s divisions have been whittled down to a single remaining match to decide this year’s champions; and the male divisions have been narrowed to eight men each.

Day one of the IBJJF World Championships was filled with the action, submissions and incredible stories expected of an event of this caliber. Day two is sure to deliver as well, as the male purple and brown belts will take their place on the mats in search of the most coveted title in jiu-jitsu. With hundreds of competitors in search of just a few medals, we're guaranteed  thrilling action throughout the day.

The 2021 IBJJF Pan Championship looks to be an action-packed event, filled with several highly-anticipated black belt matches. While many division finals and semifinals may still be difficult to determine, there are a few matches in the early rounds of each division which stand out as must-watch jiu-jitsu. Here are some of the most exciting matches in the opening two rounds.

Fight to Win is back on July 30 for another night of grappling superfights. In the main event, Kennedy Maciel will try to double down on his recent win over Joshua Cisneros. Their last encounter was an early contender for match of the year, and Kennedy will be looking for a repeat outcome, if a more one-sided performance.

We asked what would happen to the ADCC superfight when word came that Gordon Ryan wasn't competing any more, but we didn't expect to get an update this quickly. Andre Galvao has confirmed his participation, the only question now is who will he face?

Here's how to watch Fight to Win 172 on FloGrappling.

The IBJJF 2021 Pan No-Gi Championships is underway. The black belt divisions begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 15, and run all day long. We'll be updating the biggest news and most important results, and linking to the most exciting matches on this page all day. Keep this page refreshed throughout the day to remain up to date.

Andrew Wiltse had a relatively seamless ascent to his first black belt title, earning No-Gi Pans gold in 2020, winning his first two matches by points before winning a third via penalty. He didn’t give up a point in three matches, but the returning champ is unlikely to have such an easy route to the top in the medium heavyweight bracket in this go-around.

Third Coast Grappling is back! They just announced they will be hosting an eight-man tournament on June 6 in Houston, TX! 

It's gi season time, we're less than a month away from things kicking off at Euros. I'm pretty deep into season previews for 2020, now it's time to get to one of my favorites, the middleweight division.