Israel Sousa Almeida, a black belt under Julio Cesar Pereira (GF Team), recently announced his move to Atos Jiu-Jitsu Headquarters in San Diego, CA, ahead of his entry at featherweight in the 2023 IBJJF World Championships.

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.

Two days, 19 divisions, dozens of top-level athletes in the black belt division: it can be difficult to figure out exactly when to direct your attention to which mat during the 2022 IBJJF Pan Championships. We’ve got you covered.

The rosters for the 2021 IBJJF Pan Championship are stacked with returning champions, fan favorites, and rookies looking to break out. Some of the divisions have clear cut favorites to win gold, while others are harder to call. Here are our predictions for the favorites to reach the top of the podium, the dark horses who could steal the show, and the disruptors who could make things difficult for their division cohorts.