Fellipe’s hand is raised after his win over Gustavo Batista. Blanca Marisa Garcia
The 2020 IBJJF Pan, held between the 8th and 11th of October in Kissimmee, Florida, will forever live in the memory of jiu-jitsu lovers. Taking place in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, the event marked the return of the big competitions in a year without a World Championship.
Travel restrictions made it impossible for some big names to be present; but stars of all nationalities residing in the U.S. managed to put on a true show, with no shortage of emotions in the finals.
The men’s absolute came down to a clash between two stars of the new generation.
Fellipe Andrew (Alliance) and Gustavo Batista (Atos) had a tough fight. After getting disqualified from the super-heavy division, Fellipe arrived without the weight of having done a final minutes before. Gustavo, on the other hand, had just defeated Dominique Bell to claim gold at heavyweight. Playing on top, Fellipe pressured Gustavo’s guard for a good chunk of the match. In the end, Fellipe succeeded in changing side, improving the grips and arriving on Gustavo’s flank bringing danger; although Gustavo didn’t yield the pass, he saw Fellipe score three advantages by the time the ref whistled. With the win, Fellipe Andrew had made a comeback in the Pan and further consolidated his position as the IBJJF’s No. 1-ranked male.
The women’s absolute was an Atos blowout. Luiza Monteiro and Rafaela Guedes kicked off their Sunday by winning, respectively, the middleweight and lightweight finals. Later they closed out the absolute final, with Rafaela officially claiming the gold medal just a few months into her black-belt career.
Also noteworthy was Josh Cisneros’s campaign. Little over a month since his promotion to black-belt, the young athlete from Cleber Jiu-Jitsu Visalia arrived at the Pan riding the momentum of a title from the Austin Open. He beat Paulo Miyao in the quarterfinals and Pedro Dias in the final to conquer the light feather division.
Final results:
MEN
Rooster
Lucas Pinheiro def. Jonas Andrade, advantages
Light feather
Josh Cisneros def. Pedro Dias, points
Feather
Thiago Macedo def. Matheus Gabriel, points
Light
Johnatha Alves def. Michael Liera, points
Middle
Ronaldo Junior def. Jackson Nagai, points
Medium-heavy
Otávio Sousa def. Matheus Luna, points
Heavy
Gustavo Batista def. Dominique Bell, points
Super-heavy
Guilherme Augusto def. Arnaldo Maidana, points
Ultra-heavy
Max Gimenis def. Luiz Panza, points
Absolute
Fellipe Andrew def. Gustavo Batista, advantages
WOMEN
Light feather
Mayssa Bastos def. Patricia Fontes, ezequiel
Feather
Gabrielle McComb def. Angela Alequin, advantages
Light
Luiza Monteiro def. Nathalie Ribeiro, points
Middle
Rafaela Guedes def. Claire North, advantages
Medium heavy
Andressa Cintra def.Maria Malyjasiak, points
Heavy
Nathiely de Jesus had no opponents
Super-heavy
Kendall Reusing and Jessica Flowers closed ranks for Gracie Barra
Absolute
Rafaela Guedes and Luiza Monteiro closed ranks for Atos