Gabi poses with her double gold and Infight’s trophy. Courtesy of Gabrieli Pessanha
The next crop of BJJ champions won’t lack talent, as we ascertained by following the juvenile blue belt contests of the 2017 World Championship.
In the women’s section, we have Gabrieli Pessanha, who won double gold at juvenile 2 as she beat Sarah Paul (Iron Lion JJ) at super-heavyweight and Sami Galvão (Alliance) in the heavyweight absolute. In the men’s juvenile 2, Yago Neves (Gracie Barra) bested Damien Gomez (Gracie Humaitá) in the heavyweight final and Ygor Guimarães (Over Limits) in the heavyweight absolute. Tainan Dalpra was lightweight absolute champion, defeating Andy Pereira (Brasa CTA) in a do-over of the lightweight final.
Tainan Dalpra. Instagram
At juvenile 1, the big name to emerge was Jhonatan “Moicano” Pessanha. A product of Fernando Tererê’s social project, and currently defending Atos under the Mendes brothers, Moicano arrived in the middleweight final with his teammate Jacob Kassama. In the heavyweight absolute, Moicano beat Jansen Ramos (Checkmat) to take gold. Another juvenile 1 standout was big guy Rayron Gracie. The son of Ryan Gracie shone at ultra-heavy, bringing gold back home to Renzo Gracie Academy.
Rayron Gracie. Instagram
You can learn about all the blue-belt juvenile champions below.
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Light-Feather
1 – Aaron Santos Nagao – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Frank Cespedes – Alliance
3 – Mitchell James Wickham – Maromba Academia International
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Feather
1 – Lucas de Carvalho Pereira – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Jacob Irving Joseph Boodhoo-Céré – Renzo Gracie Ottawa
3 – Damion Marley Aguon Mansapit – Team Lloyd Irvin
3 – Leo Gallegos – Soul Fighters BJJ
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Light
1 – Daniel Sathler Campos – GF Team
2 – Elijah Amir Dorsey – Team Lloyd Irvin
3 – Cody M. Yanez-Jahangiri – Gracie Barra
3 – Jason Alexander Dowser – Gracie Barra
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Middle
1 – Jacob Ahmad Kassama – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Jhonathan Pessanha – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Cade Jason Roque – Power MMA
3 – Sebastian Ernesto Serpa – Carlson Gracie Team
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Medium-Heavy
1 – Jansen Gomes Ramos – CheckMat
2 – Matheus Aguiar Chedid – Rilion Gracie São Bernardo do Campo
3 – Benjamin Bigelow – Nova União
3 – William Tackett – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Heavy
1 – Marco Antônio de Souza – Gracie Barra
2 – Lucas Montalvão – GF Team
3 – Jeremy Pare – Renzo Gracie Ottawa
3 – Zak Kaufman – Easton BJJ
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Super-Heavy
1 – Luis Angel Lugo Muñiz – Renzo Gracie Mexico
2 – Gabriel Sergio C. Bello – GF Team
3 – Hunter Ethan Roberts – Black Hole Jiu-Jitsu
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Ultra-Heavy
1 – Rayron Gracie – Renzo Gracie Academy
2 – Kyle Kerr – Renzo Gracie Ottawa
3 – Brian Gael Hernandez – Cascao Jiu-Jitsu
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Open Class
1 – Elijah Amir Dorsey – Team Lloyd Irvin
2 – Lucas de Carvalho Pereira – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Daniel Sathler Campos – GF Team
3 – Mitchell James Wickham – Maromba Academia International
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Male / Open Class
1 – Jhonathan Pessanha – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Jansen Gomes Ramos – CheckMat
3 – Marco Antônio de Souza – Gracie Barra
3 – Matheus Aguiar Chedid – Rilion Gracie São Bernardo do Campo
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Rooster
1 – Janelle Tkaczuk – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Light-Feather
1 – Jessamine Jada Khan – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Ayden M. Peterson – Nova União
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Feather
1 – Isabella Madelena Flores – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Giovanna Miranda – GF Team
3 – Mikayla Rene Castillo-Timms – LEAD BJJ
3 – Miranda Marania – Mamute Martial Arts Academy
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Light
1 – Jessica Mallely Crane – LEAD BJJ
2 – Milena Kaori Tanakura Sakumotu – Over Limit BJJ
3 – Maria Eduarda Medeiros Berger – Striker JJ
3 – Stella Jane Davison – SBG Montana
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Middle
1 – Vivian ElizabethAnn Madrid – Gracie Barra
2 – Hannah Terashima – ZR Team Association
3 – Hannah Ferreira Goldstein – Renzo Gracie Ottawa
3 – Serena Gillian Myers – Brasa CTA
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Medium-Heavy
1 – Carolina Kuwahara – Infight JJ
2 – Gloria Isabel Ruiz Armas – MC Unit Academy
3 – Cassidy Ann Kosanke – LEAD BJJ
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Heavy
1 – Hannah Marie Harjo – Renato Tavares Association
2 – Penelope Zoe De La Cruz – Paragon BJJ Academy
3 – Dalva Jhenifer Imamura Batista – Over Limit BJJ
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Super-Heavy
1 – Azanaa Iman Hutchison – Team Lloyd Irvin
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Open Class
1 – Jessamine Jada Khan – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Jessica Mallely Crane – LEAD BJJ
3 – Ayden M. Peterson – Nova União
3 – Milena Kaori Tanakura Sakumotu – Over Limit BJJ
BLUE / Juvenile 1 / Female / Open Class
1 – Carolina Kuwahara – Infight JJ
2 – Cassidy Ann Kosanke – LEAD BJJ
3 – Dalva Jhenifer Imamura Batista – Over Limit BJJ
3 – Serena Gillian Myers – Brasa CTA
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Rooster
1 – Isaih Francesco Calderon – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Jeremiah C. Trujillo – Amazonas Rice Bros BJJ
3 – John Pablo Valotto De Lima – CheckMat
3 – Sebastian Adeliano Servellon – CheckMat
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Light-Feather
1 – Michael Roy Alvarez – Alliance
2 – Thalys de Oliveira Pontes – Cicero Costha Internacional
3 – Gabriel Figueroa de Oliveira – Team Lloyd Irvin
3 – Shon Rico Staton II – Team Lloyd Irvin
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Feather
1 – Meyram Maquiné Alves – Team Lloyd Irvin
2 – Joshua Anthony Cisneros – Cleber Jiu Jitsu Visalia
3 – Nicholas Fernando Martinez – Gracie Barra
3 – Robin Bohlin – Frontline Academy
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Light
1 – Andy Tomas Murasaki Pereira – Brasa CTA
2 – Tainan Dalpra Costa – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Julio Souza Arantes – Qatar BJJ
3 – Mateus Lopes Ferreira – Club Pina
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Middle
1 – Vítor Gabriel Comelato Peres – Zenith BJJ
2 – Samuel Nagai Hatchwell – Alliance
3 – Diego Debbaudt de França Vasconcelos – Brasa CTA
3 – Mathias Nils Erik Persson – Hilti Akademi Nord
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Medium-Heavy
1 – Mateus Rodrigues de Souza – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Cooper Tye Burnham – Maromba Academia International
3 – Anthony Guillermo Amador – Gracie Humaita
3 – Mo’olele H.A. Cuellar – Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Heavy
1 – Yago Fellipe Guimarães das Neves – Gracie Barra
2 – Damien Joseph Gomez – Gracie Humaita
3 – Adriano Augusto Braga Monteiro Jr – Associação Monteiro
3 – Ryan North – Gracie Humaita
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Super-Heavy
1 – Roberto Francisco Jimenez – Alliance
2 – Dayvison Lucas Miranda Lobo Calado – ZR Team Association
3 – Lovey Asa Acker – O.C. Carlson Gracie Academy
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Ultra-Heavy
1 – Igor Tanabe Guimarães – Over Limit BJJ
3 – Frontin Yasuhiro Cunha – Cunha Jiu-Jitsu Team
3 – Pharaoh Davis – Jiu-Jitsu Foundation
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Open Class
1 – Tainan Dalpra Costa – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Andy Tomas Murasaki Pereira – Brasa CTA
3 – Robin Bohlin – Frontline Academy
3 – Shon Rico Staton II – Team Lloyd Irvin
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Male / Open Class
1 – Yago Fellipe Guimarães das Neves – Gracie Barra
3 – Igor Tanabe Guimarães – Over Limit BJJ
3 – Ryan North – Gracie Humaita
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Light-Feather
1 – Yesenya Yael Villafuerte – Ares BJJ
2 – Julia Gomes B. de Jesus – Brazilian Top Team Boston
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Feather
1 – Vitoria Camila Silveira Santos – GF Team
2 – Madison Lucille Wolfe – Soul Fighters BJJ
3 – Giulia Guimaraes Gregorut – Alliance
3 – Meghan L. Sirico – Crazy 88
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Light
1 – Luana Hikari Dias – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Millicent J. E. Mccourt – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Mackenzie Lorraine Lagrove – Brazilian Top Team
3 – Neyli Mara Martinez – Brasa CTA
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Middle
1 – Maia Alexis Rolland – Team Lloyd Irvin
2 – Elizabeth Joy Liera – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Alanis Coral Santiago Betancourt – Gracie Barra
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Medium-Heavy
1 – Jolynne Amber Dizon – CheckMat
2 – Andressa Regina Farias Da Motta – Infight JJ
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Heavy
1 – Elisabeth Ann Clay – Ares BJJ
2 – Sami Lima de S. Galvão – Alliance
3 – Isabella Rose Griffin – Renzo Gracie Ottawa
3 – Kaelyn Martinez – Gracie Barra
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Super-Heavy
1 – Gabrieli Pessanha de Souza Marinho – Infight JJ
2 – Sarah Janea Paul – Iron Lion Jiu-Jitsu Academy
3 – Marianne Alejandra Gaviño Barenca – Schon BJJ
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Open Class
1 – Millicent J. E. Mccourt – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
2 – Luana Hikari Dias – Atos Jiu-Jitsu
3 – Neyli Mara Martinez – Brasa CTA
3 – Vitoria Camila Silveira Santos – GF Team
BLUE / Juvenile 2 / Female / Open Class
1 – Gabrieli Pessanha de Souza Marinho – Infight JJ
2 – Sami Lima de S. Galvão – Alliance
3 – Kaelyn Martinez – Gracie Barra
3 – Marianne Alejandra Gaviño Barenca – Schon BJJ
