Hawann Hennye spent four weeks as a purple belt. Now he is a Pan No-Gi champion at brown belt
The Gracie Barra Upland athlete won the Worlds at purple belt in May, got his brown belt on the podium and took gold in his first tournament with the new belt
Hawann Hennye won a title in his very first tournament as a brown belt. On Friday, October 2, the first day of the 2026 IBJJF Pan No-Gi Championship in New Jersey, the Gracie Barra Upland athlete took gold in the light-featherweight division, for athletes up to 136 pounds. He had been promoted to purple belt only five months earlier.
Four weeks as a purple belt
In jiu-jitsu, the belts for adults go from white to blue, purple, brown and black, and athletes usually spend years at each one. Hennye’s path was much faster. He got his purple belt on May 1. Four weeks later, he won the IBJJF World Championship at purple belt. On May 30, still on the podium, he received his brown belt from his coach, Ana Laura Cordeiro, who leads the gym.
The fast promotion is allowed by the rules. The IBJJF, the main jiu-jitsu federation, asks for at least a year and a half at purple belt, but an adult world champion does not have to wait that long. One year before, in 2025, Hennye was a world champion in the juvenile division as a blue belt.
Gold in his brown belt debut
After a few months without competing, Hennye came back at the Pan No-Gi, one of the biggest tournaments of the year without the gi (the traditional kimono). He won the brown belt light-featherweight bracket and beat Spencer Quayle in the final. The IBJJF highlighted the final and his winning debut at the new belt. One moment of his run was a very fast move to his opponent’s back that he turned into a submission.
With this result, Hennye confirms his place as one of the top young talents of the new generation.
Gracie Barra on a roll in the colored belts
Hennye was not the only Gracie Barra athlete to stand out that day. Lauriane Stavacz, from Gracie Barra Curitiba in Brazil, won two gold medals at brown belt, in her weight class and in the open class, the division with no weight limit.
How far can Hawann Hennye go at brown belt? Tell us in the comments.
