Pan No-Gi 2026: what is at stake in the 20th edition of the IBJJF tournament
With more than 2,300 registered athletes in New Jersey, the event is the second stop of the No-Gi Grand Slam, and Jaworski, Sarah Galvão and the return of André Galvão were among its main stories
The Pan No-Gi reached its 20th edition this weekend. From Friday (October 2) to Sunday (October 4), the IBJJF, the main federation of Jiu-Jitsu, brought more than 2,300 registered athletes to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. No-gi is Jiu-Jitsu without the gi, the traditional uniform, and this is one of the four most important no-gi tournaments on the federation’s calendar.
The second stop of the Grand Slam
The Pan No-Gi is part of the IBJJF No-Gi Grand Slam. The other three tournaments are the World No-Gi, the Brasileiro No-Gi and the European No-Gi. According to the federation, the 2026 Pan is the second one of the season. The tournament has divisions from juvenile to master 7 and from blue belt to black belt. At adult black belt, the top level, there were 19 divisions between men and women.
The list of Pan No-Gi champions includes names like Gordon Ryan, who won in 2018, Lucas Lepri, who held the lightweight title from 2009 to 2012, and Gianni Grippo, a five-time champion.
The stories of this edition
Pawel Jaworski came to New Jersey chasing the Grand Slam and won the medium-heavy title. The Polish athlete from Academia Gorila still fights Wallisson Oliveira, the heavyweight champion, in the absolute final. The absolute is the open division, for athletes of all sizes.
On the women’s side, Sarah Galvão won the middleweight title and reached the absolute final, and Helena Crevar took the super-heavy gold. The weekend also marked the return of André Galvão to competition at 44, with a place in the super-heavy final against his student Natã Tenca.
Read more:
- Pan No-Gi 2026 live: the black belt champions, final by final
- Father and daughter in the finals: André and Sarah Galvão can both win gold at the 2026 Pan No-Gi
- The story of Hawann Hennye, gold in his first tournament as a brown belt
- Lorenzo Tarouco, gold in his weight class and in the absolute at blue belt
What comes next
The IBJJF no-gi calendar continues with the European No-Gi, from October 28 to November 1 in Rome, and ends with the World No-Gi, from December 10 to 12 in Las Vegas. The Pan No-Gi was streamed on FloGrappling.
What was the main story of the 2026 Pan No-Gi for you? Leave your opinion in the comments.
