The IBJJF World Championships have long been considered the pinnacle of competitive jiu-jitsu. The black belts are always the main focus, as they represent the highest levels of technique and athleticism. However, the Worlds also serve as an excellent preview into what the future black belt divisions will look like. Many athletes who thrive in the purple and brown belt divisions are often only one to two years away from their first world titles as black belts. The following athletes won the 2021 IBJJF Worlds as brown belts and have already been promoted to black belt. You can expect to see them competing in the black belt divisions at the major tournaments in 2022.
Brown belt IBJJF world champions who are ready to shake up the black belt divisions – Part 1
