Last week marked the 2026 IBJJF World Championships at the iconic Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California — the most prestigious tournament in jiu-jitsu on its 30th edition and the final stop of the IBJJF Grand Slam. 

The event brought together the world's best athletes, all chasing the sport’s biggest title. 

We want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our Kingz athletes on their performances. Win or lose, stepping onto the mats at the World Championships is an achievement in itself. 

There were some standout performances we’d like to highlight. 

Tainan Dalpra 
Black Belt - Middleweight Division  

Tainan Dalpra continued his dominant 2026 campaign after winning Europeans, Pans, and Brasileiro earlier this year, capturing his fourth IBJJF World title in impressive fashion. 

Over two days, Dalpra submitted all his opponents, finishing the tournament with a 100% submission rate. He also achieved one of the most remarkable milestones in World Championship history, securing the fastest title run ever with just 6 minutes and 15 seconds of total match time throughout the entire tournament. 

Once again, he reinforces his position at the top of the division and completed the Grand Slam this year. 

Ashlee Funegra  
Black Belt – Light Featherweight Division 

Ashlee Funegra added another major achievement to her 2026 season, winning her first IBJJF World title as a black belt and completing the IBJJF Grand Slam in her first year at the rank. 

The AOJ athlete delivered another impressive performance, submitting three of her four opponents and proving once again why she has been one of the standout competitors of 2026. 

Lillian Marchand 
Black Belt – Middleweight Division 

Canadian Lillian Marchand made history once again by winning the IBJJF World Championship. 

As usual, she displayed beautiful jiu-jitsu throughout the tournament, adding another major title to her 2026 season after winning Pans earlier this year. She also got a bronze medal in the absolute division. 

Marchand continues to impress in her rookie season as a black belt. With the IBJJF Worlds title, she added another Worlds to her résumé after winning the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship last year. 

Cole Abate 
Black Belt – Featherweight Division  

Cole “Ice” Abate conquered his first gi World title as a black belt after a remarkable run at the IBJJF Worlds. On his way to gold, he defeated reigning World Champion João “Bisnaga” Mendes in the semifinals before beating former World Champion Samuel Nagai in the final. 

Abate displayed his trademark technical style in one of the most stacked divisions and continued an impressive season in his category. 

Rider Zuchi 
Black Belt – Heavyweight Division  

Rider Zuchi captured the first World Championship title of his career in style. After winning four matches, he defeated Nicholas Maglicic in the final to claim gold. 

The victory was especially meaningful for Zuchi, who had reached the World Championship podium four consecutive years, earning bronze each time before finally reaching the top of the podium in 2026.  

Hazel Rose Butcher-Salazar 
Brown Belt – Heavyweight & Open Class Division 

Hazel Butcher finished her brown belt journey in style after an incredible season. The Alliance athlete completed a double Grand Slam, winning both the heavyweight division and the open class at Europeans, Pans, Brasileiro, and Worlds. 

At the World Championships, she once again submitted every opponent she faced, winning double gold and closing out her brown belt career in dominant fashion before receiving her black belt promotion. 

Livia Barasine 
Brown Belt – Medium-Heavyweight Division 

The Brazilian athlete put together a dominant run in the medium-heavyweight division, winning three matches en route to the IBJJF World title. 

More than the title, Livia was promoted to black belt after her victory, completing one of the fastest rises to the black belt. 

This is her first year competing as an adult, but just one year ago, she started the 2025 season as a Juvenile 2 blue belt, winning the double Grand Slam. Later that year, she moved up to purple belt and captured double gold at the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds.  

Her success continued through the ranks, and she barely had time to enjoy her brown belt before becoming a World Champion and earning her black belt promotion. 

Rafael Gamba 
Brown Belt – Middleweight Division 
 
Rafael Gamba completed an outstanding 2026 season by winning the IBJJF World Championship. Earlier this year, he captured titles at both the IBJJF Europeans and the CBJJ Brasileiro, establishing himself as one of the most successful brown belts of the season. 

The Alliance athlete continued his strong performances at Worlds, winning four matches and submitting three opponents on his way to gold, and was promoted to black belt. 

Felipe Goulart 
Brown Belt – Light Featherweight Division 

In one of the most stacked brown belt divisions of the tournament, Felipe Goulart had a perfect run. He showcased technical and strategic jiu-jitsu, winning all six of his matches to claim the gold medal. 

With the victory, Goulart became an 11-time IBJJF World Champion across the colored belts, adding another major achievement to an already remarkable career. 

Natalee Funegra 
Purple Belt – Light Featherweight Division 

Natalee Funegra’s first year in the adult division has been remarkable. The young athlete completed the IBJJF Grand Slam after capturing gold in the light-featherweight division at the World Championships. 

Nina Jacob 
Blue Belt – Light Weight Division (Juvenile) 

Nina Jacob did it again. After winning the Juvenile 1 division last year, she returned to the Walter Pyramid and delivered another outstanding performance, capturing her final IBJJF World title as a juvenile athlete. 

The victory marks the end of a successful juvenile career and the beginning of a new chapter. Following her promotion by Letícia Ribeiro, Nina is now ready to compete in the adult division as a purple belt. 

Deborah Melo 
Blue Belt – Heavyweight Division (Juvenile) 

Deborah Melo closed out her blue belt career in dominant fashion after winning every major title in the Juvenile 1 division. This year, she captured double gold at the IBJJF Europeans, Pans, and Worlds, and won her weight division at the CBJJ Brasileiro. 

Following her victory at Worlds, Deborah was promoted to purple belt by Bruno Frazatto, marking the beginning of a new chapter in her career. 

Angelus “Lutinha” Franca 
Purple Belt – Roosterweight & Open Weight Division (Juvenile) 

Angelo “Lutinha” Franca completed the IBJJF Grand Slam after capturing double gold at the World Championship. Earlier this year, the young athlete won gold at the Europeans, Pans, and Brasileiro, and added the most prestigious title in the sport to his collection with another strong performance at Worlds. 

Micheal Whelan 
Blue Belt – Light Featherweight & Open Weight Division Champion (Juvenile) 

Michael Whelan won all his matches to become a double-gold World Champion, closing out both divisions with a teammate. The achievement adds two more major titles to an already impressive season.