Kingz Athletes Clean Up at Pans

The IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships are often considered a sneak-peek into one of the most-anticipated events in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: the IBJJF World Championships. 

At the Pans, not only do you get to see which jiu-jitsu stars are top contenders for the coveted world championship title, but you also get to see some of their emergent - or long-standing - rivalries, which athletes are still in the running for a Grand Slam win, and some of the latest techniques and tactical strategies that may be that extra edge to propel them to the top of the podium. 

This Pans event, we were not disappointed. Even better? An astounding 14 of our athletes showed up, showed out, and came away with the gold... or two! 

Check out which of our awesome Kingz athletes hit the top of the podium, and what led them to victory: 

Gabi Pessanha

• Division: Black Belt, Adult, Super-Heavy and Open
• IG: @gabrieli_pessanha
• Boast-worthy: Gabi's double-gold win marked her 9th (yes, NINTH) Pan gold medal win! Not only did all her matches end in a submission, but she's on track for another DOUBLE Grand Slam victory!

Cole Abate

• Division: Black Belt, Adult, Feather
• IG: @coleabatejj
• Boast-worthy: In typical style, Cole secured victory in three tough battles, where he showcased his clean AOJ style, finally closing out in the finals with his teammate. 

Tainan Dalpra

• Division: Black Belt, Adult, Middle
• IG: @tainandalpra
• Boast-worthy: Tainan dominated his opponents to secure his 4th Pan gold medal... AND with the Pan championship win, he's steps away from a Grand Slam victory!

Sergio Rios

• Division: Black Belt, Master 1, Heavy
• IG: @sergiopichilinga
• Boast-worthy: The unstoppable Sergio battled it out against three tough opponents to secure yet another Pan championship gold medal! 

Piter Frank

• Division: Black Belt, Master 2, Middle
• IG: @piterbjj
• Boast-worthy: In an absolute nail-biting finals match, Piter secured the win - and his place on the top of the podium - in the last seconds of the match!

Burno Munduruca

• Division: Black Belt, Master 4, Ultra-Heavy
• IG: @bmunduruca
• Boast-worthy: After a couple years away, Kingz founder/CEO returned to the mats, battling it out against three tough competitors to secure his first Pan gold medal!

Sarah Galvao

• Division: Brown Belt, Adult, Light and Open
• IG: @sarah_galvao
• Boast-worthy: Showing exactly why she's jiu-jitsu royalty, Sarah demonstrated flawless jiu-jitsu, securing gold in her division, and bronze in the open class! 

Ash and Mia Funegra

• Division: Brown Belt, Adult, Light-Feather
• IG: @funegragirls
• Boast-worthy: Incredible individually, unstoppable together! The Funegra twins close out in the light-feather division!

Mateo Cardona

• Division: Brown Belt, Adult, Light
• IG: @mateocardonajj
• Boast-worthy: New weight division? No problem. In fact, Mateo showed his fans exactly how well he could adapt with a 100% submission rate at Pans!

Lillian Marchand

• Division: Brown Belt, Adult, Middle and Open
• IG: @lillatron_bjj
• Boast-worthy: Lillian absolutely dominated the middle-weight division, securing the win in two matches before closing out in the finals with her teammate. Then she went on to earn a hard-fought bronze medal in the open division! 

Danylo Wruck

• Division: Brown Belt, Adult, Medium-Heavy
• IG: @danylowruck
• Boast-worthy: In one of the toughest weight classes in the brown belt division, Danylo battled it out in three matches, before closing out with his teammate in the finals. 

Felipe Goulart

• Division: Purple Belt, Adult, Light-Feather
• IG: @felipegoulartjj
• Boast-worthy: In his first Pans as an adult level competitor, Felipe did not disappoint, putting on a back-take clinic and securing the gold!

Natalee Funegra

• Division: Blue Belt, Juvenile 2, Feather and Open
• IG: @funegragirls
• Boast-worthy: Following in her sisters' footsteps, Natalee put on a show and secured DOUBLE gold in the Juvenile 2 division!

Kaleb Henrique

• Division: Blue Belt, Juvenile 2, Light and Open
• IG: @kalebehenriquebjj
• Boast-worthy: Losing a tough match in his weight division just added fuel to the fire for Kalebe, as he came back in the open class and secured his spot at the top of the podium! 

Fernando Paiva

• Division: Blue Belt, Juvenile 2, Light
• IG: @fernandopaiva_bjj
• Boast-worthy: What energizes the typically stoic and stone-faced competitor? A fierce battle in the finals to secure the gold medal win at Pans!
  

Congratulations to all our Kingz athletes and all the competitors who compete at Pans for getting out there and showing courage, determination and your love for the sport!