Scrambling: BJJ Clubes 2025 Finals
Well well well, another team focused grappling event is having its finals and I missed out on everything.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 FROM RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
BROADCAST: UFC Fight Pass
STARTS: 7pm EST (US)
Once again, I must report that a team format season is ending and I am only just now aware of it. This is mostly because the event is on UFC Fight Pass which I forget exists because the UFC also seem to forget it does and doesn’t ever seem to create marketing that reaches me in any form.
BJJ Clubes, headed up by Andre Pederneiras (who also oversees Shooto Brazil & is also known for his coaching in MMA), is what I’ve consistently described as the likely ideal structure for a team jiu jitsu competition. Each team, or club, sends seven of their athletes out to each competition. Each athlete competes in their specific weight class and you win the team match by having more wins against your opponent. It’s the same set up as AIGA Global League, International Judo Federation’s mixed teams, and a standard wrestling duals.
Having had a successful eight team tournament in 2024, BJJ Clubes aimed to expand and have a 16 team format for this year’s season. That, unfortunately, did not come to fruition and so 2025 saw a return to the eight team bracket. The 2025 tournament included the following teams:
Alliance
Gracie Barra
Nova Uniao
GF Team
Infight
Almeida Jiu Jitsu
Double Five Jiu Jitsu
Ataque Duplo
So, with the grand final just around the corner we should probably do a quick recap of what went down in the Quarter and Semi-Finals.
2025 Tournament
Quarter-Finals: Alliance vs Ataque Duplo
Starting the first match of the season via a DQ loss because your athlete missed weight is a somewhat embarrassing start for Alliance, who are widely known as one of the most dominant jiu jitsu teams globally. It then got much worse as Alliance then dropped the next two matches via decision losses, meaning they were down 0-3 early in the night.
However, Vinicius Martins, Leonardo Ferreira and Amanda Hening rallied the team back with three decisive wins making it an even 3-3 score going into the seventh and final match.
This, however, would be where Alliance fell short was Harryson Pereira was able to keep a 3-0 lead in his match against Marcus Ribeiro sealing Ataque Duplo’s victory and slot in the semi-finals.
Ataque Duplo wins 4-3.
Quarter-Finals: GF Team vs Almeida Jiu Jitsu
The next quarterfinal match saw GF Team take on Almeida Jiu Jitsu. Winning the first three matches in a row, GF Team looked to be in a comfortable lead at 3-0.
Almeida Jiu Jitsu were able to begin their own rally and closed the distance with three wins of their own making it another sudden death situation going into the seventh and final bout.
GF Team’s Victor Honorio narrowly took the win with a single point scored, securing GF Team’s position in the semi-finals, albeit narrowly.
GF Team wins 4-3.
Quarter-Finals: Gracie Barra vs Infight
The second half of the quarter-final took place with Gracie Barra facing off against Infight in September. This was a very close contest as both teams traded two wins each in the opening bouts, but Gracie Barra’s Keven Sousa and Natacha Ribeiro put together a pair of wins securing the team’s slot in the semifinals. However, Infight’s Anderson Kauan did earn Infight the final win in the team match.
Gracie Barra wins 4-3.
Quarter-Finals: Nova Uniao vs Double Five Jiu Jitsu
The final quarter-final match was very much a one-sided afair as Nova Uniao dominated Double Five from the start by winning three bouts in a row and almost secured themselves the lone sweep of the tournament. However, Eduardo Avelar’s decision win kept Double Five’s hopes alive going into the sixth match.
With Double Five hoping to start their comeback, Nova Uniao’s William Dias spoiled their rally by earning NU’s fourth win to set them up for the semifinals. In the remaining two matches, Double Five did avoid a completely lopsided loss when Roberto Ribeiro won his bout, putting the team at just two wins, though NU’s Henrique Betta had the honors of closing off the quarter-finals with a win for his team in return.
Nova Uniao wins, 5-2.
Semi-Finals: GF Team vs Ataque Duplo
So, with the quarter-finals out of the way the next month BJJ Clubes held the semi-finals. Quickly into the first team match, GF Team scored three wins setting themselves up for a potential sweep. However, Ataque Duplo’s Gabriel Galvao snuck his way in and kept his team alive with a 7-1 win over Joao Venturi. This opened the way for his teammate Manoel Porto to also get a win over Jhonathan Pessanha putting the match at 3-2.
AD’s hopes were crushed as Gisele Menezes dominated Simone Abreu in a 7-0 win, meaning GF Team were bound for the finals.
To close things off, the final match saw AD’s Harryson Pereira get a win that was ultimately too little too late.
GF Team wins, 4-3.
Semi-Finals: Gracie Barra vs Nova Uniao
The second semi-final match saw Nova Uniao take on Gracie Barra, both of whom put on impressive wins in the quarter-finals. As one would expect, this match started off fairly even as the two teams traded wins in the opening two bouts.
NU started to gain distance on GB when Victor Nithael and Luan Carvalho took a submission and decision victory each. Keven Dias was able to keep the distance tight as he scored a 4-0 win over NU’s Will Dias putting GB just one win behind NU. This however led to Yara Soares, one of NU’s standouts, having her match agains Natacha Ribeiro which resulted in an armbar win for Soares, meaning NU won the match with the necessary 4 bout wins secured. The match closed off with another NU win with Henrique Betta getting the nod from the judges.
Nova Uniao wins, 5-2.
Finals: GF Team vs Nova Uniao
The stage is set for a high-stakes clash as Nova União and GFTeam collide once again in a finals situation. These two teams have had a very active and competitive rivalry over the years and it is somewhat fitting they are facing off in the finals of the 2025 tournament.
Nova União, long celebrated for its technical precision and fluid guard work, has dominated this year’s tournament with commanding performances, including their decisive win over Gracie Barra in the semifinals. Known for their relentless pressure passive, GF Team clawed their way through the tournament and demonstrated why their team is so well known for their grit.
Nova União and GFTeam have met countless times, often producing highly competitive matches. Historically, Nova União has leaned on its deep roster and strategic control, while GFTeam thrives on aggression and pace, forcing opponents into scrambles where they excel. However, given their performances over the tournament, it’s hard not to favor a win for Nova Uniao.