When looking at the brackets for the 2021 IBJJF World Championships, there were many new black belts expected to win their first titles, but there were also some veterans expected to add another title to their collections. One such veteran was Kaynan Duarte of Atos Jiu-Jitsu. Since receiving his black belt in 2018 atop the Worlds podium after a brown belt championship run, Kaynan has gone on to become a dominant force in the heavyweight division. He’s won IBJJF Pans, Pans No-Gi, ADCC, Abu Dhabi Pro, Spyder Invitational, and many other important competitions.
Despite winning a world title in the gi in 2021, Kaynan focused much more on no-gi.