Victory Slam: Leandro Seizes IBJJF Panhandle & Top Glove Titles in 2017
With the 2026 IBJJF Pan Championship nearing closer, I believe it is only fitting to take a stroll down memory lane from notable moments from IBJJF Pans history. It would be amiss to not start this out by talking about Leandro Lo. Leandro was not only one of the most electric, captivating jiu-jitsu athletes in history, but he was also one of the most decorated.
Throughout his legendary black belt career, Lo was able to secure eight IBJJF Pans titles, winning double gold in both the 2017 and 2018 editions of the event. In this trip down memory lane we are going to take a look at the two matches from Leandro that secured him double gold in 2017, although the entire run is worth going back and watching. Leandro found himself in both the heavyweight and absolute final, where he would be taking on Tanner Rice and Joao Gabriel Rocha.
Leandro Lo vs Tanner Rice | 2017 IBJJF Pans Heavyweight Final In the heavyweight final we saw Lo and Rice tie up early and it was Rice who opted to pull guard first. Rice immediately put his De La Riva guard to use and was able to find pant and collar grips. He then used these grips to pummel his De La Riva hook inside Lo's legs to stand up and put Lo down, securing top position and two points.
Roughly forty seconds into the match and we see Rice go up 2-0 against Lo. Within twenty seconds Lo is able use a crafty lapel grip and wrestle up to a single leg and secure a sweep of his own, securing top position and two points of his own. Lo used the sweep to immediately get into his knee cut passing that anyone who has watched Leandro compete knows and loves, but Rice was able to retain his guard and stop the attempt.
After spending some time in a shallow lasso guard, Rice opts to work back up to his feet and both guys are now tied up in a standing position. Lo eventually seizes the opportunity and puts rice down with a single leg to secure the takedown and two more points. This puts him up 4-2 on the scoreboard.