OCTOBER 2026 | PROGRESS JJ MONTH IN REVIEW
October was full of excitement as we prepare for another epic PJJ Black Friday and a big finish to the year. The highlight of the month for sure was the IBJJF No Gi Euros, a big squad of Progress athletes absolutely smashed it!
We were blown away (but not surprised) by the number of you repping Progress, especially the new NSNP Ranked rashguards which only dropped a few days before the event. Seeing the Progress community come together like that was big time! Can’t wait for the next big event.
IN THE WORLD OF BJJ
The Progress competition team had an incredible time at the IBJJF No-Gi Euros. On day one, our blue belts got things started with Ryan Nee, Muhammad Mahwiz and Bobby Lane all taking gold in their respective divisions. Henry Mbireaye also put in a great performance, narrowly missing out in the final to take home silver.
Day two saw the brown belts bring the smoke, with Big Ben and Shai Gerena both taking silver in their respective divisions. Shai claimed No-Gi Pan-Ams gold just over a month ago, while Big Ben has previously won European Championships at both blue and purple belt. At just 21 years old, the super-heavyweight is continuing to develop at an incredible rate. Expect big things from these two!
At black belt, Julian Espinosa and Tarik Hopstock have now become back-to-back No-Gi European Champions. What an achievement! There was plenty more to celebrate across the Masters divisions, with Marcus Phelan rolling back the years to take gold in M1, while MMA phenom Melissa Mullins secured double gold in the female M1 division.
A special shoutout also goes to Semla Vik, who collected bronze at her first major black belt competition. What a way to start off your time as a Progress athlete! Layla Szymanska, our 18-year-old purple belt phenom, took silver in her division on Sunday. Even more impressively, this was her debut BJJ competition as a Progress athlete as well.
Congratulations to everyone who competed and represented Progress over the weekend.
PRODUCT RELEASES
Alongside the release of our new NSNP Ranked Rashguards, October also saw the launch of our all new Academy + Gi. 15 months in the making and over 20 prototypes later, we're incredibly proud to finally bring you what we've set out to create: the ultimate "Bulletproof” BJJ training gi. We've put a huge amount of work into getting this right, and we think you'll see exactly why when you get your hands on one.
Available now in men's, women's and kids' sizing.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Black Friday is just around the corner! We've got some fantastic deals coming your way, so keep your eyes peeled. You won't want to miss this one.
The Progress Team.