With gold on the line, Vernon Brazilian jiu jitsu fighter Lillian Marchand said to hell with the sister city.
Marchand used a devastating armlock submission to defeat Elisabeth Clay from the Ares BJJ Association – located in Vernon’s sister city of Modesto, Cal. – in the female black belt middleweight division final at the 2026 International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s Pans tournament in Kissimmee, Fla.
“It wasn’t just a victory, it was dominance,” said thebackstagejiujitsu on its Instagram page about Marchand’s victory. “Lilli showed a direct, aggressive jiu jitsu with no margin for error, reaching the final as one of the most dangerous athletes in the bracket.”
Making her first Gi (traditional uniform worn by competitors) Grand Slam final at Pans, in her debut season as a black belt, Marchand entered the competition seeded 17th.
Representing her club in San Diego – Atos – Marchand opened her run to the final with a hard-fought decision win. That was followed up by a pair of submission victories in the quarter- and semi-finals. She made it to the final match with a submission win over Brazil’s Aghata Fernandes.
Marchand only achieved black belt status less than a year ago, in May 2025.
Clay sustained an injury early in the day before beginning her weight division campaign. Despite the setback, Clay secured two submission victories before earning a finals placement via points in the semifinals.
Marchand was one of three fighters from Atos to make it to the championship match at the tournament in their respective divisions.
There wasn’t a lot of time for Marchand to enjoy the victory and see the nearby sites of Kissimmee, which include Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, and LEGOLAND.
She is slated to make her WNO (Who’s Number One) debut at WNO 32 Tuesday, March 31, in Austin, TX.
WNO 32 is a professional No-Ggi Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Marchand is on the undercard in a bantamweight bout against Brazil’s Jaine Fragoso, who was regarded as a hot prospect in the sport since her 2019 gold medal performance at the Brazilian Nationals as a blue belt.
Fragoso’ black belt breakthrough performance took place in 2023 at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan Championship in the No-Gi ruleset, her first gold medal at a major tournament in the pro circuit.
The main event at WNO 32 is a four-man tournament to crown a new 155-pound champion.
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