Road to Double Gold: Victor Hugo Makes History With Open Class Submission
Road to Double Gold: Victor Hugo Makes History With Open Class Submission
See all of Victor Hugo's wins on his dominant path to double gold at the 2023 World Championships, including his history making submission win in the finals
Victor Hugo accomplished what few men ever have, and did it in devastating fashion as he won double gold at the 2023 IBJJF World Championships with eight wins, five by submission - including the first submission win in the open class finals since Roger Gracie accomplished the feat in 2009. See all of Victor's matches, interviews, and more below and relive the entire golden run.
Victor's Road To Worlds: Preparing For Double Gold
Match 1 - Qualifier vs. Vinicius Alves, Submission Victory (Mounted Choke)
Victor wasted no time kicking things off with a submission victory, securing a paper cutter from mount to start his campaign.
Match 2 - Quarterfinal vs. Luis Fernando Canteraria, Submission Victory (Triangle Choke)
In his first of two matches with Canteraria, Victor snatched up a submission off his back to reach the semifinal against Kaynan.
Match 3 - Semifinal vs. Kaynan Duarte, Advantages Victory (0x0, 1x0)
In one of the most anticipated matches of the weekend, Hugo used his guard and won the key exchanges to earn an impressive advantages win over 2022 world champion Kaynan Duarte.
Match 4 - Qualifier vs Paulo Henrique, Points Victory (7x0)
With his place in the absolute final secure, Victor continued his run with a points win that he nearly finished at the buzzer.
Match 5 - Quarterfinal vs. Luis Fernando Canteraria, Points Victory (2x0)
In one of his closest matches of the weekend, Hugo needed a late sweep to move ahead of Luis Fernando Canteraria 2-0
Sunday: Winning Double Gold & Leaving No Doubt
Match 6 - Semifinal vs Gui Soares, Submission Victory (Rear Naked Choke)
On the final day, Victor got off the mat quickly and punched himself through to another world final with this finish from the back.
Match 7 - Final vs Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro, Submission Victory (Triangle Armlock)
Victor added his third world title to his impressive resume by tapping out Marcus Scoobi with a combination triangle/arm lock.
Match 8 - Final vs Erich Munis, Submission Victory (Kneebar)
In the first submission in the men's absolute since Roger's legendary 2009 performance, Victor capped off his historic tournament with one of his signature kneebars.
Victor's run to double gold officially ends with eight matches, eight victories, and five submissions - including both of his finals. He now stands on top of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition world, but not without a challenger. Nicholas Meregali, the 2022 black belt male open class champion, issued a preemptive challenge to whoever won the title this year for a future superfight. Hear Victor's thoughts on the challenge after his victories in the Pyramid.
Worlds Absolute Champ Victor Hugo Accepts Meregali's Challenge 'I'm Here, Let's Make It Happen'