Today the IBJJF announced the bracket and the order of bouts for its 2023 Absolute Grand Prix coming to Jiu-Jitsu Con weekend in Las Vegas, NV on Sept. 1.

The GP, the main event of Jiu-Jitsu Con weekend beginning on Thursday, Aug. 31 and running through Sept. 2, features a bracket of some of the top heavyweight stars in grappling, and several up and commers hoping to plant their flags in jiu-jitsu noteriety.

$40,000 is on the line for the winner of the eight-man bracket.

The top seeds in  the bracket are Nicholas Meregali and Victor Hugo, who have a storied rivalry dating back three years. Hugo defeated Meregali in a gi match on the first WNO in January 2020. And although Meregali won their rematch at the 2021 IBJJF Wolrd Championships, he was unable to continue in the bracket after recieving a disqualification for conduct.

Meregali bounced back in 2022, taking the IBJJF absolute world title, his second world title overall, and went on to challenge the winner of the 2023 absolute title.

Victor Hugo had a monster run in 2023, becoming the first athlete to win double gold and Brasilieiros and Worlds in the same year, and also becoming the first person to win via submission in a Worlds absolute final since Roger Gracie in 2009.

The absolute world champs of the two most recent editions of Worlds could now face off in the final of this bracket, but they’ll both have to run through a guantlet of hungry up and comers and tenured disruptors if they hope to lock it in.

Here is the bracket coming to the 2023 IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix this weekend:

Side A:

Victor Hugo vs Horlando Monteiro

Steffen Banta vs Fellipe Andrew

Side B:

Nicholas Meregali vs Francisco Lo

Gutemberg Perreira vs Paulo Merlin

Between the GP rounds, the IBJJF will host four A-list superfights. 

Janaina Lebre will face Emily Fernandez

Johnatha Alves will face Jackson Nagai

Ronaldo Junior vs Sebastian Rodriguez

Cole Abate will make his IBJJF black belt debut against Eduardo Granzotto, who is also debuting at black belt

And Tainan Dalpra will return to face Yan ‘Pica Pau’ Paiva

Watch the IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix, and all the action from Masters Worlds and Jiu-Jitsu Con live on FloGrappling on Aug. 31 - Sept. 2.