Here Are The 2023 FloGrappling Awards Male Grappler Of The Year Nominees
Here Are The 2023 FloGrappling Awards Male Grappler Of The Year Nominees
See the six athletes who have been nominated for 2023 Male Grappler Of The Year, and the credentials that made them shine above the rest.
It's time again for the FloGrappling Awards presented by Kingz Kimonos. And this year, the athletes made it harder than ever to narrow down just six nominees for each of the five categories. Voting is open now for each of those categories:
- Male Grappler of the Year
- Female Grappler of the Year
- Breakthrough Grappler of the Year
- Submission of the Year
- Match of the Year
The 2023 Male Grappler Of The Year nominees feature athletes from gi and no-gi alike. Check out the credentials which made each of their years stand out among the rest, and cast your ballot below!
Diego Pato
The multiple-time gi and no-gi word champ started his season with a big change, moving to Art of Jiu-Jitsu. After a quiet start to the season, taking second at both Euros and Pans, Pato turned a corner, locking down his second IBJJF Worlds title in June, winning a WNO title in November, and securing his second No-Gi Worlds title in December.
Dante Leon
Dante Leon was on a mission for new challenges in 2023, and he chased them down across several different weight classes. After winning a no-gi world title at lightweight, he set his focuses on a WNO title there, submitting Ruan Alvarenga for a shot at the title in May, then submitting Ethan Crelinsten in August for the belt.
A few months later, Leon leaped to the other side of the weight spectrum, entering the super heavyweight division at No-Gi Pans and defeating several ranked opponents to win the whole thing.
Leon also showed up overseas, leading team Modolfo at AIGA with fast submissions, with submissions over ranked opponents, and from the coach's chair on the sidelines. Dante proved in 2023, he's among the best in the world regardless of rank.
Victor Hugo
Big Man Flow made history in his 2023 campaign.
Victor Hugo started the year as a two-time world champion, but he had never won an absolute title in any of the four IBJJF majors at black belt, let alone double gold. He changed that stat in style, winning double gold at Brasileiro — submitting six of his seven opponents. He followed that up with double gold at Worlds, submitting five of his eight opponents.
That included a submission in the final, making him the first male athlete since 2009 (Roger Gracie) to win double gold with submission victories in both finals, and also the first male athlete ever to win double gold at both Brasileiros in Worlds in the same year.
Mica Galvao
Mica Galvao has hit a new level time and time again since arriving to the professional scene.
But this year was almost flawless for the Monster from Mauaus. Mica maintained an impressive submission rate this year, and tapped all of his victims in style.
He defeated a giant at the BJJ Stars Absolute GP. He won the WNO welterweight title with one of our favorite matches (vs Jay Rodriguez), and one of our favorite submissions of the year (vs PJ Barch). And he returned to defend that strap with another match of the year contender agaist Kody Steele.
It's hard to argue. 2023 was the year Mica became a household name across the world.
Nicholas Meregali
Nicholas Meregali has been on a quest to prove he's the best two-style grappler on the planet.
This year, he took a tactical approach to make his case.
He won Pans in March, submitting all but one of his opponents and showing off a rarely-seen gi passing game. There, he ran up the score against Erich Munis, against whom he split two close matches at the 2022 World Championships.
In May, he called his shot in a WNO gi match, spray-painting a triangle on his gi and submitting Pedro Marinho with a triangle choke.
Meregali followed that up at the IBJJF Absolute GP in September, submitting two before defeating reigning double world champ Victor Hugo.
On the no-gi front, Meregali submitted two of the top dogs in the sport: reigning ADCC champ Kaynan Duarte on the WNO stage, and 2017 ADCC absolute champ Felipe Pena on UFC FPI.
Meregali is the only athlete on this list to have an undefeated season in 2023; he went 13-0.
Jacob Couch
The Hillbilly Hammer has been clawing at the top for years. But 2013 was — hands down — his best season yet. The rookie black belt had his ups and downs to start the year, but he put it all together at the ADCC East Coast Trials, submitting all seven of his opponents — including long time rival Elder Cruz — in one of the most sensational moments of the year.