Want to know what’s in store for the black belt division of this year’s World Championships? Then look no further. We break down the sign-ups for the black belt divisions.

Who’s In:

Everybody, of course! It’s Worlds, the most important tournament of the year – people only miss this if they have absolutely no other choice!

We’re particularly excited to see guys like Marcus Buchecha and Ary Farias back in the mix. This is Farias’s first World Championships since 2013, while Buchecha has been out of action since injuring his knee at last year’s Worlds.

Who’s Out:

Yuri Simoes

Simoes has been carrying a series of injuries and his recent turn at EBI 6 took a lot out of him. The Brasa CTA super heavyweight black belt is taking some well-deserved time off to rest and recuperate. We’ve heard rumors that he should be back in action soon for some very interesting super rights though, stay tuned for news about that.

Abraham Marte

Ultra heavyweight Marte traveled from his home of the Dominican Republic to Brazil to train at GF Team headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Two weeks into his stay, he succumbed to the ravenous mosquitoes and contracted the disease chikungunya. Think of the nastiest flu you’ve ever had, and multiply that by 10 – now you know what this topical disease feels like. Now wonder Marte pulled out.

Kim Terra

Light featherweight Kim Terra suffered a serious neck injury and concussion in a no-gi grappling event a few months ago after a flying triangle attempt went wrong. The injury put him on the sidelines and he’s only been able to return to light training since, making a shot at Worlds out of the question.

Angelica Galvao

We reported earlier this year on Angelica Galvao's nasty training injury. Her recovery is apparently going well but she's still a long way from competing. Hope she makes it back soon. 

Joseph Moku Kahawai 

'Moku' picked up a silver at Pans but the Atos ultra heavyweight from Hawaii missed training throughout all of May due to an injury, forcing his withdrawal from the tournament. 

Braulio Estima

Gracie Barra veteran Braulio Estima has been suspended from IBJJF tournaments since 2014 following a doping violation, and his enforced time away doesn’t come to an end for another couple of months. Soon to turn 36, Estima has his eyes on a return to action at the IBJJF Masters & Seniors Worlds in August, although this is dependent on exactly when his suspension comes to an end.

Rodolfo Vieira

One of the biggest losses that jiu-jitsu has suffered is that of Rodolfo Vieira, who has stepped back from grappling tournaments to focus on a transition to MMA. We last saw him in action at ADCC 2015, and a return to the gi seems more and more distant with each passing day.

Whats New?

Weight Changes

Gianni Grippo is going down to light featherweight for the first time since he was 17 years old! It’s also worth noting that the category will see Atos rep Mikey Musumeci, who has decided to move up from roosterweight. Paulo Miyao is at light feather too, with twin brother Joao at rooster.



Andre Galvao, who won gold at ultra heavyweight at Pans, is in at heavyweight. That sets up a possible showdown with Felipe Pena, and the two definitely have a score to settle following their heated battle at Abu Dhabi World Pro in April.



Gabriel Arges, who has been very competitive at medium heavyweight this year at IBJJF tournaments such as the Euros and Pans but also won gold at 77kg at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, will drop to middleweight. That puts him shoulder-to-shoulder with teammates Otavio Sousa, Magid Hage and Victor Estima.

Erberth Santos, who floats between heavyweight and super heavyweight, has opted for the lower division this year, putting him right in the mix with Galvao, Pena, Jackson Sousa, Tim Spriggs and more.



Michelle Nicolini fought at middleweight at Pans, taking silver. She’s dropping two whole weight classes and will enter at featherweight at Worlds, putting her alongside Mackenzie Dern, Tammi Musumeci and more.

Lightweight AJ Sousa found it hard to drop weight following a training camp injury and has entered at middleweight, making him one of five GF Team entrants in the division along with Victor Silverio, Jaime Canuto, Vitor Oliveira and Vinicius Marinho.

Checkmat’s Lucas Leite, who we've often seen compete in heavier divisions, is finally back at his natural weight class and has entered at middleweight.

Team Changes

We already covered AJ Sousa’s moved from Atos to GF Team, and scanning through the list if sign-ups the only other real big change we noticed is Talita Nogueira switching from Sao Paulo-based Ryan Gracie Team to Leandro Lo’s NS Brotherhood.