By Michael Sears

The IBJJF returns to the scene of the World Championships when it hosts the Long Beach International Open at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA, on Sunday, Nov. 5.

Any tournament that takes place in the jiu-jitsu hotbed of Southern California is bound to draw big names, and this event is no exception.

Three black belt adult champions from the 2017 Worlds will be in action as well as some of the current highest-ranked black belts on the IBJJF circuit.

2017 world champ Michael Musumeci. Photo by Michael Sears

Michael Musumeci (Caio Terra Association) is returning to competition for the first time since he defeated Joao Miyao in the Worlds final at the Pyramid in June. 

Musumeci's 2017 win-loss record at 11-1 might not be as prolific as other big-name competitors, although all of his matches this year have taken place at major tournaments. 

Along the way he has not only taken home the 2017 light-featherweight world gold medal but also finished atop the podium at Europeans and the Abu Dhabi World Pro.

Keenan has made a habit of winning. Photo by Michael Sears

Keenan Cornelius (Atos) has been on a rampage since returning from a knee injury earlier this year, going 42-2 with a staggering 33 submissions and climbing to seventh in the IBJJF black belt rankings. 

Just last weekend, Cornelius finished top-ranked Erberth Santos at the SJJIF Worlds in impressive fashion. Cornelius earned the win by tying up the explosive Santos with his own lapel, leading to a worm guard back take and a choke to finish the match.

Hulk puts on the pressure. Photo by Michael Sears

Cornelius' Atos teammate Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa sits 21.5 points ahead of him in sixth place in the IBJJF rankings and has put in a monstrous year as a competitor so far in 2017. Hulk has amassed a 45-9 record this year and has won gold medals at American Nationals, the IBJJF Asian Open, and the UAEJJF Los Angeles Grand Slam.

The Best of the Rest

Several of the more exciting competitors in the game are competing at Long Beach. Josh Hinger (Atos) has been hitting guillotines and mounted gogoplatas consistently at a ridiculous rate this year. 

Yan “Pica Pau” Lucas (Ribeiro), who took bronze at the 2017 Worlds, and Los Angeles Grand Slam champ Victor Silverio (Gracie Barra) will likely clash in the middleweight division. Both finalists from the LA Grand Slam, Renato Canuto (Zenith) and Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde (Del Mar), are registered a weight below them at lightweight. The two men put on an exciting final in Los Angeles with Canuto getting the 8-2 win on points.

The women’s black belt divisions contain two of the top-three ranked females in the world right now. Tayane Porfirio (Alliance) has looked nearly unstoppable since getting her black belt in 2016, culminating in a double-gold performance at this year’s Worlds. 

Porfirio is currently 460 points ahead of the second-ranked woman and is not showing any signs of slowing down. Claudia do Val (De La Riva) also won a world title in her first year at black belt in 2017 and currently sits third in the rankings. Do Val also won Brazilian Nationals in 2017, finished second at Pans and third at Europeans to medal in all of the major IBJJF tournaments her first year at black belt.

Join The Conversation On Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloGrappling

• Follow us on Instagram @FloGrappling

• Follow us on Facebook