By Averi Clements

Caio Terra is coming back to the Fight To Win Pro stage on Friday, Dec. 8, but he’s not stepping up there alone. 

Before Terra puts it on the line for the 125lb black belt no-gi title against Marcelo Cohen, seven more members of Caio Terra Association will also be giving it their all at F2W Pro 57 in San Jose, CA.

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Terra’s black belt Kristina Barlaan will be competing in the match that precedes the co-main event, where she’ll be going up against Pati Fontes. 

Barlaan has been making waves in the jiu-jitsu scene since she was a blue belt, and just last year, she won the European Open as a black belt. As the highest-ranked competitor out of team CTA aside from Terra himself, she’ll be helping to lead the team to victory at her F2W Pro debut.

Watch Kristina Barlaan vs Thamires Aquino - 2017 European Championships

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Brown belt Ryan Walsh will be making his second F2W appearance on Friday night. Although his debut at F2W 23 resulted in him getting submitted, he’s proven that he’s anything but a quitter — last year, Walsh made headlines when he won Pans as a purple belt after going nearly a year without winning a single tournament. With a drive like that, there’s no telling what he’ll be able to do the second time around, this time against Fernando Borrego.

David Mitchell vs Ryan Walsh - Fight To Win Pro 23

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Nicole Evangelista is still just a teenager, but she’s already been making her mark on the jiu-jitsu world. She won double gold at Pans and No-Gi Worlds as a blue belt, and with a 4-0 F2W record, she’s no stranger to this promotion. 

Now a purple belt, she’ll be going up against Morgan Beverly, who she previously defeated at this year’s Pans. Evangelista has been steadily climbing the ladder to mark herself as one of the sport’s young standouts, and all eyes are going to be on her when she takes the stage again.

Another brown belt standout from CTA who’s ready to impress once more is Benji Silva. An American Nationals and Pan American champion and two-time no-gi world champion, he’s also established himself as a dominant F2W athlete, having gone 3-0 so far on the stage. 

He’ll be facing David Mitchell this time around, and those who have followed Silva's impressive career will be looking forward to seeing if he can continue his winning streak.

Benji Silva vs Nick Greene Fight To Win Pro 23

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Although he was out seven months with an injury, brown belt Kaniela Kahuanui came back strong to the competitive scene in July to win double gold at the San Jose Summer Open. He also took home silver at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam last year in September, which was his first tournament as a brown belt. 

Although he lost his first Fight to Win Pro match all the way back at F2W Pro 8, there’s no doubt that the training he’s been putting in since then will benefit him when he faces Joe Kropschot at F2W Pro 57.

Another impressive teen on the card is Andy Murasaki. He’s a three-time world champion, a no-gi world champion, a two-time European champion, a two-time Pan American champion, and an Abu Dhabi World Pro champion. 

He currently has a 2-0 Fight to Win record, and he’ll be looking to improve upon it when he faces purple belt Alan Sanchez at this event.

Andy Murasaki knows how to put on a show:

Finally, 2016 purple belt no-gi world champion Carlos Capela will be making his Fight to Win Pro debut alongside his CTA teammates. Capela has already had a successful year, winning No-Gi Euros and No-Gi American Nationals earlier in 2017. He hasn’t competed on the Fight to Win Pro stage yet, but given his record, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do against his opponent, Michael Bueno.

CTA is always one of the top teams to beat wherever it competes, and Fight To Win Pro 57 isn’t going to be an exception. With every one of CTA's athletes on the card having already established themselves as formidable competitors, the only question that remains is if the team can bring home eight wins in San Jose.