Keenan Cornelius waited until three days before the cutoff, but the technical wizard has confirmed his participation at the 2018 World Championships. 

We were waiting until now to see which division Keenan would decide to compete in– given that he did Euros as a heavyweight but moved up to super for Pans. 

We have our answer: Keenan will compete in the heavyweight division. 

Keenan, attacking Tim Spriggs in this photo, competed at Pans as a super heavyweight. Photo: Chase Smith

Right now there are 20 competitors in total signed up for the heavyweight division, and it is lining up to be ridiculously stacked. 

First off, there’s Felipe Pena to contend with, one of the top pound-for-pound grapplers (gi or no-gi) in the world. Pena comes off a hot streak where he won major events such as the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro, Marianas Open and more. 

READ: How To Watch The 2018 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship

A quick scan through the list turns up an absolute ton of talent: Tim Spriggs, Jackson Sousa, Adam Wardzinski, Dimitrius Souza, Tarsis Humphreys, Arnaldo Maidana, Patrick Gaudio, Helton Jr, Tex Johnson and Fellipe Andrew to name but a few. 

World Champion is a title that has so far eluded the Atos black belt, and Keenan will be looking to become the fifth American-born male to ever win a gold at the IBJJF Worlds. 

Watch him attempt to make history on June 2-3 live on FloGrappling. 

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May 30* to Jun 3 | Long Beach, CA