It's without question: the IBJJF World Championships are the pinnacle of jiu-jitsu competition.

Divisions are brimming with elite talent and athletes are traveling from all over the globe to vie for a chance to etch their names in the history books from May 31 to June 3 in Long Beach, CA. Out of the hundreds of competitors in the black belt divisions, these are the eight matches we're hoping to see next weekend.

Join PRO to watch the 2018 IBJJF World Championship live and on demand.

Keenan Cornelius vs. Felipe Pena – Heavyweight

Keenan Cornelius has looked simply untouchable in 2018. Gold at Europeans, gold at Pans— plus several superfight wins under his belt—the Atos standout is in prime position to secure his first world championship gold medal as a black belt.  

Keenan Cornelius' incredible omoplata game has been on form all season. Photo: Chase Smith

But it's far from guaranteed.  

There are many game athletes standing in Cornelius' way to the top of the podium, perhaps none as fearsome as Gracie Barra's Felipe Pena. Possibly one of the only athletes with a more impressive 2018 record, Pena has been absolutely dominating the competition all year long, submitting a slew of opponents with his bow-and-arrow choke.  

The duo has split its two all-time meetings: Cornelius beat Pena at World Pro a few years back and Pena bested Cornelius at the Marians Open in 2015. With each player at the peak of his career and Worlds gold at stake, this could be considered the ultimate rubber match.

  Felipe Pena: Monster. Photo: Chase Smith

Leandro Lo vs. Nicholas Meregali – Super Heavy

This is THE rematch that everyone is dying to see at Worlds this year.

Nicholas Meregali shocked the world last June when he swept Leandro Lo in the last minute of their final and became a black belt world Champion in his very first year at the rank.

Lo only entered his name into the after Meregali’s name appeared on the registration, and it’s no stretch of the imagination to think that he may be looking to hunt Meregali down and get that win back. We can only hope these two beasts get to tango one more time.

Nicholas Meregali vs. Leandro Lo – 2017 Worlds

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

AJ Agazarm vs. Jamil Hill-Taylor – Featherweight

Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor has been at the top of our "athletes to watch" list since his incredible run at the 2017 World Championships in which he took third place after narrowly losing in the semifinal to the legendary Cobrinha. Hill-Taylor holds a win over Gianni Grippo, Samir Chantre, and Silvio Duran, among others, and we think he's in prime position to make hit the top of the podium this year.

Jamil Hill-Taylor at TLI HQ in Maryland.

However, if there are any potential weakness in Hill-Taylor's game, it's finding a way to win against seasoned veterans of the black belt ranks—and there's perhaps no one tougher to defeat than AJ Agazarm. The Gracie Barra athlete is a perennial contender, extremely skilled at ending up at on the winning side of scrambles, and basically impossible to submit. He's also great wrestling and generally forces players into his game to their own detriment. 

A match between these two will showcase a fantastic clash of styles and provide a great test for both athletes. 

AJ Agazarm—perennial contender. Photo: Mike Calimbas

JT Torres vs. Edwin Najmi – Lightweight

Edwin Najmi and JT Torres are two of America’s brightest hopes for taking home black belt gold this year at the World Championships. 

Torres was absolutely on fire at Pans and truly believes this year is his time to shine. But Najmi has steadily added big wins to his resume over the past year and has taken down names such as Davi Ramos and Thomas Keenan. 

Both Najmi and Torres are former world silver medalists. Both aren't satisfied. A match between the two would help end the debate of who is the greatest Ameican lightweight of the modern era.  

Tommy Langaker vs. Isaque Bahiense – Middleweight

The IBJJF should really consider tripling the regulation mat size if these two middleweight monsters meet. Both athletes are exceptionally explosive. Langaker may hold the edge in submission rate but Bahiense is a positional monster who can run down the toughest of opponents. 

Bahiense has been on fire this spring with big wins at World Pro and the Marianas Open, while Langaker was the lightest competitor to medal in the black belt absolute division in March. 

He also submitted Erberth Santos in spectacular fashion at Europeans at the beginning of the year. You better believe a match between these two would be guaranteed fireworks.

Matheus Diniz vs. Rudson Mateus – Medium-Heavy

Diniz only has one speed—fast. However, that has proven to be a double-edged sword for the Marcelo Garcia black belt: On the right day he can beat anyone in the world, but at other times he falls short of his expected results.

Matheus Diniz in action. Photo: Chase Smith

Success for Diniz truly depends on if his opponent is able to slow down his freight-train pace. Which is exactly why we want to see him match up with Rudson Mateus. A student of the classics, Mateus opts to play closed guard instead of fancy lapel games and he still finds success at the highest levels. He recently submitted Horlando Monteiro at Brazilian Nationals.

Rudson Mateus locks in the win at Brazilian Nationals. Photo: Will Safford

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida vs. Yuri Simoes – Ultra Heavy

Buchecha is looking to make history this year by surpassing Roger Gracie and earning the most World Championships medals of all time (they are currently tied at 10 titles each, weight plus absolute). And while the competition is stiff as ever in the ultra-heavyweight division, we see Buchecha's toughest test coming from two-time ADCC champion Yuri Simoes. 

Can anyone stop Buchecha this year? Photo: Chase Smith

Beatriz Mesquita vs. Catherine Perret – Lightweight

Bia Mesquita submits Jena Bishop at 2018 Pans. Photo: Chase Smith

We're extremely excited about the idea of new blood in the women's ranks rising up to take on the old guard, and we think Perret's excellent standup skills and pressure passing could shake up things in the lightweight division. Can she beat one of the all-time greats? It's a match we'll hopefully get to see.

Watch the 2018 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship live

May 30* to June 3 | Long Beach, CA