On Saturday, July 14th the IBJJF will be holding their annual New York BJJ Pro in the Nat Holman Gymnasium in Manhattan. $4,000 for first place in an adult male black belt division and $1,000 for second place has brought out some of the biggest names in the sport. The female black belt open class will also pay out $1,500, with absolute champs at blue, purple and brown belt also taking home a cash prize. 

To avoid closeouts, teammates are placed on the same side of the bracket at IBJJF BJJ Pro events. Colored belt open divisions are separated into light and heavy, with rooster through lightweight and middle to ultra-heavyweight. 

Team Lloyd Irvin were the team champs a year ago, and are bringing a strong squad as they try to repeat in 2018. Here is a look at who will be competing in New York.

2018 World champ Jamil Hill

Featherweight

Registered: Alexandre Molinaro (Carlson Gracie), Thiago Macedo (Rodrigo Pinheiro), Felipe Simplicio (Soul Fighters), No.1-ranked Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor (Lloyd Irvin), No.13-ranked Silvio Duran (Vitor Shaolin)

2018 IBJJF featherweight World champion Jamil Hill-Taylor is looking to repeat as featherweight champ at the NY Pro. In 2017 Jamil submitted all of his opponents in the bracket, tapping Macedo and Simplicio in the first two rounds before choking Duran in the final. 

Duran, Molinaro and Macedo are three of the most active competitors on the circuit over the last year. Duran and Macedo have so far split four matches evenly 2-2, however Duran has won the last two meetings.

Manuel Ribamar

Middleweight

Registered: Johnny Tama (Alliance), No.8- ranked Jonathan Satava (Alliance), Athos Ribeiro Miranda (Alliance Marcelo Garcia), No.15-ranked Dante Leon (GFTeam), No.11-ranked Manuel Ribamar (Unity)

Given the bracketing rules at the BJJ Pro, it can be expected that the three Alliance representatives will make up one half of the bracket with Leon/Ribamar meeting in the opposite semifinal. Ribamar won this event in 2017, beating Leon 3-2 and also Marcos Tinoco in the semi.

Kaynan Duarte

Heavyweight

Registered: Kaynan Duarte (Atos), No.6-ranked medium-heavy Horlando Monteiro (GD Jiu Jitsu), No.9-ranked Timothy Spriggs (Lloyd Irvin), No.11-ranked medium-heavy Murilo Santana (Unity)

Kaynan Duarte was recently promoted to black belt on the Worlds podium after dominating at brown belt in 2018, and the rookie black belt will have his work cut out for him in a stacked division. 

All three of the other competitors are currently ranked top 15 in their weight class, with Duarte also ending the season ranked at the pound-for-pound top brown belt. Monteiro is coming off a double-gold performance at American Nationals. However the bracketing works out will surely make for some exciting matchups.

2018 World champion Mahamed Aly

Ultra-Heavyweight

Registered: Matthew Leighton (Bonsai), No.15-ranked Max Gimenis (GFTeam), James Puopolo (Ribeiro), No.1-ranked super-heavy Mahamed Aly (Lloyd Irvin)

Mahamed Aly has been on a tear in 2018, passing Nicholas Meregali’s guard in the World Championships semifinal on his way to his first World title. Aly will obviously be the heavy favorite in this bracket but has some tough competition to get through. 

Puopolo recently won the super-heavyweight division at American Nationals. Gimenis and Leighton are both young black belts with wins at major tournaments at the brown belt level.

Nathiely de Jesus

Women’s Open Class

Registered: Aarae Alexander (Lloyd Irvin), No.5-ranked Claudia Do Val ( De La Riva), No.2-ranked Nathiely de Jesus (Unity), No.13-ranked Maria Malyjasiak (Zenith)

Two of the top women in the game right now can be expected to meet in the final of the women’s open class with Nathiely and Claudia registered. Both women have won Worlds in 2017 and 2018. Claudia actually won all four of the IBJJF Grand Slam events this year, and finished her World final with a wrist lock. 

The two women have gone back and forth in competition before, but Nathiely won in dominant fashion with submissions at the UAEJJF Los Angeles Grand Slam and in this year’s World open division.