Medal Chasers: The Grapplers Going For Repeat Gold at No-Gi Worlds
Medal Chasers: The Grapplers Going For Repeat Gold at No-Gi Worlds
Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu stands at the top of the mountain for returning World No-Gi Champions. See who else is in the mix.
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The level of talent featured this weekend at the IBJJF 2018 No-Gi World Championships is downright staggering.
We're talking 'best-ever' level of competition... A fact bolstered by the numerous returning champions throughout all of the black belt divisions. Some divisions– like women's lightweight– have THREE past champions vying for gold this weekend.
Read on to see all the past champions hunting to add another medal to their collections.
Watch the IBJJF 2018 No-Gi World Championships LIVE Dec. 14-16 Live on FloGrappling
Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu Going for SIXTH No-Gi Worlds Title
Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu stands alone in his quest for a staggering sixth No-Gi World title this weekend (and possibly seventh, should he win his division and the absolute).
The Fight Sports leader certainly has no easy task in front of him, as the ultra-heavyweight bracket is about as stacked as possible: potential matchups include ADCC champ Gordon Ryan, ADCC & No-Gi World champion Yuri Simoes, 2018 World champion (in the gi) Mahamed Aly, and ADCC Trials winner Aaron ‘Tex’ Johnson among other challengers.
WATCH: Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu vs Joao Gabriel Rocha, 2017 Ultra-Heavyweight Final
Fab Five: Michelle Nicolini, Yuri Simoes, Lucas Barbosa
Michelle Nicolini
Three towering names in the landscape of jiu-jitsu are set to fight for their fifth No-Gi World title. Michelle Nicolini (pictured) most recently won No-Gi worlds title back in 2011 and has since gone on to focus on her MMA career, making select jiu-jitsu appearances including a double gold performance at No-Gi Pans in 2016.
Nicolini's potential road to gold won't be an easy one this year: returning champions in her division include three-time World champ Tammi Musumeci and 2017 gold medalist Jena Bishop.
Yuri Simoes is not necessarily the most active athlete in jiu-jitsu, but he’s definitely on the shortlist of the most formidable. The 2017 ADCC -99Kg champion and a two-time World No-Gi double gold medalist (winning weight and absolute in 2014 and 2016) has thrown his hat in the ring in the ultra-heavyweight division, and as mentioned above, it's going to be a freaking blast. Expect his effective wrestling to be on full display this weekend.
Lucas Barbosa
Lucas 'Hulk' Barbosa (pictured) has won every major IBJJF competition this year, and the Atos monster is showing no signs of slowing down as we head into the final leg of 2018.
Hulk's formidable standup and brutal pressure passing make him a nightmare for any opponent, but where he truly shines is in his desire to win and sheer willpower to escape from tough positions (matches that come to mind include his semifinal with Jackson Sousa at last years No-Gi Worlds and his semi-final with Mateus Diniz at Worlds.)
Barbosa is set to fight in the super-heavyweight division this weekend which features 2016 Champion and ankle destroyer Luiz Panza and long-time rival Patrick Gaudio from GF Team.
The Grand Slam: Joao Miyao, Pati Fontes, Beatriz Mesquita, Andresa Correa, Tammi Musumeci Chasing 4th Title
Miyao goes after the triangle
A 3x No-Gi World Champion, Joao Miyao has presided over the division as one of the most dominant champions, only narrowly taking silver to rival Mikey Musumeci in 2016.
He and his brother Paulo have steadily been added new tricks to their games, including a crushing pressure-passing game and (GASP!) wrestling. Seeing as Musumeci has opted not to register this year, a fourth title seems like a very strong possibility for the Unity Jiu-Jitsu / Cicero Costha representative.
Andresa Correa & Tammi Musumeci are both somewhat surprising entries to their respective divisions (heavyweight and lightweight), as both athletes have hardly competed at all throughout all of 2018. With that said, competitors of their caliber are assuredly ready for all-comers.
Beatriz Mesquita is among the top 1% of all jiu-jitsu competitors. She's an ADCC World champion (2017), a five-time IBJJF World champion, and a No-Gi World champion. The Gracie Humaita All-star is joining Ana Carolina Vieira in the middleweight division.
Pati Fontes (pictured) has won No-Gi Worlds the past three years in a row, but if she intends to hit the grand slam this weekend she'll likely need to come up big over her biggest rival to date – GF Team's Mayssa Bastos. Recently promoted to black belt after winning Worlds in June, Mayssa has seemingly had Fonte's number in their past meetings, including a big win at EBI Dec. 9. No matter how the final shakes out, we're absolutely intrigued to watch two of the most elite women on earth go to battle.
WATCH: Beatriz Mesquita vs Bianca Basilio – 2017 ADCC Final
Potential Three-peats: Josh Hinger, Nathiely de Jesus, Sofia Amarante, Jessica Flowers
Josh Hinger (pictured) has made the jump back up to medium-heavy, a division where he won his first No-Gi World title in 2016. The Atos representative has made a name for himself through his rough, merciless approach to the game and creative submission chain attacks. Keep an eye out for the famed 'Hingertine' and 'Hingerplata' attacks that have been the downfall of many elite athletes.
Joining Hinger in the quest for three No-Gi World titles are three elite female competitors. Jessica Flowers has been dominating in the super-heavyweight division since 2017, securing weight and absolute at last year's worlds as well as making an ADCC appearance. She's in a division of three this weekend and the favorite to win, at least in our books.
Sofia Amarante is a Fight Sports representative who secured World titles in 2009 and 2012 in the light featherweight division. Earning a third title this year is a particularly daunting prospect for any athletes in the division as it is completely STACKED with new and returning talent – other athletes outside of Amarante include 3x Champ Pati Fontes, the surging Mayssa Bastos, and east coast standout Fiona Watson.
Nathiely de Jesus (pictured) took double gold at No-Gi Worlds in 2016 – her first major competition as a black belt – and has since gone on to be one of the most formidable female competitors in the game. Her guard is one a true joy to watch as a fan and she has been known to finish the fight in an instant with a triangle or sneaky leglock attack.
Doubling Up: Samir Chantre, Luiz Panza, Jackson Sousa, Arnaldo Maidana, Jena Bishop
In another possible world, Samir Chantre (pictured) could be fighting for his third or fourth No-Gi Worlds title.
The Ares jiu-jitsu leader has closed out the final many times in the past, once with current teammate Osvaldo Moizinho and twice in the past with his former teammate Caio Terra.
Chantre is, without question, one of the best athletes of his generation but several players in the 2018 featherweight division hold recent wins over the Ares leader, including Kennedy Maciel and Thiago Macedo. And the challenges don’t stop with them – we’ll also see the surging Cole Franson, Frank Rosenthal, and Pablo Mantovani among many other challenges in the division.
Jackson Sousa (pictured) & Arnaldo Maidana are both Checkmat representatives competing in the heavyweight division this weekend with the potential to claim gold. Sousa's aggressive wrestling and the heavy top game can dismantle any opponent's well-laid plans, and the rising star Maidana's guard is one of the best in the heavier weight categories. Their potentially toughest matchups include veterans Tim Spriggs and James Brasco, and black belt newcomer Devhonte Johnson.
Jena Bishop is an athlete with exceptional talents. Beside being the returning black belt World champion, she's also a brown belt World champion and black belt Masters World champion, as well as a veteran of the Fight 2 Win circuit. Bishop's division this year is particularly interesting as it includes previous World champions Michelle Nicolini and Tammi Musumeci, as well as ascending talents Gabi McComb and Catherine Perret.
Finally, we couldn't be more thrilled to see the return of Luiz Panza (pictured below), who has taken most of the year off to enjoy being a new dad! Panza's leglocks are the stuff of legend (to fans, nightmares for others) and we're hoping that all the time off will see a healthy and injury free come back for the checkmat representative.
