Middleweight is historically always one of the most competitive and a title that has been held by six different men over the last 10 years: 

• Isaque Bahiense (2018) 
• Gabriel Arges (2017) 
• Otavio Sousa (2016, 2013, 2012) 
• Claudio Calasans (2015) 
• Leandro Lo (2014) 
• Marcelo Garcia (2009-2011) 

Four of the above are back to reclaim their title, but it's not going to be easy. 

Returning World champion Isaque Bahiense (Alliance) has the top seed in the middleweight bracket, but not just based on his performance last year– he’s stayed busy by winning both Pans and Euros so far in 2019 and has looked dominant in this division over the past year. 

It will be no easy road to the semifinals for the top seed in this division, with JT Torres (Atos) and Manuel Ribamar (Rodrigo Pinheiro) a likely eight-final matchup, and the winner going on to face Isaque in the quarters.

Meeting the winner of that quarterfinal will be whoever comes out of an insanely deep section of the bracket, where 2016 World champ Otavio Sousa (Gracie Barra) holds the top seed. Otavio is looking at a potential early matchup with the explosive Hugo Marques (Soul Fighters). 

Two previous World bronze medalists will most likely battle it out in the other eight-final in Jaime Canuto (GF Team) and Yago de Souza (NS Brotherhood).

2017 World champ Gabriel Arges (Gracie Barra) holds the top seed on the opposite side of the bracket. 2015 World champ Claudio Calasans (Atos) is a potential quarterfinal for Arges, as Calasans comes in seeded seventh. 

Also contending in this section of the bracket are DJ Jackson (Lloyd Irvin), Dante Leon (GFTeam) and Nathan Mendelsohn (Coalition 95). 

The last two World silver medalists in this category have the four and five seeds in Tommy Langaker (Kimura) and Marcos Tinoco (Alliance). The pair have split their two matches in their career with both holding a submission victory over the other in 2018. 

Langaker won the most recent meeting by choke from the back in the Worlds semifinal a year ago. Langaker is likely to have Michael Liera (Atos) in his eight-final while Tinoco potentially has Felipe Cesar Silva (Unity).

Whoever emerges from these challenging quarterfinals should make for some interesting semifinal matchups. Langaker / Arges is a possibility in the semis, a rematch from when Tommy eliminated Gabriel a year ago in the quarters. 

The other side will be whoever comes out of Isaque / JT / Ribamar meeting up with the winner of Otavio / Jaime / Yago and could play out a number of different ways.

The 2019 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship will take place in Long Beach, California, and matches start every day at 9am local time.