Third Coast Grappling continue their highly acclaimed Kumite series this weekend with their second gi tournament. It's an openweight affair and features some of the very best jiu-jitsu fighters of the modern era; $10k is on the line – along with some serious bragging rights. 

Watch 3CG Kumite II LIve June 20 On FloGrappling

The list of athletes include:

• Fellipe Andrew
• Tanner Rice
• Ricardo Evangelista
• Jonatas Gracie
• Victor Hugo
• Gustavo Batista 
• Jake Watson
• Pedro Marinho 

Can Batista Continue His Unstoppable Run?

Gustavo "Braguinha" Batista had a flawless performance at the first Kumite event just two weeks ago; the Atos representative ran through his bracket, taking out Jaime Canuto, Gabriel Arges (a match where he passed the guard of Arges not just once but twice!), and Roberto Jimenez in the final.

For those who don't know, Batista is no stranger to success. He's already conquered Words, Pans, Europeans, and the King of mats since earning his black bet in 2017, making him one of the leading fighters of his generation.

Going into Kumite II, it should be noted that Batista will have a serious sized disadvantage in his first match where he'll face ultra-heavyweight Tanner Rice representing soul fighters. Batista may be the more accomplished athletes, but Tanner will have at least a 50lb weight advantage coming into the bout.

The other key figure on the left-hand side of the bracket is Fellipe Andrew, and though he is coming off a disappointing loss to victor Hugo last weekend, the Zenith athlete is always game and can finish the fight in an instant with his nasty footlock and triangle attacks.  

Andrew is taking on the wild card Jake Watson, who may not be the favorite going into this bracket, but is fully capable of surprising anybody on the right day. 

Victor Hugo: The Favorite? 

The right half of the bracket features two red-hot first-round matchups. We'll see the extremely durable Riccardo Evangelista take on one of the fastest rising stars today Victor Hugo for the fourth time. The pair have split wins 3-1 for Hugo, but you can never count out the experience of someone like Evangelista. 

Rounding out the right-hand side bracket is Pedro Marinho and Jonnatas Gracie. 

Marinho post jitzking victory. 

Marinho is an athlete coming off a huge performance at JitzKing last weekend that saw him take out Jason Rau, Roberto Jimenez, and Oliver Taza the ADCC style format. 

Marinho is an incredibly physical competitor but excels mostly inside of the no-gi arena, and it's possible that Jonnatas may have too many tools for him to overcome. In any case, we expect a high octane affair from these two men. 

Upcoming Live Events on FloGrappling

Fight to Win 144 | Jun 19

Featuring Rafael Lovato Jr. vs Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa, Talita Alencar vs Nathalie Ribeiro and Edwin Najmi vs Jonatas Gracie. 

Third Coast Grappling: KUMITE II | Jun 20

Featuring an 8-man +180lbs tournament, with Fellipe Andrew, Tanner Rice, Ricardo Evangelista, Victor Hugo and more. 

Fight to Win 145 | Jun 26

Featuring Garry Tonon vs Marcio Andre, and the return of an IBJJF Hall of Famer and ADCC legend– more details coming soon!

Third Coast Grappling: KUMITE III | Jun 27

3CG will run an 180lbs and under 8-man grand prix. Confirmed names include Dante Leon, Johnny Tama, John Combs, Tye Ruotolo, Kody Steele, Vagner Rocha, Pierre Oliviere LeClerc and Roberto Jimenez.