Find out who’ll hit the mats at the Worlds and place your bets

Cyborg, in photo with Braga Neto (in black), is one of the favorites. Photo: Mike Colón.

The pyramid-shaped gymnasium in Long Beach, California, will this Sunday host the greatest fighters in the world at the No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. GRACIEMAG.com reveals who will see action at black belt and offers its predictions.

Roosterweight

At roosterweight, just one single match will define the champion, no favorites.

Renzo Gracie – Joseph Capizzi

Gracie Barra – Brandon Mullins

Light featherweight

Caio to try for another win. Photo: Alicia Anthony

This time, dynamic duo Caio Terra – current champion – and Samir Chantre promise to cause some discomfort. However, they’d better be careful, as beasts like Rafael Freitas, who took third last year, are in the mix.

Gracie Barra – Rafael de Freitas

Gracie Fighter – Caio Terra

Gracie Fighter – Samir José Chantre Dahás

Paragon Academy – Milton Carlos Bastos

Soul Fighters – Leandro Lopes Escobar

Featherweight

Esquisito even trained with Dan Henderson for the event. Photo: publicity.

At featherweight things start to heat up. BTT beast Renan Borge, runner-up in Europe this year, will have ahead of him beasts like Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda and Hawaiian veteran Baret Yoshida, current champion.

Brazilian Top Team – Renan Borges

Checkmat BJJ – Carlos Holanda

Checkmat BJJ – Rodrigo Ranieri de Faria

Gracie Barra – Guilherme Tavares C. de Lira

Renzo Gracie – Edwin Fyvie

Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu – Justin S. Rader

Undisputed – Baret Yoshida

Lightweight

Lucas Lepri is the current champion. But on his tailcoats are Jonathan Torres, 2009’s runner-up, and Philipe Della Monica, who took third. Augusto Tanquinho and Milton Vieira add some more stock to the broth.

Alliance – Lucas Alves Lepri

Aloisio Silva JJ – João Ernani Pinho

Brazilian Top Team – Milton Souza Vieira

Checkmat BJJ – Gabriel Rollo da Silva Pontes

Checkmat BJJ – Sergio Rodrigues da Silva

Gracie Barra – Philipe Della Monica

Gracie Barra – Rodrigo Simoes Lamounier

Lloyd Irvin M.A. Academy – Jonathan Torres

Renzo Gracie – Karel Pravec Jr

Soul Fighters – Augusto Lopes Mendes

Undisputed – Albert Lee

Middleweight

As always, one of the most evenly-matched division. We have current champion Lucas Leite, but there’s also Gilbert Durinho, Tiago Alves – Brazilian national no-gi champ –, Diego Gamonal, Marcelo Mafra, Wallace Castro, Fabrício Morango, and Victor Estima. The middleweight division promises heaps of action.

Academy of Combative Arts – Francisco Daniel Pires Tavares

Atos JJ – Gilbert Alexander Pontes Burns

Barbosa JJ – Tiago Gomes Dias Alves

Brazilian Top Team – Diego Gamonal Nogueira

Check Mat USA BJJ – Marcelo Mafra

Checkmat BJJ – Lucas Joas Gomes Leite

Checkmat BJJ – Thiago Aragão de Abreu

Frontline – Nic Ruben Nikolaisen

GF Team – Wallace Luiz de Castro

Gracie Barra – Bruno Antunes

Gracie Barra – Victor de Oliveira Estima

Gracie Rio de Janeiro – Fabricio Camoes

Jean Jacques Machado – David Dunn

Paraestra – Takashi Kiyokawa

Vaghi Martial Arts – Bryan Guidry

Medium Heavyweight

Buiú comes in off win at Brazilian No-Gi Nationals. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Among the favorites is Murilo Santana, who was runner-up in 2009, but at middleweight. However, Kleber Buiú is coming off a win over Santana at the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals, and Pablo Popovitch is also on a tear, winning weight and absolute at the No-Gi Pan. Other stalwarts are Felipe “Gargamel” Mota and Eduardo Milioli.

Akxe BJJ – Felipe Mota Dias

Barbosa JJ – Murilo Santana

Brazilian Top Team – Marcello Salazar Bergo

Checkmat BJJ – Igmar Santos

Checkmat BJJ – Raphael Chaves

Gracie Barra – Kleber de Oliveira Paulino

Gracie Barra – Levi Duarte da Costa

Gracie Barra America – Carl Ortega Jr

Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu – Ben Baxter

Rillion Gracie – Eduardo Milioli

The Avengers – Pablo Popovitch

Heavyweight

João Assis has been winning just about everything he’s in. He’s notched triumphs this season over the likes of Xande Ribeiro, Saulo Ribeiro, and Jeff Monson. But 2009’s super heavyweight runner-up, Rafael Lovato, could rain on his parade. There’s also no forgetting about black belts like Flávio Almeida, Rafael Bettega, and João Moncaio.

Checkmat BJJ – Joao Assis

Gracie Barra – Flavio Alves de Almeida

Gracie Barra – Roberto Camargo de Alencar

Gracie Barra America – Carlos M. Gomez

Gracie Barra America – Joao Filipe Oliveira

Legion Jiu-Jitsu – Cameron A. Diffey

Ralph Gracie – Diego da Silveira Herzog

Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu – Rafael Lovato Jr.

Spirit – Rafael Bettega Costa

The Avengers – Joao Moncaio

Superheavyweight

Bochecha on absolute stand at No-Gi Pan. Bruno Bastos, who is also in the division, in in third. Photo: Personal archives.

Marcus Bochecha has been winning absolutes in the USA left and right and is on a roll leading into the Worlds. Another relentless competitor in the division is Bruno Bastos.

Checkmat BJJ – Marcus Vinícius Oliveira

Gracie Barra – Alberto Silva Vilanova

Gracie Barra – Gustavo dos Santos Pires

Nova Uniao – Bruno Bastos Cruz

Ultraheavyweight

Josh Barnett won the division in 2009, but he’s not in it this time around. The money’s on Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu, who is riding a series of solid wins.

Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu – Leandro Panzoldo Santos

The Avengers – Roberto de Abreu Filho

Female Light Featherweight

Sofia Amarante, champion in 2009, andLetícia Ribeiro, a vice campeã, devem repetir a final.

Alliance – Marcela S. de Oliveira Macedo

Gracie Rio de Janeiro – Leticia Ribeiro

The Avengers – Sofia Amarante

Female Featherweight

Michelle Tavares would have been the champion by default, but she has moved up to middleweight to provide a fight for Emily Kwok, who was also left without competition.

Gracie Rio de Janeiro – Ana Michelle Tavares Dantas

Female Lightweight

Bia Mesquita promises to ruffle some feathers. Photo: Carlos Ozório.

Sparks are bound to fly in the division, with Michelle Nicolini, Beatriz Mesquita, Fabiana Borges and Claudinha Gadelha.

Checkmat BJJ – Michelle Zonato Nicolini

Gracie Barra – Fabiana Alves Borges

Gracie Rio de Janeiro – Beatriz de Oliveira Mesquita

Nova Uniao – Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha

Female Middleweight

No-Gi Worlds winner Emily Kwok will face off against Brazil’s no-gi national featherweight champion Ana Michelle Tavares.

Alliance – Emily Kwok

Female Medium Heavyweight

Penny Thomas has no-gi experience in competitions like the ADCC. Fernanda Mazzelli shold also put up a fight.

Checkmat BJJ – Luiza Monteiro da Costa

Gracie Rio de Janeiro – Penny Thomas

Renzo Gracie – Carolyn Sthephenson

Striker JJ/ Góes – Fernanda Mazzelli

Heavyweight

Katrina is alone at weight.

Paragon Academy – Katrina Ann Weilbacher

Female Absolute

Já têm algumas meninas confirmadas na categoria aberta. Aparecem entre os destaques Michelle Nicolini, Beatriz Mesquita, Penny Thomas, Fernanda Mazzelli e Claudia Gadelha. Mas, como em todos os pesos, tudo pode acontecer.

There are already some girls confirmed for the open class. Among those who most stand out are Michelle Nicolini, Beatriz Mesquita, Penny Thomas, Fernanda Mazzelli, and Claudia Gadelha. But just like in any weight group, anything can happen.