Meregali fighting Leandro Lo for gold. Beatriz Lina

Once a standout at purple and then at brown, Nicholas Meregali landed in the black belt with just about the biggest bang. In his first year among the elite, he made it past some tough opposition in the extremely competitive heavyweight division to reach a World Championship final with none other than Leandro Lo.

As we know, this student under Mario Reis at Alliance managed to defeat the IBJJF’s No. 1 male fighter. Graciemag got hold of Meregali after the Worlds to touch on his campaign and more. Read on for the interview.

GRACIEMAG.com: How does it feel to win a world title in your debut as a black-belt?

NICHOLAS MEREGALI: It feels indescribable. This was a moment we always expected and worked to make happen.

How do you think you did throughout?

I found it acceptable. I’m a perfectionist, and I want my BJJ to develop and become invulnerable as soon as possible. Certainly I’m happy with what I produced, because I reached part of my objective, but I want more.

How did it feel to beat the favorite in the final?

Favorite is a matter of point of view. I never saw anyone as a favorite; I always believed in my work and knew that at any moment my time would come. I wasn’t surprised, but rather realized what my teammates and I already knew.

Did you tailor a strategy to Lo? What made the difference there?

I didn’t put any strategy together. I’m a guy who fights with heart and forward; Lo is a guy who preys on mistakes and doesn’t expose himself much. So my only attention went to my moves — I could not afford to make misguided exchanges.

What do you plan going forward, now as a world champion?

I haven’t made any plans. I believe I am in the right moment to work, so that is what I want most. I’m young, I’m a recent arrival at black belt, and I want to carve out my space. I’m anxious to focus and produce again at a high level.

Rodolfo Vieira with his friend Marcus Buchecha. Ivan Trindade

Two thousand eleven absolute world champion Rodolfo Vieira is living a new phase in his career, with plans of shining in international MMA. But he took a short break to closely follow the 2017 BJJ World Championship in Long Beach. Graciemag got to talk to him after the event. Read on for the interview.

GRACIEMAG: What did you feel as you saw your sister Ana Carolina Vieira beat the more experienced Monique Elias by 12-0 in the middleweight final?

RODOLFO VIEIRA: I was very happy. I knew she was going to become champion; I had been expecting that, because I knew how much she trained. I was far away, but I was talking to her all the time, and I knew how much she was training and how confident she was in her victory. She was doing well in all areas — playing on top, on the bottom, trading takedowns. She had a very well-rounded game, very tight, with a lot of stamina, so it would be hard for her not to win this title. It was her first year as a black-belt, and she already won the Worlds. Now she has won all there was to win, except for the absolute. Unfortunately, this year she couldn’t compete in the absolute, due to a knee injury. We found it best to spare her so she could arrive well in her weight division, but next year she will be trying for double gold. As this is her first year as a black-belt, I reminded her she would have many absolutes to fight in. But it was a wonderful feeling; I was happier than when I won my own titles. She is a warrior, and she deserved this title with room to spare.

Rodolfo and Ana Carolina Vieira.

What advice did you give her after her win?

I told her, “This is just the beginning.” [Laughs.] I think she has a lot of room for improvement. Of course a gold medal like this in a World Championship proves her good work and shows she is at a high level, but there is always much to improve upon, still.

What is your take on the men’s absolute final, where Buchecha beat Lo by one negative point?

This absolute final was awesome! Seeing Lo and Buchecha fighting is always a spectacle, and seeing this in the final of the most important championship in the world, in the most important category in the world — there is nothing better. I was just not as anxious for the duel because I had already seen it several times at the gym. [Laughs.] I had seen it in Switzerland, in Ibiza; I’ve seen them spar, and it was always a war. But I was very happy for them. They are friends, I admire them a lot, and, regardless of who were to win, the title would be in good hands.

What did you think of it, technically speaking?

It was a tight match — after all, Lo is a different animal, very strong. But what Buchecha is doing in the sport, I think it’s very hard for someone to ever repeat it. It will be tough breaking this record, five-time absolute champion. There is no better person to set this record than him. A good kid — good heart, humble, simple… I’m biased, but I’m happy to see him make history. And Leandro is always impressive. Doing what he’s done this year, winning double gold in the most important tourneys of the year… Maybe he even arrived at this Worlds more tired, because he is not originally a heavyweight; he’s new to the category, so he is still adapting his body. I believe he got very worn out during the season, and, even putting on the show he did, I didn’t think he got there with all that power we are used to. But it was amazing to see them together, fighting this epic final. They both have very pretty, forward jiu-jitsu. So they deserved to shine on the Pyramid’s main stage.

Cobrinha after winning his fifth world title. Beatriz Lina/ Graciemag

At 37, Rubens Cobrinha has been collecting big BJJ titles for a while. In the 2016/2017 season he added to that collection not only his fifth world championship, but also gold at the Euros, Pan and Brazilian Nationals, making him the first-ever featherweight Grand Slam winner.

Graciemag had a chat with him following his victory at the Worlds. Read on for the interview.

GRACIEMAG: After dominating the featherweight class between 2006 and 2009, you came back and won a world title again this year. What compels you to remain such a high-performance athlete after having won all there was to win?

Rubens Cobrinha: For this year, I proposed to myself to compete in and win every big championship (Euros, Pan, Brazilian Nationals and Worlds). I’m really satisfied to be the first featherweight athlete to conquer the BJJ Grand Slam. I dominated the featherweight category for four years. My “kingdom” lasted until I decided to open my own gym in Los Angeles and shift my focus. Of course I continued to compete, because I really love what I do, and I could not stay away from the World Championships, but my dedication was no longer exclusive, because I had to manage my gym and, if possible, make it a success.

Your title fight was against Leonardo Cascão, of BTT, and ended in a one-advantage win for you. Can you analyze that one for us?

Everybody enrolled for the Worlds has conditions to win and become a champion. Every day it gets harder for there to be a favorite, whether in the featherweight category or any other. Cascão came in very well prepared, and the fact that the fight was decided by one advantage shows that either of us could have won. The fight was decided in the details. He is an excellent athlete, evolving alongside BJJ. I thank him for the great fight we had, and hope to see him become a world champion.

Before the final, you faced Shane Hill-Taylor in a back-and-forth match decided by the judges. A lot has been said of the result. What is your opinion on it?

The fight ended in a draw, and that confirms what I said before; it is not possible to point to favorites in BJJ’s current stage. The fight was great; however, every fight that ends in a draw ends up generating controversy. I believe the criticism to the judges’ decision comes from the fact that we love BJJ; we have our favorite athletes, our friends, our idols — so it’s very hard to analyze the fight objectively, especially in the heat of battle. I really do believe I deserved at least one more advantage than was given me by the judge panel, but I did not complain. I accept the judges’ decision; that’s what they’re there for — to analyze the fight with no passion. It’s their job. My job is to fight fairly and give it my best. Walking out with my head held high, win or lose, with no drama. But ideally the fight gets resolved in the time allotted, so the decision doesn’t land in the judges’ hands.

Are you coming back next year?

To tell you the truth, I don’t know yet. My next engagement is to defend my ADCC title in Finland. My plans only go that far, for now. My plans for next year will be drawn after that engagement.

Erberth on the mount that gave him the title. Beatriz Lina

After ending up as the absolute runner-up in his black-belt debut in 2016, Erberth Santos had a prolific season before arriving at the 2017 edition of the BJJ Worlds.

The Almeida Jiu-Jitsu athlete, who represented Atos in the teams’ race, had to overcome losing the top spot in the IBJJF ranking and getting eliminated from the open division in order to shine at super-heavyweight.

He had three matches there, against Fernando Reis (Alliance), Mahamed Aly (Lloyd Irvin) and finally Bernardo Faria (Alliance), whom he beat 9-0.

Graciemag got to talk to Erberth about all of it this week. Here’s the interview.

GRACIEMAG.com: You came through with your promise to win your first world title in 2017. How does it feel?

Erberth Santos: Last year I came to fight for gold in my weight class. I ended up reaching the absolute final and getting knocked out from my division in my first fight. I learned that it doesn’t always go the way we want it to. I worked all year thinking about the Worlds, and, when I lost the fight, I was extremely sad, to the point of not even wanting to fight in the absolute final. But I got support from everybody and went to fight. For this year’s Worlds, my goal was to become champion at my weight, and thank God it worked out. It is gratifying to know that the work that my team and I are doing is correct, but this is just the beginning. The title serves only as motivation to soar higher — that’s why I’ll dedicate myself twice as much so that I can conquer more world championships.

You always talk about your hurdles in reaching the black belt and your victories. What was the biggest obstacle you faced to become world champion?

My life has been tough; it’s never been easy, like everybody knows, but I sought to open up with the right people, who gave me advice and a direction to follow. I’m doing that, and the result is appearing. Maybe that was hardest; I didn’t know what it was like to be applauded. In my life I was always criticized and booed — often for my actions, I’m aware. But today I’m no longer that youth from yesteryear — I don’t respond or fall for rude taunting. I set my fights on fire with respect; that I can do, and I think the public likes it as well.

What was your toughest fight in the super-heavy division?

They were all hard, from the first to the last, but the first one was more complicated, because I had already lost last year in the first one, and the last one for the possibility of getting frustrated — swimming and dying on the beach. The final had enormous pressure. Bernardo is a multichampion with a very efficient game, both on half-guard and passing. I knew there that I could not afford to make mistakes, so I was very focused; I knew I could not blink at all, especially at the end, when he called me to fight. I was only thinking about the title and my dream, my son, my family and everything I went through to get where I got. After the win, I shut down; I thought I was going to celebrate like a madman, but I was so focused and numb, that my celebration was minimal. The feeling of being a world champion is surreal.

This year you fought under Atos, in an association with Almeida JJ. How was it to you to score points for the team of André Galvão, who has become a friend and won a world title alongside you?

It was very good for both teams. I didn’t know André the way I’m beginning to know him; he’s a very good guy, a technical leader with an enormous heart. We’ve struck up an incredible friendship. It’s gratifying to have good people around you. That guy is an example. At the time we fought, I lost on the mat, but won off it. It was a bigger motivation; André was an athlete I knew through magazines and videos, and one day I got to fight that legend of the sport. Today I have the honor of being a friend of the guy.

Do you have a message for young competitors?

There’s no shortcut to becoming champion! There is no such thing as easy path; you’ve just got to work. Run away from excuses, whether it is a lack of money, time or for being on small teams. If you really want to be champion, nothing can stop you! I want to give another valuable tip: Be around good people; that will make you very different.

An emotional Tayane after securing her Grand Slam. Beatriz Lina/ Gallerr

Eight gold medals in the four biggest events of the 2016/2017 season. That was how Tayane Porfírio spent her first year as a black-belt.

In the super-heavyweight division of the Worlds, her guard was key to beating Vanla Luukkonen in an elastic transition that ended in a leg lock. In the absolute division, she defeated Nathiely de Jesus with an americana.

Graciemag got to talk to Tayane this week. You can read the interview below.

GRACIEMAG: What went through your mind when you became world champion?

Tayane Porfírio: I think every athlete has something of a story to tell. My childhood was a little turbulent. Not just my childhood — to this day I have some family issues. Last year, at the time of the Worlds, my sister had disappeared a week before the tournament, and this year I promised to myself that I was going to try to do everything differently. I had problems throughout the year with my dad, who was in hospital before the trip to the Euros as well. I think the pride my mom feels of me is due to me not having given up easily at any point — I always had a strong mind; I really wanted to be a world champion. Dreams really are possible. I am not ashamed of my story, or of where I come from. I come from the country, in Ceará, and I’m very proud to come from where I come from.

About this year’s Worlds: Now, at 22, you are an absolute champion. How does that feel?

The only thing I feel now is relief. I go from January to June with my heart in my throat; I feel like I can flip out at any moment, you know? Because it’s a dream to be a world champion, right? And conquering this dream with double gold is even more — I think it feels like fulfilment.

What was your hardest fight?

A fight’s a fight, but at the Worlds I think the hardest one of all was with Bia Mesquita. All the other ones were pretty tough, but against Bia I won by advantages, and it’s a little risky to be ahead by just advantages, because at any point she could score a point and win. Every fight has a degree of difficulty; I’m very big, and sometimes it’s complicated fighting with smaller girls. I feel much better fighting in my own weight class.

Gabi Garcia was in the stand cheering for you. Do you have a message for her?

I don’t have much to say to Gabi, but I do about Gabi. She has been a valuable piece in BJJ, and, even if in ten years someone does what she did, it won’t be the same. She has done a lot for women’s BJJ, and I think the first thing we owe her is respect. I like her a lot, and I will always admire her. I really want her to come back in 2018; I dream of sharing a podium with her!

Do you think the Worlds would have been more challenging to you if Dominyka were present? How do you think the final would have gone?

I don’t see it as more challenging. Our biggest opponent is ourselves — our mind, anxiety and fears. I don’t know how a fight with Dominyka would have played out, but I would have faced her the same as I faced all the others. A determining factor is heart, the will to win, and I think I have that in spades. I believe that on the mat is that moment that counts, and, when that day comes, it will no doubt be a great fight.

As well as getting double gold at the Worlds, it’s worth noting that you did the same across the Grand Slam. What does such a big victory mean to you?

I’m trying to wake up from the dream I’m living. This is very important to me, not because I conquered it, but for all I’ve been through on my path here. Seeing these eight gold medals makes me look back and see how much I worked to get here, and how many humiliations I had to swallow quietly. I cried a lot, but today I cry with a smile on my face.

Even with a legion of passionate fans, you are always the target of mean messages. How to you deal with that?

Today, the athlete they criticized so much became world champion just one minute into the final, as she pulled guard and sank the leg lock. Before I went in to fight, when they announced my name, everybody was quiet. The only thing that came to my mind was that everybody was thinking, “Fatty fight — it’ll just be ten minutes of standup.” I really want to do differently today. I didn’t expect to finish early, but I wanted to try to show I can be really good at that which I do. I don’t ask anyone to enjoy my BJJ; I respect everyone’s opinion. The only thing I’d like is respect; I think there’s a shortage of that. No one knows my story. No one has lived my life. I don’t care about proving to anybody that I’m the best; I’m there to beat my fears. I think criticizing me won’t change anybody’s life in the slightest. Today I’m a world champion thanks to criticism, because, if it weren’t for it, I think my will to win would not be quite as big.

And what is your tip for new athletes who want to shine in BJJ?

First is always staying down to earth, but most important is not to try to please anyone. Being yourself, with no need to step on anybody. Be honest, because that counts a lot in fighting. God will give you what you really deserve.

Musumeci (blue) in his final duel against João Miyao at the 2017 Worlds. IBJJF

Twenty-year-old Michael Musumeci has written his name in the history of BJJ. Back in 2000, BJ Penn was the first American to win a world championship at Tijuca Tennis Club, in Rio. In 2005 Robert Drysdale got there. In 2007, with the Worlds having already moved to the U.S., it was Rafael Lovato’s turn. And now, ten years after that, Musumeci has become only the fourth American to reach the top of the gentle art.

To achieve his light featherweight title, Musumeci beat four elite adversaries, like 2016 finalist Ary Farias, and João Miyao, an old rival that Mikey ended up meeting in the final.

Graciemag caught up with Musumeci this week. “This was my dream since I was 10 years old, and I am just so happy…” he said. “It feels fake like a dream.”

He added: “This was the fifth time João and me fought, and my fifth victory with him. Every match we have is always a war. I always try, when I’m fighting, to make very little room for opportunity for my opponent. I was able to fight a smart match and secure my first world title.”

Now Musumeci claims his next goal is to become a two-time champion. “Time now to fix my mistakes from this year, rest my body and mind a little and just learn more positions to add to my jiu-jitsu for 2018!” he says.

Meregali was visibly happy about winning the championship in his first year as a black-belt. Beatriz Lina

At 23 years old, Nicholas Meregali, a student under Mario Reis at Alliance, had no easy time at the Worlds. It was his rookie year as a black-belt, after he had won all there was to win at purple and brown. There was immense pressure on him: Would he actually transition into a winner when it were time to take on the elite?

In his weight class, middleweight, there were sharks like Lucas Leite, Jackson Sousa, Adam Wardzinski, Dimitrius Souza, Matheus Diniz, Eduardo Inojosa, Tanner Rice and, oh, Leandro Lo. Meregali dived right in and put up his complex guard.

Meregali beat Helton Junior first, then was pitted against world champion Lucas Leite and finished him via bow-and-arrow choke. The boy from southern Brazil was now among the favorites.

In a semifinal, a triangle on Dimitrius Souza gave him the ticket to the final against Leandro Lo, who had last lost a fight in an IBJJF competition in 2015, in that Worlds’ absolute final against Bernardo Faria.

Meregali pulled off a sweep that took the audience’s breath away, and then used elastic guard skills to contain each of Lo’s crazy attacks and hold the score. He was the new heavyweight world champion.

Click here for our complete coverage of the 2017 World Championship.

Rudson Mateus. Beatriz Lina

Rudson Mateus, of team Caio Terra, shone this weekend with double gold at the brown belt. First among medium heavyweights, he beat six opponents, including Gustavo Batista (Ns Brotherhood) in the final.

In the open division, Rudson had another four matches. First he outplayed Gutemberg Pereira (GFTeam), who was super-heavyweight champion this weekend and ranked among the favorites. Then he defeated heavyweight champion Vinícus Gazola (Alliance). After that, it was time to face ultra-heavyweight Casey Hellenberg (Ribeiro JJ) and secure a spot in the final. Finally Rudson beat Perttu Tepponen (Hilti BJJ) to wrap up his memorable campaign.

Stick around for more coverage of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s biggest day.

Marcus Buchecha takes down Erberth Santos in the open division. Pictures: Beatriz Lina/GRACIEMAG

The legend Marcus Buchecha will be fighting for his fifth absolute gold this Sunday. Meanwhile Leandro Lo has reached his first absolute final — before, he had been stopped by injury, Bernardo Faria or some other hurdle.

While you decide which of the two stars you’re rooting for, how about looking at how they each reached the final?

Unlike in recent years, this has not been an absolute division with a world champion in every corner. That’s the case because André Galvão, Romulo Barral, Felipe Preguiça and more opted to fight only in their weight classes. On just two pages the IBJJF printed the open division’s brackets — half as many as the usual.

Leandro Lo entered the fight area first, and scored an economical 2-0 over Danny Guy. Then he met in a quarterfinal João Gabriel Rocha, who had passed Nicholas Meregali’s guard. Lo swept Rocha for another 2-0 win, although this time he had to hustle to survive incessant attacks. Meanwhile, Luiz Panza was having a perfect fight against Bernardo Faria, pulling to the open guard early, sweeping the 2015 absolute champion and scoring an advantage at the very end to reach the semifinals (4-4 on points).

In their semifinal encounter, Lo had to get around the guard and locks of Panza, his old colleague from events in Sao Paulo, like Copa Podio. Lo did what he had to: he masterfully passed the guard, scoring three points. Close to the end he yielded two points, but got through to the final — nothing fancy, but lots of technique involved.

Lo deciphered Panza’s guard in a semifinal. Beatriz Lina/GRACIEMAG

Buchecha’s fury

Marcus Vinicius “Buchecha” Almeida started out at full force. With a fire-spitting demeanor, the Checkmat teacher first submitted Igor Tigrão on the arm, following a scramble and some different attacks attempted. Next up was Mahamed Aly, who had beaten Matheus Diniz 7-0 in a tough fight. Buchecha hugged super-heavyweight Aly’s waist, took him down and landed almost on the back. After scoring eight points, Buchecha choked him.

His semifinal match was against Erberth Santos. Santos had first beaten Roberto Cyborg by one advantage in an exciting bout. He had then defeated Tanner Rice 2-0 (clearly Rice is a tough opponent, but there was the impression that no one wanted to get too tired).

And then came Buchecha and Santos’s semifinal, the most eventful match from Saturday. Erberth was more alert at the beginning, and shook Buchecha, even throwing him off the mat and into the ad banners. Buchecha came back with a vengeance, stapled Santos and threw him to the ground. Santos tried his best not to allow him to stabilize, but Buchecha was swifter and landed on half-guard. From that point the action subsided, and Buchecha secured a spot in another final, against a Leandro Lo who will be debuting in the biggest fight of the BJJ season.

Who will win this one? Don’t forget to let us know what you think.

(Repost @flograppling) It’s going down!!! Buchecha confirms he will face Leandro on the absolute final of @ibjjf Worlds! #jiujitsu #blackbelt #worlds2017 #ibjjfworlds #ibjjf #brazilianjiujitsu

A post shared by GRACIEMAG | English Edition | (@graciemagazine) on Jun 3, 2017 at 7:45pm PDT

Tayane beats Bia in the women’s absolute

Tayane Porfírio confirmed her position as favorite by securing her spot in the final with two finishes and then a win over Bia Mesquita by 4 advantages to 1 (2-2 on points).

This has been a tournament full of surprises, like Mackenzie Dern’s first-round elimination at the hands of Venla Luukonen, who scored 5-0.

Nathiely Jesus will be Porfírio’s opponent in the final. Nathi looked unstoppable from the get-go, beating Amanda Loewen 20-4. Then she scored eight points to Monique Elias’s six, and in a semifinal she beat Jéssica Flowers 2-0.

Tayane beat Bia Mesquita this Saturday. Beatriz Lina/GRACIEMAG

Lightweight Jonnatas Gracie won the absolute division and got his brown belt from André Galvão. Instagram

This Friday another legion of athletes packed the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach at the 2017 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship. The second day of competition featured blue-, purple- and brown-belts.

Three athletes stood out from even the champion tier by bagging two gold medals: Andresa Cintra (Checkmat) at brown, Jonnatas Gracie (Atos) at purple and Maggie Grindatti (Fight Sports) at blue.

Jonnatas, who receive the name Gracie from his BJJ-loving dad, gave an example of technique cancelling a disadvantage in size. First he won seven matches in the 104-strong lightweight division — the final saw him beat Lucas Nascimento (Alliance).

Then he took on the absolute field, of athletes mostly bigger than himself. Jonnatas beat one by one and reached the final against ultra-heavyweight Vitor Marques (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu), whom he also defeated. Jonnatas had earned his double gold — and then Atos leader André Galvão promoted him to brown-belt on the spot.

Galvão later went online to praise Jonnatas:

I’m super proud of this guy so happy for him… Amazing performance. 19 years old becoming the best Purple Belt of 2017 winning light weight division & the absolute. Jonnatas trains at Atos since last year. His dedication is impressive.

Best Purple Belt of the World ?? || my student @jonnatas_gracie won double gold today Worlds 2017 defeating 3 Ultra Heavy Weights in a row (1st, 2nd & 3rd Place from Ultra Heavy Purple). I’m super proud of this guy so happy for him…amazing performance. 19 years old becoming the best Purple Belt of 2017 winning light weight division & the absolute. Jonnatas trains at @atosjiujitsuhq since last year. His dedication is impressive. I’m so happy right now hahahaha! Congrats Jonnatas and all his team mates from San Diego Ca. We did it!!! Praise God… ?? #Discipline #HardWork #Dedication #AtosHQ #JonnatasGracie #Champion #Jiujitsu #BJJ || Melhor faixa roxa do mundo ?? || Meu aluno @jonnatas_gracie ganhou o ouro duplo hoje Worlds 2017 derrotando 3 pesadíssimos um@atras do outro (1º, 2º e 3º lugar do Pesadíssimo Roxa). Estou super orgulhoso desse cara tão feliz por ele … performance incrível. 19 anos, tornando-se o melhor faixa roxa de 2017, ganhando o peso leve e o absoluto. Jonnatas treina no @atosjiujitsuhq desde o ano passado. Sua dedicação é impressionante. Estou muito feliz por ele hahahaha! Parabéns Jonnatas e todos os seus companheiros de equipe de San Diego Ca. Nós fizemos isso!!! Glórias a Deus … ?? #Disciplina #Hardwork #Dedicação #AtosHQ #JonnatasGracie #Champion #Jiujitsu #BJJ

A post shared by Andre Galvao Official (@galvaobjj) on Jun 2, 2017 at 11:26pm PDT

Women’s

Andressa Cintra also mowed down her competition. The brown-belt won medium heavyweight and absolute gold, both against fellow Checkmat fighter Samantha Cook.

At blue, Maggie Grindatti was the big winner. In order to beat the medium heavyweight field, she won three fights before defeating Rebecca Faris (MXT Fight Academy) in the final. Then she won four fights in the open division, including the final against Chloe Mcnally (Unity Jiu-Jitsu).

Teams

At the end of day 2, Atos led the men’s race with 64 points, trailed by GFTeam at 37 and Cícero Costha at 27. Checkmat was leading the women’s race with 50, followed by Gracie Barra at 43 and Alliance at 34.

You can click here to get the complete results so far.

Pedro Machado displays his two gold medals on the absolute podium.

Thursday, June 1st, saw the first day of the 2017 World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship in Long Beach. Kicking off the action at the Walter Pyramid were the white-, blue- and purple-belts in the adult divisions.

Most noteworthy were events that transpired in the women’s purple belt absolute and the men’s blue belt. American purple-belt Jessica Guendry, of Soul Fighters, nabbed double gold, as did Brazilian blue-belt Pedro Machado, of Gordo Jiu-Jitsu.

Medium heavyweight Guendry won four bouts in her weight division, including the final opposite Emily Sheil (JR Academy). In the open division, Guendry won three more matches before facing and defeating Kendall Reusing (Gracie Barra).

Pedro Machado, a medium heavyweight blue-belt under Paulo “Rabicó” Perrota, won his weight division’s final over Reda Hamzaoui (GF Team) by sweeping and scoring 2-0. That meant he had beaten a massive field of 66 other athletes, all told. In the open division, he defeated three opponents to reach the final against Taylor Kettler (Renato Tavares Association), which he won as well.

You can click here to see the results of the 2017 Worlds so far.

Marcus Buchecha ranks among the favorites in the ultra-heavyweight division. Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

The 2017 World Championship is here, and a big part of the athletes that will compete in the Pyramid in Long Beach have already landed in the U.S. and are laser-focused on the event.

Now the IBJJF has published the official brackets for the adult black belt divisions of both genders, and we have compiled them to make it easier on you.

Stars like Marcus Buchecha, Leandro Lo, Bruno Malfacine, André Galvão, Rubens Cobrinha, Bernardo Faria, Bia Mesquita and Talita Treta — all of whom are world champions — are joined by avid fighters seeking their first world titles, such as Erberth Santos, Márcio André, Lucas Hulk, Isaque Bahiense and Tayane Porfírio .

You can see the complete list of brackets below and tell us which you think will be some of the inevitable early casualties in fields packed with so much talent.

MALE

Rooster (1/1)

Light-feather (1/2)

Light-feather (2/2)

Feather (1/2)

Feather (2/2)

Light (1/2)

Light (2/2)

Middle (1/2)

Middle (2/2)

Medium-heavy (1/2)

Medium-heavy (2/2)

Heavy (1/2)

Heavy (2/2)

Super-heavy (1/1)

Ultra-heavy (1/1)

FEMALE

Rooster

Light-feather

Feather

Light

Middle

Medium-heavy

Heavy

Super-heavy