Musumeci extends his arm and gets the handshake denied by Malfacine. Blanca Marisa Garcia

With three world titles across two weight divisions, Mikey Musumeci this year put his name side by side with the likes of Leandro Lo, Saulo Ribeiro and André Galvão. The campaign of the 22-year-old American at this year’s World Jiu-Jitsu Championship was impeccable, ending with a 12-second submission win over Rodnei Barbosa for the roosterweight crown. But there was a lot more going on in the division — a tale of Musumeci’s origins, in fact.

The semifinal round saw Musumeci take on Bruno Malfacine, who was returning from his announced retirement, in 2018, to again compete for the roosterweight title. With a score of 10-8, Musumeci beat his idol, later offering him a handshake. Malfacine declined it at the time. (See it here.)

Hours later, Malfacine told his version on social media, explaining that not shaking Musumeci’s hand was for a reason other than being eliminated.

“It’s personal issues. Mikey and I will talk in private,” Malfacine wrote on Instagram. “I expect more from myself and just let my emotions control me in that moment and I apologize for the awful behavior.”

To better understand the situation, Graciemag spoke with Musumeci, and he exclusively revealed a pact he had made with Malfacine a few years back. Here’s what he had to say:

“Man, fighting Bruno was one of the hardest things I had to do, because he was an instructor of mine when I was a kid. Like, I didn’t train at his gym; his gym was about 4 and a half hours from my house. But I used to take private lessons from him, and he was my biggest idol when I was a little kid. So competing with him was very, very difficult for me.

“The last three years, I did the light feather division out of respect for him, because he was in the roosterweight division, and out of respect for him I said, ‘Okay, Bruno, I’ll do light feather, and when you retire, I’ll fight in the roosterweight division.’ So we were set to do that. He retired last year, and he told me he wasn’t gonna do roosterweight this year; he was gonna focus on MMA. But then, last second, he signed up to fight roosterweight, and I was already dieting and everything for roosterweight. So I didn’t wanna move up to, like, feather. And he didn’t tell me he was fighting, so we ended up competing. So for me it was very hard to handle my emotions and keep composed during that match.

“I felt like I wasn’t even, like, fighting how I would normally fight, because I felt almost bad fighting with him, just because I cared about him to a certain extent. It was a hard situation. I’m very grateful that I ended up winning that match, but if you ask whether I was happy about the match, not really, because it was more sad fighting than happy.

“I think the handshake incident was just, he got emotional as well, and he was just upset with the match. And he’s a legend. He’s done a lot for jiu-jitsu, for me — he’s inspired me a lot. So I have so much respect for him… And I don’t think we should take one incident to view him as a whole.”

Marcus Buchecha took double gold, making him a 13-time world champion. Blanca Marisa Garcia

We have reached the end of four days of action featuring the world’s best BJJ fighters in another fantastic edition of the IBJJF Worlds, held from May 30 through June 2 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach.

In the final day of the event, this Sunday, fans of the gentle art got to see which athletes would walk away with the season’s biggest bragging rights, as well as the cash prizes.

Marcus Buchecha extended his reign with a double-gold campaign, meaning he now has 13 world titles as a black-belt. Nathiely de Jesus conquered not just the heavyweight title, but also her first absolute.

Graciemag was matside to bring you a summary of the 19 finals, so keep reading.

Coverage of the 2019 Worlds brought to you by
@kamikaze.sports and @keiko_sports

MEN

ROOSTER – Mikey Musumeci vs. Rodnei Barbosa

Twelve seconds was all it took Mikey Musumeci (CTA) to place his name even higher in the BJJ world. A quick motion with a foot attack was enough to defeat Rodnei Barbosa (Qatar BJJ) and earn Musumeci his third world title, the first at rooster. It’s worth noting that the semifinal round saw Musumeci beat Bruno Malfacine, the ten-time champion. A perfect run for the first three-time IBJJF champion hailing from the U.S.

LIGHT FEATHER – João Miyao vs. Paulo Miyao

With a true task-force in the division, team Cícero Costha had Hiago George, José Tiago, João and Paulo Miyao all reaching the semis. Hiago and José opened the path for the Miyaos to close out the final, with João bagging his first world title.

FEATHER – Matheus Gabriel vs. Marcio Andre

By winning gold at the 2019 Pan against Shane Hill-Taylor, Matheus Gabriel (Checkmat) had put his name amongst the favorites. And he went all the way. In the final, Matheus was face to face with Marcio Andre (Nova União), who got tangled up and tried to finish on the foot, opening up space for Matheus to come up for two points. Then, in a sweep attempt by Marcio, Matheus had room to slip to the back, set the inverted triangle and finish on the arm.

LIGHT – Lucas Lepri vs. Lucas Valente
Lucas Lepri (Alliance) stepped on the mat with the mission of winning his sixth title. Across from him, the young and talented Lucas Valente (Gracie Barra), a pupil of Vinicius Draculino, was shooting for his first. This was a guard vs. passer duel, with Lepri applying pressure on top while Valente sought space to adjust himself and sweep. At the end, with 0-0 on the scoreboard, Lepri’s win came by judges’ decision.

MIDDLE – Gabriel Arges vs. Isaque Bahiense

In one of the most breathtaking matches of the weekend, Gabriel Arges (Gracie Barra) showed heart until the last second to beat Isaque Bahiense (Alliance) in a duel of world champions. After a war of sweeps that left the score at 4-4, Isaque was leading 2-1 on advantages. On top, Isaque saw the fight reach its last minute as he was playing guard on the 50/50. Gabriel then exploded, left the guard, came up and almost took the back. After the whistle, the referee signaled two advantages for Gabriel (sweep and back-take), flipping the advantages score to 3-2. A GB party ensued, with a very emotional Romulo Barral, who had been following the action closely.

MEDIUM HEAVY – Felipe Preguiça vs. Gustavo Batista

Another clash of world champions in Felipe Preguiça (Gracie Barra) versus Gustavo Batista (Atos). In a cerebral fight, with both competitors fighting for each grip, the final minute was reached with a 4-4 score. Before the end, Gustavo attacked a foot and won an advantage, but as he attacked he couldn’t stop Preguiça from coming up on the 50/50, winning an advantage to match it. With a level score, the judges gave the title to Preguiça.

HEAVY – Kaynan Duarte vs. Leandro Lo

The most highly anticipated final, the match between Kaynan Duarte (Atos) and Leandro Lo (NS Brotherhood) meant a battle of styles, of youth against experience, of the weathered champion against the newcomer in his first year among the elite. The expectations were met with an amazing fight in which Kaynan passed Lo’s elastic guard to get a lead and was then surprised by a takedown by Lo, who had to escape Kaynan’s guillotine before securing the points. On top, Lo tried to pass, but Kaynan came up and took him down with a single-leg, scoring another two points to win — 5-2.

SUPER-HEAVY – Nicholas Meregali vs. Mahamed Aly

After being stopped in the absolute, Nicholas Meregali (Alliance) came back even hungrier to win his second world title in his weight division. His opponent was Mahamed Aly (Lloyd Irvin), the title holder, but Meregali gave him no chances. Playing guard, Meregali attacked multiple times, changing from the triangle to the omoplata, until reaching the back. Mahamed was tenacious enough to escape, but Meregali was on top, continuing to apply pressure until taking the back once more and achieving a choke.

ULTRA-HEAVY – Marcus Buchecha vs. Ricardo Evangelista

Marcus Buchecha (Checkmat) went after Ricardo Evangelista (GFTeam) and brought his well-known game volume to bring the ultra-heavyweight final up to his speed. With a sequence of takedowns and control on the ground, Buchecha accumulated 18 points before choking Ricardo from the back.

ABSOLUTE – Marcus Buchecha vs. Leandro Lo

Returning the gesture by his friend from 2018, this time it was Lo’s turn to hand Buchecha the absolute title on a platter. An unprecedented 13th world title for Buchecha.

Nathiely de Jesus lets it all out after winning, for the first time, the absolute world title. Blanca Marisa Garcia

WOMEN

ROOSTER – Mayssa Bastos vs. Rikako Yuasa

In a solid debut among black-belts in World Championships, Mayssa Bastos (GFTeam) not only secured gold at roosterweight, but also removed the division’s reigning four-time queen, Rikako Yuasa (Paraestra). Conscious in her actions, Mayssa controlled Rikako in a war of sweeps, which led to a 6-6 score, landing on top at the end with one extra advantage.

LIGHT FEATHER – Tammi Musumeci vs. Amanda Monteiro
The sister of three-time champion Mikey Musumeci, Tammi Musumeci (CTA) arrived in the final after beating the world champions Talita Alencar and Gezary Matuda. Before claiming the gold medal, she still had another one of those, Amanda Monteiro (GFTeam), to face. Tammi scored an advantage by almost taking the back, then controlling from the guard and preventing Amanda’s strong top game from beating her guard.

FEATHER – Ana Schimitt vs. Bia Basílio
Ana Schimitt (Nova União) shone again on the World Championship stage, this time against Bia Basílio (Almeida JJ). The fight was a tense one right in the first few minutes, after each of them took three penalties for not coming up from the double pull. In the fourth pull, Bia came up and got the advantage, and Ana worked hard to sweep. In the final seconds, Ana made a coming up motion good for one advantage, leveling the score. Then, per the judges’ decision, she took the title.

LIGHT – Bia Mesquita vs. Charlotte von Baumgarten

In an eventful match, Bia Mesquita (Gracie Humaitá) confirmed her favoritism over Charlotte von Baumgarten (Alliance). To do this, Bia swept, mounted and launched a choke attack. Charlotte tried to respond, getting on top, but Bia proceeded to end it with a triangle variation where one stretches their legs to generate the necessary pressure — the teepee choke.

MIDDLE – Ana Carolina Vieira vs. Laurah Hallock
Ana Carolina Vieira (GFTeam) gave Laurah Hallock (GFTeam) no chances. In one fell swoop, the sister of Rodolfo Vieira swept, mounted, took the back and lapel-choked, winning another gold medal.

MEDIUM HEAVY – Andressa Cintra vs. Luiza Monteiro
A nice twist in the fight between Andressa Cintra (Gracie Barra) and Luiza Monteiro (Atos). Luiza was more aggressive, with attacks on the legs and feet. But it was Andressa who performed the one decisive attack: in an attempt to pass guard, she managed to take the back with the proper grips for choking already in place. So she just adjusted and claimed the title.

HEAVY – Nathiely de Jesus vs. Fernanda Mazzelli

Nathiely de Jesus (Rodrigo Pinheiro BJJ) went after Fernanda Mazzelli (Striker JJ), and the pressure paid off. Her precise transition got her on Fernanda’s back, and then a choke put an end to the match.

SUPER-HEAVY – Claudia do Val vs. Venla Luukkonen

Claudia do Val (De la Riva), queen of the 2018/2019 IBJJF rankings, overcame the veteran Venla Luukkonen (Hilti BJJ) as she set a triangle, swept with that triangle locked in place, and then employed an armlock from it.

ABSOLUTE – Nathiely de Jesus vs. Bia Mesquita
On one side, the experienced Bia Mesquita was shooting for another absolute title; on the other, Nathiely hoped to get there for the first time. Nathi swept for two points, and Bia deployed her dangerous guard to try to sweep back or finish. Bia attempted, at the end, an attack on the foot and a leg lock, but Nathi used the space to come up again, reach a 4-0 lead and lock down double gold.

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COMPLETE RESULTS:

WOMEN

ROOSTER
Mayssa Bastos def. Rikako Yuasa, 1-0 advantages after 6-6 points

LIGHT FEATHER
Tammi Musumeci def. Amanda Monteiro, 1-0 advantages

FEATHER
Ana Schimitt def. Bia Basílio, decision

LIGHT
Bia Mesquita def. Charlotte Von Baumgarten, teepee choke

MIDDLE
Ana Carolina Vieira def. Laurah Hallock, choke from the back

MEDIUM HEAVY
Andressa Cintra def. Luiza Monteiro, choke from the back

HEAVY
Nathiely de Jesus def. Fernanda Mazzelli, choke from the back

SUPER-HEAVY
Claudia Do Val def. Venla Luukkonen no armlock do triângulo

ABSOLUTE
Nathiely de Jesus def. Bia Mesquita, 4-0 points

===

MEN

ROOSTER
Mikey Musumeci def. Rodnei Barbosa, foot lock

LIGHT FEATHER
João Miyao and Paulo Miyao closed it out for Cícero Costha

FEATHER
Matheus Gabriel def. Marcio Andre, armlock from inverted triangle

LIGHT
Lucas Lepri def. Lucas Valente, decision

MIDDLE
Gabriel Arges def. Isaque Bahiense, 3-2 advantages after 4-4 points

MEDIUM HEAVY
Felipe “Preguiça” def. Gustavo Batista, decision

HEAVY
Kaynan Duarte def. Leandro Lo, 5-2 points

SUPER-HEAVY
Nicholas Meregali def. Mahamed Aly, choke from the back

ULTRA-HEAVY
Marcus “Buchecha” def. Ricardo Evangelista, choke from the back

ABSOLUTE
Marcus “Buchecha” and Leandro Lo closed it out

Bruno Malfacine. Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

It’s time for the Walter Pyramid to shake! The 2019 IBJJF World Championship, set to take place between May 30 and June 2, is a historic one even before the first pair of fighters steps on the mat. For the first time since the inception of the federation, the biggest BJJ event worldwide will be offering cash prizes to its main stars.

And, as expected, all of the strongest fighters of the current generation, plus some relentless veterans, will be in the running for prizes up to ten thousand dollars. Men’s and women’s divisions have never been this packed with talent, so we gave the sign-up sheets a good look to bring you the names to watch.

Our opinion is that the men’s roosterweight division will be exceptionally competitive, with Bruno Malfacine, a ten-time world champion, having chosen to unretire, and Michael Musumeci, a two-time light featherweight champion, crashing Bruno’s division at the last minute. And that’s before we mention two-time champions Caio Terra and Omar Salum, and Felipe Costa, who is also a world champion. Whew.

Elsewhere, world champions like Paulo Miyao, Shane Hill-Taylor, Lucas Lepri, Michael Langhi, Isaque Bahiense, Claudio Calasans, Gabriel Arges, Otávio Sousa, Felipe Preguiça, Leandro Lo, Nicholas Meregali, Mahamed Aly, Rodrigo Cavaca and Marcus Buchecha, as well as Rikako Yuasa, Talita Alencar, Gezary Matuda, Amanda Monteiro, Karen Antunes, Ana Carolina Schmitt, Bia Mesquita, Ana Carolina Vieira, Luanna Alzuguir, Talita Treta, Nathiely de Jesus Fernanda Mazzelli and Claudia Do Val, will be vying for more gold in California. And, of course, there are throngs of brilliant athletes seeking to claim the biggest glory in BJJ for the first time in their lives.

Below is our complete list of standouts. Be sure to let us know who you think can win in the weight divisions and in the absolute.

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