It’s time to present the accounts pertaining to the forecasts made for the black belt categories.

Did blog editor Ivan Trindade have more misses than bull’s eyes, or was it the other way around?

On the Worlds Blog he placed his bets on the semifinalists, finalists and winners of each weight group from rooster to heavyweight.

What follows is the final tally of his hits and misses.

Here they go:

Correct semifinals: 10 points

Correct final: 30 points

Correct champion: 50 points

Total possible points for each division: 100 points

After adding up the points Ivan has the right to a whine, explaining what he got right and wrong.

Roosterweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Bruno Malfacine vs. Felipe Costa
Caio Terra vs. Rafael de Freitas

Final
Bruno Malfacine vs. Caio Terra

Champion
Caio Terra

Results

Semifinals
Bruno Malfacine vs. Josef Manuel
Caio Terra vs. Yusuke Honma

Final
Bruno Malfacine vs. Caio Terra

Champion
Bruno Malfacine

Score: 30pts

Editor’s whine: Of the four semifinalists I got two right, but they were no-brainers and I messed up on the two semifinals, since the opponents changed. I nailed the final, which was a sure thing, and I blew it on the champion. In good cheer, Malfacine told me my bet on the final was extra added motivation to get his fourth world title. I had a poor start.

Light Featherweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Gui Mendes vs. Samuel Braga
Samir Chantre vs. Pablo Silva

Final
Gui Mendes vs. Pablo Silva

Champion
Gui Mendes

Results

Semifinals
Gui Mendes vs. Samuel Braga
Samir Chantre vs. Ary de Farias

Final
Gui Mendes vs. Ary de Farias

Champion
Gui Mendes

Score: 60pts

Editor’s whine: Here my big mistake was not betting on Ary! The newly-promoted Atos black belt was a perfect counterpart for Gui Mendes and made it to the final, laying waste to my semifinal and final predictions. At least I got it right that Mendes would come back balls to the wall following his disappointment in 2010.

Featherweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Cobrinha vs. Tanquinho
Rafa Mendes vs. Mário Reis

Final
Tanquinho vs. Rafa Mendes

Champion
Rafael Mendes

Results

Semifinals
Cobrinha vs. Tanquinho
Rafa Mendes vs. Mário Reis

Final
Tanquinho vs. Rafa Mendes

Champion
Rafael Mendes

Score: 100pts

Editor’s whine: I nailed featherweight! I bet on Tanquinho against Cobrinha and that was one of the picks that got me the most criticism. A journalist with years of Worlds coverage experience guaranteed me that Cobrinha would submit the Soul Fighters rep. My bet on a second world title going to Rafael stemmed from the belief that it was highly unlikely Mendes would fall for the same trap from his like-last-named rival Augusto. Tanquinho told me just before the final: “I won you your bet for the semifinal, but I’ll have to break you in the decider.” Almost.

Lightweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Michael Langhi vs. Leandro Lo
Lucas Lepri vs. Celsinho

Final
Michael Langhi vs. Celso Venícius

Champion
Michael Langi

Results

Semifinals
Michael Langi vs. Kron Gracie
Gilbert Durinho vs. Jonathan Torres

Final
Kron Gracie vs. Durinho

Champion
Gilbert ”Durinho” Burns

Score: 0pts

Editor’s whine: While featherweight was my big success, lightweight was a disaster. My only consolation was that there were a lot of others who messed up along with me. Who’d have put their chips on Durinho in a division stacked with Langhi, Celso, Lepri, Kron and latest sensation Leandro Lo? Well, Gilberto did and took gold. Indeed, betting on Langhi to beat Lo in the semifinal was another that garnered me a lot of criticism, and in fact Leandro didn’t even make it to the semis, having submitted to Kron in the quarterfinals.

Middleweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Marcelinho vs. Guto Campos
Calasans vs. Lucas Leite

Final
Marcelinho vs. Calasans

Champion
Marcelinho

Results

Semifinals
Marcelinho vs. Guto Campos
Lucas Leite vs. Clark Gracie

Final
Marcelinho vs. Lucas Leite

Champion
Marcelinho

Score: 60pts

Editor’s whine: At middleweight, Claudio Calasans Jr.’s injury in the absolute on Saturday threw a wrench in my plans. Thus I got the semifinals and final wrong, which I still believe would have been the same as from 2010 had Calasans been ok. At least getting Marcelo Garcia’s fifth world title right scored me some points.

Medium Heavyweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Rominho vs. Eduardo Santoro
Serginho Moraes vs. Otávio Souza

Final
Rominho vs. Serginho

Champion
Rominho

Results

Semifinals
Rominho vs. Eduardo Santoro
Serginho Moraes vs. Rogel Monsalve

Final
Rominho vs. Serginho

Champion
Serginho

Score: 40pts

Editor’s whine: I started out well getting three of the four semifinalists right and nailing the final. In the decider, I knew it would be a tough battle but I had the feeling Rômulo ride in roughshod to bid farewell to competition with a gold. The Minas Gerais native did his all, but Sérgio did a swell job and landed a takedown in the final.

Heavyweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Bernardo Faria vs. Roberto Tussa
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Rafael Lovato Jr

Final
Bernardo vs. Rodolfo

Champion
Rodolfo Vieira

Results

Semifinals
Bernardo Faria vs. Antônio Barbosa
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Rafael Lovato Jr

Final
Bernardo vs. Rodolfo

Champion
Rodolfo Vieira

Score: 90pts

Editor’s whine: A near perfect division. I bet on the favorites and didn’t miss one. Only black belt newbie Antônio “Cara de Sapato” rained on my parade in the semifinals.

Super Heavyweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Marcus Bochecha vs. Antônio Peinado
Leo Nogueira vs. Ricardo Henrique

Final
Bochecha vs. Leo Nogueira

Champion
Bochecha

Results

Semifinals
Marcus Bochecha vs. Antônio Peinado
Leo Nogueira vs. João Assis

Final
Bochecha vs. Leo Nogueira

Champion
Leo Nogueira

Score: 40pts

Editor’s whine: With Roger Gracie not taking part in the division, I figured I’d bet on youth. I started out well with three of the four semifinalists and getting the final right. However, it was my faith in Bochech’s youth over the somewhat more experienced Leo that was my downfall. At least the winner was only decided by referees’ decision.

Ultraheavyweight

Predictions

Semifinals
Roberto Cyborg vs. Antônio Braga Neto
Rodrigo Cavaca vs. Fabiano Scherner

Final
Roberto Cyborg vs. Rodrigo Cavaca

Champion
Roberto Cyborg

Results

Semifinals
Roberto Cyborg vs. Antônio Braga Neto
Rodrigo Cavaca vs. Marcio Cruz

Final
Braga Neto vs. Cavaca

Champion
Braga Neto

Score: 10pts

Editor’s whine: To wrap up, I didn’t do so hot at ultraheavyweight. I didn’t believe in Braga Neto and paid for it. The Manaus native had his revenge on Cyborg for his loss to him in 2010 and didn’t give Cavaca a chance in the decider, stripping the São Paulo native of a second title. Serves me right.

Overall score: 430pts of 900 possible points

Final whine: I scored less than half the points possible, but I was only 20 points (or two semifinals) under 50%. I was on the mark for four of the nine champions but didn’t nail a single surprise, only getting it right on the shoo-ins. A number of Worlds Blog readers got their predictions right as well. The comments section is open for you to post your scores. Best wishes and see you next time!

Another World Championship enters the history books.

Rodolfo Vieira was crowned the new king of the absolute black belt division, the ninth since 1996.

Besides be big winner, another of other champions left the Long Beach pyramid smiling.

And it wasn’t just the wins that made the 2011 Worlds what it was. The four-day contest in California was stage to drama, controversy, dogged determination, emotion, and technical proficiency.

And you kept up with it all on the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog.

To wrap up, the Blog ran the numbers on the 22 days of coverage running from May 16 to Monday, June 6.

Rush over there and relive the excitement from the 2011 Worlds.

See you in 2012!

You know who won, may have even watched live over the internet.

Well, just as the Monday newspaper does, the Worlds Blog brings you more.

So drop by the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog to check out what the Monday issue brings.

Didn’t find the information you were looking for on GRACIEMAG.com?

Shoot over to the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog.

The Blog team is constantly updating it with information on the mother of all Jiu-Jitsu events.

Find out who won, who lost, what went on behind the scenes, and what the champions had to say.

Waste no time and keep it open the tab next to GRACIEMAG.com on your browser.

Photographers Dan Rod and Ivan Trindade were on the ball and now serve up 50 displays of strength, determination and, above all, technique caught on camera in the Long Beach Pyramid.

Check out the photos from Saturday:

[flickr set=72157626761017243]

The Long Beach pyramid was nearly empty that Saturday night of the 2010 World Championship. Even so, there was still quite a ruckus coming from the crowd cheering for the two finalists. The match didn’t happen, just the arm of the victor being raised after the athletes from team CheckMat in the brown belt absolute closed out the final. The arm raised was that of Vinícius “Bochecha” Almeida.

Later on, at the podium, the same cheering section chimed in with a chant that promised major emotions for the very venue one year later. “Hey, Roger Gracie, wait and see, your time will come!” they roared. At the top of the podium, Bochecha, who had just turned 20, was all smiles. His black belt soon followed and Bochecha kept up the solid results – the main one coming at the 2011 Pan, where he won the superheavyweight division.

With the Worlds approaching, all signs pointed to the showdown foreshadowed in the song happening, but Roger’s absence poured a bucket of ice water on those expectations. Less than a week before kick off at the contest in Long Beach, Bochecha spoke with the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog about what he expects from his performance, lamented the Gracie’s no show, pointed out his strengths and defects, and revealed the less-than-modest dreams he has for his career.

Bernardo Faria always makes his presence at championships felt by everyone around. There are two reasons for this: the high level of Jiu-Jitsu he wields and the intensity with which he celebrates his victories and mourns defeats.

Anyone who was watching on Saturday and Sunday at the 2010 Worlds remembers the copious tears streaking his face on Saturday, after losing to Rômulo Barral in the quarterfinals of the absolute division. By the same token, the joy emanating from him one day later, after winning the heavyweight contest, was equally memorable.

One of the big names of the new generation, Bernardo spoke exclusively to the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog. During the candid conversation, the black belt answered whether the world championship title changed his life, bravely broke down his recent losses to Rodolfo Vieira, insisted that he’s not a one-trick fighter, and explained why he gets so excited with his matches.

If in the men’s division Royler has had his day, the present is dominated by superchampion Roger, and the futureof the promising Kayron, Kron and Clark seems guaranteed; for some time now the females of the family have been represented by one lone lady warrior: Kyra Gracie.

Her medal tally since 2004 comes to four golds, four silvers and one bronze in World Championship competition. A three-time lightweight champion (in fact Kyra counts four lightweight titles once she closed out the division in 2004 with Bianca Andrade, officially getting the silver medal) and winner of the 2008 absolute, Kyra owes nothing to family influence when it comes to her conquests. In 2011 she plans to add further glory to her mantel.

Just before taking off for Miami, to go through the final phase of training with her uncle Rillion, Kyra had an exclusive chat with the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog. In the interview the Gracie touched on the pressure inherent in her famous last name, said what she thinks about the traditional anti-Gracie portion of the crowd at championships, responded to whether her busy extra-mat life hampers her training, and revealed if she considers Luanna Alzuguir to be her greatest rival.

Cobrinha in the arms of the masses in 2009

The very day the Jiu-Jitsu community was taken aback by the first-hand news from GRACIEMAG.com that Roger Gracie will be a no-show at the 2011 Worlds, another gentle art legend made an announcement quite the opposite.

Moments ago, four-time world champion Rubens Charles “Cobrinha” tweeted word that he’s added his name to the list.

“I want to thank Fabio Gurgel and Romero “Jacaré” Cavalcanti for encouraging me to compete at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. I just signed up. I also want to thank Michael and Michel Langhi, Gabriel Goulart, Lucas Lepri, Rafael Rosendo, Bruno Malfacine, Fabio Passos and my students for the great training. I’m feeling better than ever! I’ll do my best!”

Thus, the opportunity for another Rafael Mendes-Cobrinha showdown arises – the third in Worlds action.

The score is tied at 1-1, with Cobrinha wining the 2009 featherweight division semifinal and Rafa reciprocating last year.

A reminder of Cobrinha’s course in Worlds history: he won the featherweight division every year between 2006 and 2009.

In 2007 Cobra had the achievement of becoming world champion without so much as an advantage point scored against him.

Stay tuned to the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog for complete coverage of the 2011 Worlds.

For the first time since 2003 Roger Gracie will not be in the final of the absolute black belt contest at the World Championship.

GRACIEMAG.com came upon the exclusive information a short while back in a conversation with the three-time absolute world champion by phone, confirming the Gracie will not be signing up for this year’s championship.

In an interview published on the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog a little over a week ago Roger had already stated that he was unsure whether he would participate, due to a leg injury that kept him from training for five weeks.

“I tried to get back to full-on training to get into the best shape I could, but I saw that I wouldn’t be able to be 100% to fight. So I decided to sit this one out,” said Roger, direct from London.

That being the case, the biggest throne in Jiu-Jitsu is up for grabs.

Who are you betting on to be the next black belt to claim the title of absolute champion of the world, dear reader? Rodolfo Vieira, Rômulo Barral, Bernardo Faria, Marcus Vinícius “Bochecha, Roberto Cyborg?

He doesn’t top 60kg (132lbs), but he tends to make quite a bit of noise both when he fights and when he speaks. At the 2011 Pan he caused quite a ruckus by mentioning steroid use, stirring up a controversy that echoed around the world in the days that followed. At the 2011 Worlds Caio Terra again wants to again be the center of attention, at least in the roosterweight division. But in doing so he’ll have to make it past a familiar adversary.

In 2008 Terra was crowned champion upon outpointing Yusuke Honma by 6 to 4, following a tapout win over Bruno Malfacine in the semifinal. In 2009 and 2010 Malfa dealt Caio comeuppance, with two narrow – and in the case of last year’s final, contested – wins. At the 2011 Pan, now as a light featherweight, Caio evened the score with his nemesis from Alliance, who still retains a 3-1 lead when it comes to world titles. They are surely on course for collision in Long Beach.

In an exclusive GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog interview Caio Terra spoke of his rivaly with Malfacine, rejected the reputation of being a whiner, revealed the secret to fighting well against bigger opponents, and put forth how he is preparing to pursue his second world title.

Four-time world champ Marcelo Garcia is also a whiz when it comes to business.

The owner of online teaching website MG in Action today today made an announcement over the internet of great interest to the black belts to compete at the 2011 Worlds.

The website will split 10,000 dollars between the champions in Long Beach.

Rush to the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog to find out the details.