As usual, the best newsteam in the Jiu-Jitsu media was there to cover all the action and brought our readers to the middle of the action. Photographers Dan Rod, Ivan Trindade and Erin Herle captured thrilling images from which we selected the 28 best.

1 – During the Worlds, Photographer Ivan Trindade captured this incredible detail of a competitor that lost his contacts, found it and put back in his eye

2 – Blue Belt Luciano Mariano was the living (and grappling) proof during the Worlds that when you want it, nothing can stop you

3 – Tim Spriggs did great in his last Worlds as a brown belt and even had time to conduct his fans

4 – Rubens Cobrinha expression and Isaque Paiva’s face translate with perfection the score of their featherweight match at the Worlds

5 – As the image of Leo Nogueira illustrates, understanding defeat is the first step towards victory

6 – Bernardo Faria’s reaction is as powerful as Rodolfo Vieira’s guard passing drive

7 – Braulio Estima used all his focus at the Worlds, when he was after his forth title

8 – Leandro Lo and Keenan Cornelius waged one of the most epic guard battles in the history of the Worlds

9 – The open class quaterfinals between Felipe Pena and Luiz Panza was so close that at the end both fighters had eyes wide open on the scoreboard

10 – The hug between Rodolfo Vieira and Julio Cesar Pereira after the Worlds black belt open class semifinal had the intensity of the work done to get there

11 – One of the most curious moments of the Worlds was when Buchecha looked into the crowd in the middle of the fight with Keenan Cornelius to find who called him a staller

12 – Bernardo Faria had his best moment ever in his long history of fighting Rodolfo Vieira at the Worlds superheavy final

13 – Paulo Miyao did all he could to defeat Gui Mendes in the light-featherweight division

14 – Gui Mendes survived to impose his experience in the end

15 – The desire to win turned into tears when defeat came

16 – The podium picture made clear the difference of sensation between first and second

17 – Rafael Mendes had a disappointing 2013 Worlds and came back this year with his war face on to win his fourth title 

18 – After the win, the level of celebration gave a measure of how much the victory meant

19 – The smile on Murilo Santana’s face is only one of those split seconds captured by the camera that when frozen for eternity assumed a completely new meaning

20 – Alex Trans passed Buchecha’s guard and for 30s thought he could actually win the ultra-heavyweight final

22 – Dan Rod’s picture of the crowd reacting to Tammi Musumeci’s injury became a instantaneous classic

23 – Otavio Sousa and Leandro Lo withheld nothing in their middleweight final and Ivan Trindade’s picture was the perfect translation of that 

24 – GRACIEMAG’s photographers are primarily reporters and that’s why Ivan Trindade captured with exclusivity the personal moment between Professor Cavaca and pupil Buchecha minutes prior to the open class final

25 – Buchecha’s wrestling takedown became the most important two points scored in the entire season for his third open class title, something never done before

26 – The three-time absolute world champion is literally a force of nature in BJJ today. Who can stop Buchecha today?

27 – The celebration with the Checkmat crowd even had the traditional champions’ champagne shower

28 – After the win, Buchecha took some time to revere the trophy that only he and Roger Gracie have – three-time open class world champion

29 -In the American Nationals,  Andris Brunovskis had the perfect face for someone being disqualified

30 – Keenan Cornelius’ repeated attempts to capture Eduardo Telles’ lapel caused not anger, but laughter in the Brazilian veteran

GRACIEMAG, in its mission of covering all things Jiu-Jitsu, was at every corner and for that was able to register those moments through its talented photographers. The first part of this gallery goes from the European Open to the IBJJF Hall of Fame dinner, one day before the Worlds. Enjoy and tell us what kind of emotions this amazing pictures made you feel then and now.

1 – A crowd favorite, Fernando Tererê was once again where he belonged at the European championship, the top of the podium

2 – Paolo Amodeo made to the podium of his division at the 2014 European and deserved a standing ovation from the crowd

3 – Alex Trans wrote his name in history when he became the first European to win the Euro Open black belt open class division

4 – At the Pan, Photographer Carol Gracie captured the exact moment when Milton Bastos celebrated what he thought was a win, the protest of Ivaniel Oliveira saying he did not lose conscience and referee André Glodzinski realizing his mistake. Later on, Milton had to finish Ivaniel again to really win the rooster semifinal

5 – Alliance’s Nicholas Meregali did a great job at the Pan, winning the purple belt open class with this teeth-clenching choke from the back

6 – Leandro Lo proved the efficiency of his passing guard game against Alex Trans in the Pan open class semifinal

7 – André Galvão had a dream-like Pan, winning two gold medals and helping Atos to snatch the teams title from Alliance hands by two points

8 – The Galvão family also shone in the female division with André’s wife Angélica

9 – The power of Inacio Neto’s celebration at the Pan was captured by photographer Erin Herle 

10 – Once again, Abu Dhabi became the BJJ capital of the world in April with the 6th edition of the WPJJC

11 – In Abu Dhabi, two days of kids competition showed that the future of the gentle art in the country is guaranteed

12 – The FGB arena was built primarily for Jiu-Jitsu competitions, the first of its kind in the world

13 – The upset of the year happened in Abu Dhabi, when Thiago Barreto defeated Paulo Miyao in the 64kg division first match

14 – Later on, João Miyao defeated Barreto in the semifinal and secured the gold medal against Tiago Bravo

15 – Gabi Garcia made only one appearance in big events this year to win double gold in Abu Dhabi

16 – Roberto Satoshi reached his third gold medal in the WPJJC and celebrated like a true Japanese superhero

17 – Photographer Ivan Trindade was fortunate enough to catch Braulio Estima’s glance at Keenan Cornelius just before they clashed at the WPJJC

18 – The two most dominant athletes in BJJ today met at the weigh-in in Abu Dhabi and acted nothing like the bullies you see in MMA

19 – Leandro Lo did what he could in the open class in Abu Dhabi, but could not avoid tapping to Rodolfo Vieira

20 – The open class final in Abu Dhabi was the closest Rodolfo got to defeating Buchecha since 2011

21 – Despite all of Rodolfo’s pressure, Buchecha managed a last-second sweep to win his second gold medal in the absolute

22 – The two points indicated by the referee turned Rodolfo’s dream into a nightmare

23 – In Las Vegas, Gerson Aitogue had the perfect face for what it means to fight Rafael Mendes

24 – After six years away, Ana Laura Cordeiro made her return to competition at the Las Vegas Spring Open

25 – Marcelo Mafra had a great win in Las Vegas and celebrated accordingly

26 – In San Jose, during the American Cup, Eliot Kelly choked Bernardo Filho in a way hard enough to be understood, let alone to defend

27 – The kids rooting for the kids in San Jose, during the American Cup

28 – Three generations of passion for Jiu-Jitsu

29 – In a historic picture, the members of the first class of the IBJJF Hall of Fame met on the day before the Worlds

30 – The IBJJF Hall of Fame dinner was the stage for the first ever Jiu-Jitsu world champions selfie

End of Part 1

As seen in issue No. 195 of GRACIEMAG, Munoz said he was depressed and turned to food as comfort for his low emotional state. Thanks to support from those close to him, the fighter decided to get back on track and slim down again.

Look below at the before-and-after photos of Munoz. From 261 pounds down to 199 in five months.

Via MarkMunozMMA.com

Via MarkMunozMMA.com

1. Who’s the new king of Jiu-Jitsu? Buchecha or Rodolfo?

Buchecha is the undisputed reigning king of Jiu-Jitsu. He had a brillant 2013 Worlds, giving no chances to any of his opponents. The 9-0 score in the open class absolute final over the also incredible Rodolfo Vieira was the perfect cap for an amazing weekend. Buchecha is at least one step ahead of all other competitors. Very skilled, unpredictable, fast and with infinite pressure, Buchecha is for sure the man of the moment.

Buchecha, the new king of Jiu-Jitsu

2. Can anyone prevent an absolute final between Rodolfo and Buchecha?

No. Buchecha and Rodolfo are the two best competitors of their generation by far. Fabio Gurgel tried to put them on the same side of the absolute bracket but when that didn’t work the final between the two became an almost certainty. Rodolfo submitted all his opponents until the final and Buchecha had a bit more trouble only with Bernardo Faria in the other semifinal, but managed to advance. The overall scenario of Jiu-Jitsu black belts is one where no one is currently able to threaten the supremacy of Buchecha and Rodolfo.

No one can threaten Buchecha and Rodolfo

3- Will Clark Gracie be able to put the family back on the top of an adult male black belt podium?

No. Clark was not able to repeat his 2013 Pan performance in Long Beach. He did well and went as far the middleweight quarterfinals, where he faced Victor Estima and lost the spot in the semifinal by 2-0. Clark is young and will have other opportunities to put the family back on the top of the podium, as will other talents like Kayron, Kron and Kyra.

Clark Gracie stopped in the middleweight quarterfinals

4- Will Atos JJ’s black belt squad plus Keenan be able to debunk Alliance from the top of the teams’ competition?

No. It was not a good weekend for Atos JJ. Despite placing third in the adult male competition, the team was not able to make even one black belt champion (male or female). Light-featherweight Ary Farias was the one who came closest, but two steps outside the mat during celebration cost him a penalty and the title. Other than that, Atos had some bitter outcomes to the run of competitors regarded as favorites. Gui Mendes lost to Daniel Beleza in the light-featherweight and came short of the podium. Rafael Mendes suffered a last-second defeat to Tanquinho. Andre Galvão lost a tough match to Braulio Estima and had to settle for a third place in the medium-heavy. In the open class, Galvão was stopped by Leo Leite in the quarterfinals, also earlier than expected. Claudio Calasans Jr. could not give back the 2012 defeat to Otávio Sousa and had to settle for the silver medal again. Even Keenan Cornelius came short of the 18 points he was expected to score, with double gold at the brown belt medium-heavy and open class division. The defeat to Paulo Miyao in the absolute final on Saturday was maybe a sign that Atos was not in its weekend. 

Leo Leite gets the win over Galvão

5- Is Gabi Garcia really unbeatable among women?

Yes, for the moment. Bia Mesquita once again was unable to present an actual threat to Gabi’s supremacy. The Alliance star cruised through the absolute and the heavyweight division to keep her title of queen of female Jiu-Jitsu. It’s going to be a while until someone is able to dethrone Gabi. First, someone will have to come up with a way to annul her size advantage and ever growing technique.

Who can beat Gabi?

6- Will Caio Terra really stay in light-feather and if so can he pose a real threat to Gui Mendes?

No. As expected, Caio went back to his natural roosterweight. More than that, he was able to conquer his second world title when he defeated Bruno Malfacine 4-2 in the final. It was their fifth Worlds final in a row and for the first time Caio came out of it as the winner.

Caio Terra was the roosterweight world champion

7- Can Cobrinha prevent Rafael Mendes from becoming a four-time world champion, like himself and Royler?

No, but Tanquinho could. Just like 2011, Augusto Tanquinho stole a spot in the featherweigjht final when he beat Rubens Cobrinha 2-0 in the semifinal. Unlike 2011, this time Tanquinho was able to put his game plan to work. A takedown in the first seconds put the Soul Fighters athlete in a comfortable position and a last-second effort for a back-taking and a takedown was all he needed to go ahead in the advantages count and claim the gold medal. Rafael Mendes will have to wait another year for a second try for the membership of the four-time featherweight champions club.

Tanquinho fought hard for his first world championship

8- Are we going to see a new non-Brazilian win an adult male black belt division?

No. The Brazilian domination of the black belt division stays unchallenged. Nyjah Easton, Ida Hansson, Tracey Goodell, Mackenzie Dern, Kanako Inaba, Alex Trans, Abraham Messina, Rafael Lovato Jr. and Yukinori Sasa were the non-Brazilians able to make to the podium. Only Nyjah was able to make to a final match. Jiu-Jitsu is stronger around the world every day, but it will take a while until the dominance of the country who created the gentle art as we know is seriously threatened.

Otávio Sousa celebrates his second world title

9- Will the Miyao Bros finally defeat Keenan?

Yes. Looks like all the training with the Mendes Bros before the Pan and before the Worlds paid off, despite creating some tension within the Atos JJ team (the Miyaos were not allowed to train at Atos San Diego with the rest of the team, Keenan included). For the first time after 10 battles (six against Paulo and four against João), Keenan’s arm was not raised at the end of the match. After the fight and after breaking into tears on the mat, Paulo had the following to say about the war with Keenan: “This time, it worked out. Maybe it was a random thing, I don’t know.”

Paulo Miyao can’t hold in his emotion after defeating Keenan

10- Will anyone be disqualified for using the double guard pull? 

No. As expected, the IBJJF referees were very patient with the double guard pull and the 50/50 guard, despite the protests of the crowd. At least in the main dvisions, no one got disqualified for that kind of game.

Double Guard

UFC 159 was an odd night for MMA fans. Held on April 27 in Newark, N.J., the UFC had Jon Jones defend his title against Chael Sonnen, a fight that nearly crowned Sonnen as the new light heavyweight champion because Jones broke his toe before finished him in the first round.

The night also featured a controversial decision-win for Michel Bisping over Alan Belcher. Bisping, after poking Belcher in the eye, was deemed the winner through a majority technical decision.

Also on the main card, Roy Nelson showed he’s got some legitimate power in that overhand right, knocking out Cheick Kongo in the first round of their heavyweight affair.

Opening the main card, Pat Healy made a great impact with a submission of Jim Miller, earning the Submission of the Night bonus, as well as Fight of the Night honors.

The night’s undercard featured a dominant performance by Sara McMann making her debut in the UFC, only the third ever women’s bout to take place in the Octagon.

Check out the gallery with the best pictures from UFC 159 via Getty Images.

Royce Gracie against Ken Shamrock at UFC 1, in phot by Japanese master Susumu Nagao

There are major attractions in store for those who attend the inaugural World Jiu-Jitsu Expo this coming May 12 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. The Renzo Gracie-promoted event will gather established competitors for a special IBJJF tournament, as well as free seminars headed by the likes of André Galvão, Bráulio Estima, Robert Drysdale, Rodrigo Comprido and Roger Gracie.

Another high-caliber presence confirmed to be there is legendary photographer Susumu Nagao, considered the “Wizard of the Lens,” who was a fixture at the early UFCs, Prides and ADCCs. At the Expo, Susumu will have an exhibit of never-before-seen and classic photos, in a thrilling trip back to the early days of MMA and Jiu-Jitsu.

For the competitors, the attraction will be the Spring International Open, the first IBJJF tournament of its kind.

You’re not going to want to miss the chance to see all the Jiu-Jitsu stars in one place, will you? Then mark it on your calendar. Jiu-Jitsu World Expo, May 12, a Saturday, at the Long Beach Convention Center.

To find out more about the Expo, click here.