As the last black belt matches of the 2015 Las Vegas Spring Open and the Zurich Open came to a close this weekend, it was possible to know how many black belts made the cut to compete at the 2015 Worlds.
After all the points were counted, the IBJJF ranking showed that 278 athletes (male and female) made the cut with 50 Pts or more.
They will be joined by the 2014 Worlds brown belt division champions and also by any adult black belt world champion from the past.
Anyway, it’s possible to say that for the first time in history the black belt division of the Worlds will gather only elite competitors.
A look at the list shows some curiosities regarding names that made the list an also names that didn’t make it.
In the male division, 211 competitors made the cut.
Wellington Megaton is in for his 20th Worlds as a black belt
First and foremost, the awesome Wellington “Megaton” Dias, the only athlete who competed in all editions of the Worlds as a black belt, has qualified with 100 Pts, double what he needed.
Gustavo Dantas is another master-division regular that made the cut for the 2015 Worlds, with 51 Pts.
The ranking also shows that Alliance is going in to try its 8th teams title in a row without two of their most valuable emerging talents.
Dillon Danis and Mansher Khera did not make the 50 Pts mark after being promoted to the black belt five weeks before the Worlds.
Matheus Diniz, the third competitor graduated by Marcelo Garcia after the New York Spring Open, made the cut with 57 Pts.
Another curious fact is that none of the five Gracie family members on the list was able to qualify.
Clark Gracie and Carlos Robson Gracie Jr., both with 36 Pts, were the two with the best score.
So, unless Roger, Royler or Kyra Gracie register as former world champions, the 2015 Worlds will have no Gracies in the black belt division.
In the female division, 67 athletes made the 50 Pts mark.
All the main names of the division are in.
Buchecha is the leader of the adult male black belt ranking
Another look at the list, proves that the World Championship deserves its name.
Athletes from 23 different countries are coming to compete in the black belt division alone.
Brazil, USA, Great Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Japan, Norway, Canada, Australia, Dominican Republic, Peru, Jamaica, Israel, UAE, Switzerland, Ecuador, Nederlands, Germany, Ireland will be represented on the mats of Long Beach.
And, at last but definitely not least, Marcus Almeida Buchecha (1035 Pts) and Mackenzie Dern (1349 Pts) are going in the 2015 Worlds as the two black belt ranking leaders.
Click here for the full ranking.
Click here to register for the 2015 Worlds.
The final deadline is May 18.
GRACIEMAG’s coverage of the 2015 Worlds is brought to you by Hayabusa.
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