We made a terrible mistake when we wrote our first analysis of the black belt division for the 2014 Worlds.
We left Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu out of any consideration in the ultra-heavy division.
The 2013 ADCC open class champion is such a nice guy that when we talked to him today, he didn’t even complain about the fact that his name wasn’t even mentioned.
The fact is that earlier this month, Cyborg posted on Facebook that a hand fracture was the culprit for missing the 2014 Worlds.
“I did post that. I got a bit down when it happened but the recovery was so fast that now I know that I’ll be able to compete,” explained Cyborg today.
Weighing 108kg (238lb), Cyborg says he’s in excellent shape to compete next week.
“I feel better than before the ADCC. I’m going at it with everyone at my gym. Next week, I’ll be at 1000%!”
Cyborg still has a bone to pick with the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and he intends to settle it soon.
“I have the ADCC open class, four Worlds No-Gi, Pan, European and much more. The Worlds is the only thing missing. I hope we can make some noise this year.”
Cyborg is registered in the ultra-heavy division, alongside Rodrigo Cavaca, Alex Trans and favorite Marcus Buchecha.
He also talked about a possible new encounter with Buchecha.
“I’m sure it’ll be war. Buchecha is a great friend from whom I have a lot of respect and admiration. We a have a similar game of speed and our matches always make the sparks fly. We had an awesome match last year at the WPJJC, in the gi, when I lost 4 -3. later on, at the ADCC, I was able to impose my rythm and had the match of the event. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I hope to bring the gold home. It’s gonna be a brawl!”
After all that, as an apology, we rewrite the paragraph about that division.
The ultra-heavy division has 27 competitors. Obviously, Marcus Buchecha is the man to be beaten, as he goes for his third title in a row. Rodrigo Cavaca will work hard to be in the final again with his pupil, just like last year. Alex Trans and Roberto Cyborg are the two biggest obstacles to that happening again. Abraham Messina, Ricardo Evangelista, Thiago Gaia and Bruno Bastos are in the mix and hope to be around Sunday, for the quarterfinals.
For more info, go to http://ibjjf.org/championship/world-jiu-jitsu-championship/
