Leandro Lo against Theodoro Canal last year / Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG
This 27th, a Saturday, Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club will host the finest of No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu, as current and future stars take to the mats for the IBJJF Brazilian No-Gi Nationals.
Among the favorites to take top spot in the lighter weight classes are the likes of Cicero Costha product Leandro Lo, GFTeam’s Theodoro Canal and CheckMat’s Kim Terra.
At super heavyweight, the favorite is the UFC fighter Caio Magalhães, a team Nova União representative. Now at ultraheavyweight, Bruno Matias of CheckMat is the man to beat.
At middleweight, another candidate for absolute gold, Murilo Santana of Barbosa JJ, who’s always dangerous without the gi, will have to get past Vinicius Marinho at weight. At featherweight there’s Herbert Burns of Durinho Association, Leandro Escobar of Soul Fighters and Richard Flood of GFTeam.
At medium heavyweight there’s GFTeam’s Victor Bomfim and Alliance’s Rogel Monsalve, along with other solid names.
The female contest will feature stars like Talita Nogueira of Ryan Gracie academy, Elizangela Meireles of Gavião JJ and Maria do Carmo of De La Riva.
Now, the brown belt division will be serving up some truly promising talent, like light-featherweight Paulo Henrique Miyao of Cicero Costha’s team; Alliance’s lightweight duo Victor Genovesi and Rodrigo Aquiles; and UAE team’s Faisal Fahad Al Ketbi, a hero back in his native Abu Dhabi.
So, who do you feel will steal the show in Tijuca? Who will GRACIEMAG.com be talking most about this weekend?
Let us know who your favorites are in the comments field below.
To check the competitor list, visit the CBJJ website by clicking here.
