The 2015 World No-Gi Ji-Jitsu championship reached full capacity at the very end of the registration period.
The deadline was Oct. 29, and 1,600 athletes confirmed presence at the Long Beach pyramid, next weekend.
Some big names are in, which increases the chances of big thrills at this year’s Worlds No-Gi.
Surprisingly, some names we would expect to be in the list, are not, like Yuri Simões, Keenan Cornelius, Lucas Leite, AJ Agazarm.
In the black belt division, many 2014 champions will be back to defend their titles.
Check below the main names registered in each weight class.
Roosterweight
CAIO TERRA
Caio Terra will be after his eighth gold medal overall and his fourth in the roosterweight division. If last year he had to fight only once, this year he’ll have to face a full bracket with standouts like Leandro Escobar, Felipe Costa and Yusuke Honma.
Light-featherweight
JOÃO MIYAO
João Miyao is another 2014 champion back to defend his title. Samir Chantre, Rafael Freitas, Thomas Lisboa João Pedro Somália will be some of the toughest obstacles on the way of the champion.
Featherweight
GIANNI GRIPPO
Last year’s champion, Samir Chantre, registered in the light-featherweight, but can still change divisions on check day (11/03). Anyway, Gianni Grippo, Vitor Paschoal, Kim Terra, Osvaldo Moizinho and Paulo Miyao are the usual suspects in the division. Veteran Barret Yoshida and always tough Augusto Tanquinho are also in the mix and have all the tools to make it to the top.
Lightweight
GARRY TONON
AJ Agazarm, champion in 2014, is not on the list, but Michael Langhi, Garry Tonon, Rodrigo Freitas, Mansher Khera, Francisco Iturralde, among others, are confirmed. It’s another division set to thrill the crowd.
Middleweight
MARCELO MAFRA
Reigning champion Marcelo Mafra is back to defend his crown. It’s not going to be a easy task, as he has the company of Otavio Sousa, DJ Jackson, Jonathan Satava, Josh Hinger among other tough guys.
Medium-heavy
Matheus Diniz
Keenan Cornelius, winner in 2014, is not on the list. It’s safe to say the division is wide open, and Matheus Diniz, Thiago Sá, Arnaldo Maidana, Inacio Neto, among others, will go at it for the gold medal.
Heavyweight
TIM SPRIGGS
Not very populated, the division will be short but intense. Lucas Leite, the 2014 champion, is not on the list. Felipe Pena, Tim Spriggs, Roberto Torralbas and Felipe Bueno are guarantees of great action.
Super-heavy
JOÃO ASSIS
João Assis is back to defend his 2014 title. He’ll have to outgrapple tough guys like Lucas Rocha, James Puopolo Guybson Sá, Roberto Camargo and others.
Ultra-heavy
GABRIEL LUCAS
Yuri Simões, ultra-heavy and open class champion in 2014, is not on the list due to neck injury sustained at the 2015 ADCC. Roberto Cyborg, Gabriel Lucas, Bruno Bastos and newcomers to the black belt division Jared Dopp and Mahamed Aly will shake the ground of the pyramid looking for the gold medal.
Female
MACKENZIE DERN
With 16 athletes registered, the female black belt division features some great duels. Tammi Musumeci and Mackenzie Dern in the featherweight division. Angelica Galvão and Amanda Loewen in the middleweight. The open class should gather the most important names for big thrills.
Click here for more info on the 2015 Worlds No-Gi.
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