Roger Gracie is 2010's winner. Photo: Ivan Trindade.
This Friday was time for the purple and blue belt athletes at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship to shine. However, behind the scenes too there was a lot at stake. With Roger Gracie and Xande Ribeiro’s absence from the competition and not a single absolute world champion on the open weight roster, in 2011 we shall have an unprecedented world champion in the most weight-carrying division of the most important event on the Jiu-Jitsu calendar.
Friday they drew up the brackets. The contest kicks off this Saturday, when we get to find out who the two competitors in Sunday’s finals will be.
There’s no lack of candidates for to take the title, and the matches will be tooth-and-nail. In Bracket 1, Rafael Lovato and Bernardo Faria may cross paths. In 2, favorites like Rômulo Barral and Roberto Cyborg mix with aces like Alexandro Ceconi, Zack Maxwell and Rodrigo Caporal. In bracket 3, Sérgio Moraes, Eduardo Telles, Rodolfo Vieira and Claudio Calasans have impending encounters, while in 4 Antonio Braga Neto, Roberto Tussa and Marcus Bochecha mean excitement is a sure thing, with even the gigantic Fabiano “Pega Leve” promising to shake things up.
Check out the brackets and who gets who on the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog.
Below, check out the list of past winners of the World Championship absolute division:
1996 – Amaury Bitetti
1997 – Amaury Bitetti
1998 – Zé Mario Sperry
1999- Rodrigo Comprido
2000 – Rodrigo Comprido
2001 –Fernando Margarida
2002 – Márcio Pé de Pano
2003 – Márcio Pé de Pano
2004 – Ronaldo Jacaré
2005 – Ronaldo Jacaré
2006 – Alexandre Ribeiro
2007 – Roger Gracie
2008 – Alexandre Ribeiro
2009 – Roger Gracie
2010 – Roger Gracie