Grappling fans are in for a special treat on February 25. The World Grand Prix, which will be shown live from Santiago Canyon College in Orange California, will feature some of the top names in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the 75kg level — all on one card!
The first match in Group A will pit Arnaldo Maidana against Victor Silverio. Maidana is a black belt under Gilberto Gabas and has no shortage of achievements on his resume. By the time he was a brown belt, he was already a Brazilian National Champion and had placed second in the World Championships (both gi and no-gi).
Silverio has some impressive credentials of his own, though. Holding a black belt under Julio Caesar, he placed second in the ADCC Brazilian Trials and is a two-time, purple belt Brazilian National Champion.
The next match listed will feature Gabriel Arges against Josh Hinger. Arges trains under one of the top guys in the competition game, third-degree black belt Romulo Barral. He is a World Champion at blue and black and an Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion at black, brown, and purple.
Josh Hinger also holds a black belt under one of the biggest names in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Andre Galvao. He is a World No-Gi Champion and EBI runner up.
AJ Agazarm and Davi Ramos make up the next match-up in Group A. Agazarm needs no introduction, as he has been part of some of the biggest match-ups in recent grappling history. Not only did he take part in a duel with Vagner Rocha that saw him literally getting kicked of the stage, but he recently narrowly lost to Conor McGregor teammate, Dillon Danis at Submission Underground 3.
Davi Ramos holds a black belt under Caesar Guimaraes. He is a ADCC and World Cup Champion.
Rounding out the Group A field is Marcio Andre and AJ Sousa. Andre is a black belt under Fabio Andrade. He has won numerous IBJJF tournaments both at black belt and at lower levels.
AJ Sousa has his black belt under Pablo Popovitch, and he is also no stranger to the IBJJF tournaments, having won numerous championships through them in numerous locations.
Thiago Sa will Otavio Sousa make up the first match in Group B. Sa got his black belt under Ricardo Vieira and is a European Champion and World No-Gi Runner Up.
Sousa has his black belt under the son of the man who helped create Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Carlos Gracie Jr. He is a World and Pan-Am Champion.
Claudio Calasans and Lucas Rocha are next in line for Group B. A World and ADCC Champion regarded by many in the BJJ community as one of the top middleweights, Calasans holds his black belt under Erivaldo Junior, but has also trained under the likes of Andre Galvao and Rafael Mendes.
Lucas Rocha is one of the top practitioners to come out of the Gracie Barra-Recife Academy. He holds his black belt under Jose Olimpio and became a World Champion when he was just a blue belt.
Next up is Michael Langhi against Rodrigo Caporal. Langhi received his black belt from none other than the world famous “Cobrinha” – Rubens Charles himself. He is widely regarded as one of the top lightweights and is a four-time World and four-time Pan-Am Champion.
Caporal has trained at Atos Jiu-Jitsu, one of the biggest gyms in BJJ. He received his black belt under Ramon Lemos and has won numerous championships at the purple and brown belt levels. He is also a mixed martial artist.
Last but certainly not least on the list will be Edwin Najmi and Daud Adaev. Also holding his black belt under Barral, Najmi has racked up some impressive credentials at the brown and purple belts levels. These include a World Championship, a European Open Championship, and Pan American Championship.
Daud Adaev is a black belt and coach at CheckMat Moscow.
Right now, there is no information on where this event will be streamed, but the Jiu-Jitsu Times will keep you updated.
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