Twelve months have passed, but nothing changed.
Just like in 2013, Marcus Buchecha and Rodolfo Vieira will decide who is the best Jiu-Jitsu competitor of the year.
For the second year in a row, the two rivals will be face to face to fight for the adult male black belt open class title.
The run to the final was rocky one for both finalists.
With four fights each, obstacles were great for both Rodolfo and Buchecha.
Vieira first met with AJ Agazarm and won by choke from the back.
The next opponent was Sean Roberts, also choked from the back.
The third opponent was Alex Trans, the 2014 Euro Open absolute champion.
Even so, Trans’ fate was the same as the two before him, finished with a lapel choke.
The adversary in the semifinal was an old acquaintance of Rodolfo, Bernardo Faria.
The two absolute finalists of 2011 met once more and despite a strong start by Faria, Rodolfo soon caught on to the rythm and won with a wrist locck after passing and mounting.
On the other side of the bracket, Buchecha debuted against Juarez Nunes, quickly finished with an armlock.
Then it was time to face GF Team’s Ricardo Evangelista, defeated by points with a 5-2 score.
The third challenge was Felipe “Preguiça” Pena, and victory came by the way of a foot lock.
In the semifinal, Buchecha had a tough time against Keenan Cornelius.
The match was close up until the end when, with 40s left on the clock, after the Atos crowd teasing him by saying he was stalling, Buchecha sped up and passed guard to win 7-2.
So, tomorrow, the last match of the 2014 Worlds will a hair-raising battle between the two best competitors since 2011.
Will Buchecha reach his third open class in a row or will Rodolfo tie the score with two titles a piece?
Other than the two finalists, the crowd in the pyramid witnessed great matches this Saturday, in the absolute.
Leandro Lo and Keenan Cornelius battled in the eight finals in a thrilling exchange of sweeps.
Bernardo Faria had an imptressive showing against Braulio Estima, reaching a 26-4 score.
Again, Keenan finished Leo Nogueira with a triangle to prove he is a force in the black belt division.
Here’s a photo gallery with the best images of the black belt open class.
For results of every match, go to http://instagram.com/graciemagazine
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