Lloyd Irvin’s Elijah Dorsey will replace Samuel Nagai in the Tezos IBJJF Flograppling Lightweight Grand Prix. The GP will be held in Austin, Texas on Friday, March 3.

Dorsey said he received the invite from IBJJF and took the opportunity without hesitation. 

“I think it’s an excellent way to start the year and my career,” he said in an exclusive interview with Flograppling.” I feel it’s a good jumpstart being that it’s so early in my black belt journey.”

The brown belt IBJJF Pan champ (2022), a rookie black belt, said he sees the invitation as an opportunity for him and others around him.

“This also opens up doors for myself and my teammates in the future. It also allows the kids on the team to see that if you keep working, they will get opportunities of their own,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey received his black belt in June 2022 after earning second place at the IBJJF Worlds. He’s already making waves in the lightweight division. He made his major black belt debut this year, taking third at the IBJJF Euros with a breakout performance.

Dorsey lost to Andy Murasaki in the Euros semifinal. Murasaki is the likely top seed and favorite in the upcoming Grand Prix.

“I’ve fought both Andy, recently, and Carlos [Henrique] back at brown belt so it would be an epic rematch with either one or both of them. However, any of them would be good”, he said.

Dorsey join Andy Murasaki (Atos), Johnatha Alves (Art of Jiu-Jitsu), and Carlos Henrique (Dream Art). Watch all the matches exclusively on Flograppling on Friday, March 3.