Meet The Top-Ranked Black Belts To Compete At The Rio Grand Slam
Meet The Top-Ranked Black Belts To Compete At The Rio Grand Slam
Some of the top black belts in the world are competing this weekend in Rio, find out more.
Seven of the top-20 ranked male black belts in the world will chase after all-important ranking points at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.
Let’s take a look at who’s in the field:
Adam Wardzinski
No. 1 in UAEJJF black belt rankings | 640 points | 94kg division
The Checkmat black belt of Poland won silver medals in both Abu Dhabi Grand Slam events of the season so far, in Tokyo and LA. Wardzinski also grabbed gold medals in Croatia and Germany at UAEJJF National Pro events to put him on top of the rankings.
Igor Silva
No. 3 | 360 points | 110kg division
Third in the ranking, the Abu Dhabi-based GF Team competitor is undefeated in the season so far.
Jorge Nakamura
No. 4 | 340 points | 62kg division
Another GF Team athlete, Nakamura competes in both para jiu-jitsu and regular divisions. The 29-year-old black belt competed in both Tokyo and LA and also picked up points in tournaments such as the Joao Pessoa and Bento Goncalves International Pro events. Nakamura is once again signed up for both divisions, so expect to see him in action plenty of times during the Rio Grand Slam.
Lucas Barbosa
No. 5 | 320 points | 94kg division
Atos star Lucas Barbosa is in at 94kg once again. He competed at 85kg in Tokyo but struggled to make weight, moving up to 94kg for LA. After beating Wardzinski by decision in LA for gold, Barbosa will likely meet him once again in Rio.
Jaime Canuto
No. 11 | 240 points | 77kg division
Our last GF Team athlete on the list, Canuto won silver in Tokyo at 85kg but failed to place on the podium in LA at 77kg.
Joao Miyao
No. 19 | 200 points | 62kg division
This is only the second time we will have seen Miyao this season following a gold medal performance at the Grand Slam in Los Angeles.
Isaque Bahiense
No. 19 | 200 points | 85kg division
Isaque Bahiense returns to UAEJJF competition, his first since he won the gold medal (and $2,500) at the Grand Slam in Tokyo. The Alliance star will compete in the 85kg division, currently the deepest of the male black belt categories.
Who else is in?
Unranked competitors signed up for this event include Xande Ribeiro and Patrick Gaudio in the 94kg division, Checkmat’s Thiago Sa at 85kg, top Brazilian featherweight Isaque Paiva at 69kg, and Ribeiro JJ heavyweight Gustavo Elias at 110kg.
Get hyped! The 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro is coming!