Abu Dhabi 2018 King of Mats

The Final List For King Of Mats Just Dropped And It's WILD

The Final List For King Of Mats Just Dropped And It's WILD

Twenty-six of the world's toughest black belts will go head-to-head for a total of $200,000 in cash prizes at the 2018 Abu Dhabi King of Mats.

Apr 4, 2018 by FloGrappling Staff
The Final List For King Of Mats Just Dropped And It's WILD

Twenty-six of the world's toughest black belts will go head-to-head for a total of $200,000 in cash prizes at the 2018 Abu Dhabi King of Mats.

The special event, which takes place April 24 LIVE on FloGrappling, brings together former World Pro champions and Grand Slam winners at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi for a brand-new concept that could change the face of jiu-jitsu. 


Andre Galvao, Roberto "Cyborg," Roberto Satoshi, and Gianni Grippo are just a handful of the elite athletes who will compete in this new event. 

And a number of the competitors—such as Grippo, Helton Junior, Jaime Canuto, and more—will compete in the open tournament of the World Pro, too. 

Combined into three weight classes (light, middle, and heavyweight), this one-night show will see the competitors fight in a round-robin format with the top two athletes in each pool going through to the semifinals. Matches will be six minutes long. 

Winners will receive King of Mats trophies, championship belts, and huge cash prizes, expected to be as high as $40,000.

Scroll down a full list of the competitors for the 2018 Abu Dhabi King of Mats. 

LIGHTWEIGHT

10 Competitors 

SAMUEL CANQUERINO 

Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2012)

THIAGO MARQUES

Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2013)

TIAGO BRAVO

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - London Champion (2016)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Tokyo Champion (2016)

HIAGO GEORGE

Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2016) 

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Rio de Janeiro Champion (2016)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Abu Dhabi Champion (2017)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - London Champion (2017)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Rio de Janeiro Champion (2017)

LEONARDO SAGGIORO

Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2014)

GIANNI GRIPPO

2x Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2015/2017)

CELSO VENICIUS JUNIOR

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Los Angeles Champion (2015)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Rio de Janeiro Champion (2015)

JOSE LIMA

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Los Angeles Champion (2017)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Rio de Janeiro Champion (2017)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Abu Dhabi Champion (2018)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - London Champion (2018)

ISAQUE PAIVA

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Rio de Janeiro Champion (2016)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Abu Dhabi Champion (2017)

WANKI CHAE

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Tokyo Champion (2017)


MIDDLEWEIGHT

8 Competitors 

TARSIS HUMPHREYS

Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2008)

ROBERTO SATOSHI

2x Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2012/2014)

3x Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Tokyo Champion (2015 / 2016 / 2017)

2x Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2012/2014)

3x Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Tokyo Champion (2015 / 2016 / 2017)

CHARLES NEGROMONTE

2x Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - London Champion (2016 / 2017)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Abu Dhabi Champion (2018)

TANNER RICE

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Los Angeles Champion (2015)

JAIME CANUTO

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - London Champion (2018)

ANDRE GALVAO

3x Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2012/2013/2014)

CLARK GRACIE

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Tokyo Champion (2015)

RENATO CANUTO

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Los Angeles Champion (2017)


HEAVYWEIGHT

8 Competitors 

LUCIO RODRIGUES

2x Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2010 / 2011)

ANTONIO BRAGA NETO

Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2013)

ALEXANDER TRANS

Abu Dhabi World Pro Runner-Up (2015)

ALEXANDRE SOUZA

Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2008)

ROBERTO "CYBORG" ABREU 

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Los Angeles Champion (2015)

GERARD LABINSKI

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Rio de Janeiro Champion (2017)

ANDRE CAMPOS

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Rio de Janeiro Champion (2016)

HELTON SILVA JUNIOR

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam - Abu Dhabi Champion (2018)