IBJJF 2018 Worlds: Biggest Winners And Losers
IBJJF 2018 Worlds: Biggest Winners And Losers
At every tournament there are winners and losers, with some winning big and others losing badly.
Every tournament has its winners and losers, with some athletes adding landmark victories to their resumes and others leaving in disappointing fashion.
The 2018 IBJJF World Championships were no exception.
Here's a quick rundown of the most notable black belt results from this past weekend's event in Long Beach, CA.
Winners
Buchecha
A record 11 IBJJF gold medals makes Buchecha the most successful man to ever compete in the sport. Until this tournament, he was tied with Roger Gracie at 10 world titles, but Buchecha advanced to 11 after winning the ultra-heavyweight division in a war with Joao Gabriel Rocha. Though Buchecha had a chance to win a 12th gold medal, he passed it on to his friend Leandro Lo, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in the super-heavyweight final and was unable to partake in the absolute final.
Watch: Buchecha vs. Joao Gabriel Rocha
Bruno Malfacine
As we've said before, the king of the roosterweights made history by winning an incredible 10 world titles and all of them in the same weight class. It's an incredible record that will likely stand for many years—if it ever gets broken.
Bruno Malfacine IBJJF 2018 Worlds
- Bruno Malfacine vs. Nobuhiro Sawada – watch
- Bruno Malfacine vs. Juan Da Silva – watch
- Bruno Malfacine vs. Tomoyuki Hashimoto – watch
- Bruno Malfacine vs. Rodnei Barbosa – watch
Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor
The fifth U.S. black belt to ever top an IBJJF World Championship podium, Hill-Taylor also has the distinction of being the first African-American IBJJF world champion. The featherweight—who took silver at Pans earlier this year—fought his way through one of the most competitive divisions of the entire tournament, beating the likes of Leo Saggioro, Marcio Andre, Isaque Paiva, and more to emerge the winner.
Watch: Shane Jamill Hill-Taylor vs. Leo Saggioro
Michael Musumeci
The first American male to become a two-time IBJJF world champ, 21-year-old Michael Musumeci entered the history books in 2017 by winning gold. And while some people are still searching for their first world title, Musumeci is racking them up, winning his second in 2018. He decisively won his final match against Ary Farias with a four-point back take.
Watch: Michael Musumeci vs. Ary Farias
Karen Antunes
Checkmat black belt Karen Antunes gave birth to her child just last year and has returned better than ever. The 32-year-old athlete beat Ana Carolina Schmitt via decision for her first world gold medal and her second major IBJJF title this year, following her win at Pans in March.
Watch: Karen Antunes vs. Ana Carolina Schmitt
Lucas Lepri
It should be noted for posterity that Lepri won Worlds for the third year in a row to claim his fifth world title, and once again he did it without getting a single point scored on him. Is this man even human?
Lucas Lepri IBJJF 2018 Worlds
- Opening round: Lucas Lepri vs. Athos Ribeiro – watch video
- Second round: Lucas Lepri vs. Matheus Costa – watch video
- Quarterfinal: Lucas Lepri vs. Jake Mackenzie – watch video
- Semifinal: Lucas Lepri vs. Espen Mathiesen – watch video
- Final: Lucas Lepri vs. Renato Canuto – watch video
Losers
Leandro Lo's shoulder
In one of the saddest moments of the event, Lo dislocated his shoulder twice in his match against Mahamed Aly. Lo suffered an inferior dislocation (the ball of the shoulder goes into the socket, not out), and the severity of the injury meant he was unable to continue.
It also took him out of the absolute final, where he was scheduled to face Buchecha in search of his first absolute gold. Lo was kindly gifted the gold medal by his big-hearted friend in a touching display that had the crowd on its feet.
Watch: Mahamed Aly vs. Leandro Lo
Gracie Barra
In a shocking turn of events, top Gracie Barra black belts Gabriel Arges, Otavio Sousa, and Edwin Najmi all failed to get onto the podium. Otavio Sousa (a three-time world champ) fell to Jon Satava in the early qualifying rounds on Saturday. Arges and Najmi both lost in the quarterfinals, with 2017 world champ Arges getting DQ'd against Tommy Langaker and Edwin tapping to a choke in his match against Espen Mathiesen. It was a rare day to see none of them go home without any silverware, although let's not forget Felipe Pena, who claimed heavyweight gold.
Watch:
Gutemberg Pereira
The GF Team black belt made it to the final of the absolute division at Pans in March but didn't get out of the second round at Worlds. He beat Diogo Araujo of Soul Fighters in his opening match but lost to Tim Spriggs on points in his second, although the official result would be registered as a DQ. Spriggs has a habit of getting into his opponents' heads and Pereira couldn't control himself, confronting Spriggs after the match was done. The referee overhead something untoward and DQ'd Pereira on the spot, taking him out of the rest of the tournament. No word of whether Pereira will suffer a longer suspension or if we'll see him back in action soon.