If you aren't absolutely pumped for the Spyder 2019 Invitational Series, then you simply haven't been paying attention.

The 76kg divsion which features the legendary Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes, Lucas Rocha, Mathias Luna, Queixinho, and the breakout star of 2019 and European Champion, Levi Jones-Leary, to the 76kg division.

The qualifying event also stars KASAI standout and monster brown belt Matheus Lutes, who will take on rising GF Team purple belt Daniel Sathler in the opening round.  Make the jump below to see the bracket organization and analysis of the first round matches.

Watch the 2019 Spyder Invitational Qualifier LIVE or On Demand on FloGrappling, March 2

Matheus Lutes (Marcelo Garcia Academy) vs. Daniel Sathler (GF Team)

GF Team has become notorious for producing tough fighters who train hard and compete hard. Top competitors like Rodolfo Vieira, Vitor Oliveira, Jaime Canuto, Patrick Gaudio, – and Daniel Sathler is just on the path to added his name to that storied list of competitors.

Already a Champion IBJJF European, Pan, and Brazilian National Championships as a blue belt, Sathler was promoted to purple belt after securing bronze at the 2018 World Championships and the rising GF team competitor has a hell of a challenge in front of at his first major contest at faxia rocha in Marcelo Garcia brown belt Matheus Lutes.

Lutes is no stranger to us a FloGrappling: a standout at the KASAI Pro Championships and double gold winner at 2018 No-Gi Worlds, Lutes physical attributes and impeccable techniques have marked him as one of the very best brown belts in the world. He has top-notch wrestling and a burtal pressure passing game, he will absolutely want to play on top in this bout.

Sather next to World Champ Mikey Musumeci Lutes next to Spyder 100kg competitor Matheus Diniz.

The most sailient feature of this match is the david vs goliath aspect: Sathler will need to overcome a sizeable strength and weight disadvantage should he be able to topple Lutes. Typically competing as a  middleweight at IBJJF events (82kgs / 181lbs), Lutes will need to cut down a little extra to make the 76kg weight limit. Meanwhile, Sathler was competing as a Juvivle at lightweight as a juvenile (69 kgs, 152lbs).   

Sathler's best option to win is to pull guard and tie Lutes up with lapels and tricky berimbolo sequences and hope to get on the back.  Should Lutes manage to break free, he'll run down the GF team with his sheer athleticism and smash his way to victory.  

Augusto ‘Tanquinho’ Mendes (Soul Fighters) vs. Lucas Rocha (ZR Team)

Perhaps the most ‘evenly’ matched bout in the 76kg bracket, this match sees two accomplished veterans going head to head.

Both athletes have well-rounded games, though it could be predicted that Tanquinho would like to stay on top and work his masterful passing game.  

Rocha has shown in the past that he has done well with heavy pressure, he holds wins over Tim Spriggs and Eliot Kelly, but it’s also true that some of the best passers in the game have managed to impose their will against the ZR Team athlete (Leandro Lo, comes to mind).  

Where Rocha really shines, though, is in the scramble, as evidenced in this back-take sequence while facing Dillon Danis at the 2017 Pan Championships.

Given the fact that his nickname means ‘Little Tank’, it should be no surprise that Tanquinho  can muster one of the meanest pressure passing games in the business. 

Let us not forget this is the same man that beat both Rafa Mendes and Conbrinha at the World Championships in 2013. We expect Tanquinho to meet Rocha's guard pull with strong top pressure, mixing it up with kneecuts and back step passing sequences.

Tanquinho brings the pressure.

Mathias Luna (Checkmat) vs. Levi Jones-Leary (Unity Jiu-Jitsu)

Levi Jones-Leary has become a household name over the past few weeks since becoming the 2019 European Champion, defeating Lucas Lepri and Gianni Grippo in the process.

The Unity black belt has a berimbolo game that is simply out of this world, but is also known to make the 50/50 guard work in his favor.  All paths lead to the back for Levi and we expect nothing different from him at Spyder.

Levi will be taking on Mathias Luna, one-half of the Luna twins, hailing from Brazil but currently living and traiing at Checkmat with Lucas Leite in La Habra, California.  Luna has a well-rounded game and is equally keen on passing as he is working his agile guard.

When we stopped in for our last stop on the Road To Worlds tour at Checkmat in Long Beach, we also saw that Luna has some serious standup chops as he was going toe-to-toe with Renato Canuto with some aggressive throws and great mobility.

Both Levi and Luna have shown they are remarkable competitors, but the difference maker could be the experience and level of competition face so far, an area where LEvi has a slight edge.

Osvaldo ‘Queixinho’ Moizinho (Ares BJJ) vs. Sanghyeon Lee (Groundcore)

Queixinho is among the top two most experienced black belts in the 76kg bracket at Spyder; 2x Worlds bronze medalist, 4x No-Gi World Champion, 4x American National Champion, and the Ares jiu-jitsu leader has been competing at the highest levels of the game since 2011.

Traditionally a featherweight (70kg), Queixinho will likely not be cutting any weight for this event and on the smaller side of the bracket, but he is also the clear favorite coming into this match against Sangyeon Lee from South Korea.  Look for lapel wizardry and omoplata attacks from everywhere from Queinxho.

While we do not know much about Lee, a quick scan of his instragram reveals the Groundcore Korea representative is freaking JACKED.  As is the case with any great underdog, Le has nothing to lose and everything to gain in this match, and a win over Queixinho  could propel the brown belt to the forefront of an international audience.