The 2019 Spyder Invitational Qualifier 100kg division is one of the most stacked brackets we've seen in recent memory.

Featuring four incredible black belts including IBJJF World champion Claudio Calasans and Worlds silver medalist Marcos Tinoco, No-Gi World Champion Tim Spriggs and KASAI Pro champion Matheus Diniz, as well as rising colored belt talents Roberto Jimenez and Anderson Munis, the crew at Spyder have certainly given the fans a reason to tune in or March 2.

Read on for our analysis of the opening round matches.

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

Roberto Jimenez (Alliance Jiujitsu) vs. Anderson Munis (Clube Feijao/Nova Uniao)

The only two colored belts in the 100kg bracket, Anderson Munis & Roberto Jimenez have a daunting task in ahead of them at the 2019 Spyder Qualifier.  

Despite Jimenez being one rank above Munis, it would be a mistake to assume any major difference in skill level – Jimenez was promoted past faxia roxa after just one season, and Munis has landed at the top of the podium at some of the worlds toughest events as a purple belt, including the 2019 European Championships earlier this year. 

Munis will likely be looking to employ his exceptional guard game against the Alliance star, looking to tie Jimenez up with lapels and slow the game down, but Jimenez passing game ranks among some of the most elite in the game, and he is well-versed on all the modern tricks. 

This is a barn-burner matchup between two of the most highly-touted jiu-jitsu prospects on the planet and one of our most anticipated matches of the entire event. 

The Munis brothers: Alex, Erich, & Anderson.

Claudio Calasans (ATOS) vs. Marcos Tinoco (Marcelo Garcia Academy)

The question surrounding any Calasans appearance is simple: which VERSION of the are we going to see? Is it the foot-murdering, leg-breaking, Judo-throwing machine? Or is it the calculated 50/50 artist, seeking to grind out the victor inch by inch via a war of attrition and grip battles? 

We hope it's the former, because as evidenced in the GIF below, a fired up Calasans is a thing of terrifying beauty.  

Calasans finishes Romulo at 2016 World Pro. 

In either case, Calasans will be taking on Marcelo Garcia black belt and equally experienced competitor Marcos Tinoco.  Tinoco is a Worlds Silver medalist and has currently transitioned to wrecking shop on the masters' circuit in the UAEJJF tour. 

A masterful guard player, Tinoco’s creative use of spider guard and half guard have led him to victory, as well as his incredible pressure passing game have been his past keys to victory.

As much as we'd love to see both men throw caution to the win and attack with gusto, this is their first match of the tournament: expect a very cautious opening.  Tinoco will likely attempt to work his guard game early; should Calanans find the opening to enter the 50/50 guard, the game will likely play out from whoever can get the better of that position.  

Timothy Spriggs (Team Lloyd Irvin) vs. Rudson Mateus (Caio Terra Academy)

Without question, this match is set up to be the Fight of the Night. 

Tim Spriggs is one of the most explosive and entertaining jiu-jitsu competitors today- his patented 'trainwreck' system on the feet has been the pitfall of many jiu-jitsu competitors, and his guard passing his possibly the most dynamic of anyone currently competing.  

Just looking at Spriggs MONSTER passing sequence against Gutemberg at 2018 Worlds.

However, Spriggs strengths in this matchup require him to stay outside of Rudson's powerful closed guard –which is certainly no easy task.

We see this match beginning with Rudson quickly working to get things to the ground with a closed guard pull. From there the game will be to see if Spriggs has the balance and tenacity to exit Rudson's closed guard and began to employ his passing game.  

It's certainly no easy match to make a prediction on, but the pacing of the bout should be clear within the opening minutes.  

Matheus Diniz (Alliance Marcelo Garcia) vs. Hyungcheul Kim (ATOS)

Matheus Diniz is one of Marcelo Garcia's most established black belt competitors – a regular on the podium at the World's biggest events, Diniz's classic, smash-mouth style of jiu-jitsu is a treat to watch and a massive hurdle for his opponents to overcome.

Diniz embodies the positional game: he will be looking to take Kim down, pass the guard, mount & finish.  His toreando passing sequences create fits for even the most seasoned guard players and his unrelenting pace is difficult to match.

Hyungcheul Kim is a staple on the regional scene in Korea, but Diniz is probably the tallest order yet for the Atos representative to try and tackle.  The same with Spyder competitor Sanghyeon Lee competing in 76kg division at Spyder, a win here could take Kim from relative obscurity to mainstream news in a blink of an eye.  

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