Huge. Loaded. Stacked. The 77kg division at the 2019 Abu Dhabi World Pro promises plenty, including a potential showdown between Levi Jones-Leary– berimbolo wunderkind and man of the moment– and the man who could hold the secret to breaking his win streak, Tommy Langaker. 

24 men are poised to compete in the 77kg division and the standout names who stand a chance of winning gold includes UAEJJF no.1-ranked Diego Ramalho, Grand Slam London champ Max Lindblad, whoever wins the ridiculously-competitive Brazil qualifier and the aforementioned Tommy and Levi. 

Situated on opposite sides of the bracket Langaker and Jones-Leary will have great challenges ahead of them to make it to the final showdown, but if that happens then here's what to expect. 

The Berimbolo Problem 

2019 has been an incredible year for Jones-Leary, who took gold at the IBJJF European and Pan Championships. As far as first-year black belt careers go, it's a hell of a start for the Australian and much of the chatter around Levi's success has focused on his mastery of the berimbolo as a winning technique.

Going into Pans the suggestion was that if anybody had the tools to counter Levi's berimbolo it would have been Renato Canuto, a training partner of World Pro champ and two-time World champ Michael Musumeci. 

It wasn't to be. Jones-Leary defeated Canuto in the final 6-4 after taking his back, which means it's time to search for somebody else who could hold the key to nullifying the Aussie's attacks. 

The Viking Solution 

Outside of Abu Dhabi we wouldn't get to see this match happen. Tommy Langaker holds a World and European silver medal at middleweight, while Jones-Leary competes at lightweight. At the World Pro they both fall in the 77kg division. 

Langaker is well-known for his aggressive submission game but also for his flexiblity and ability to get under the hips. 

Equal parts slick technician and Viking berserker, Langaker's varied training history means he is the product of many influences. From training with the Mendes brothers at AOJ to the gritty Guigo gym in Sao Paulo, Langaker blends a kill-or-be-killed mentality with cutting-edge techniques. 

Add to that Langaker trains with fellow Norwegian Espen Mathiesen, also considered one of the best current lightweight berimbolo exponents. Tommy could not have a better training partner to prepare for the problem Levi poses. 

In fact, its not out of the realm of possibility to see Tommy flip the script and look to berimbolo Levi. Yep, the crazy Norwegian is ballsy enough to pull something like that, and it's not a huge stretch of the imagination to see him pulling it off. 

What is equally important is not just Tommy's ability to get to the back, but his ability to finish once he's there. We may see Levi have to fight off the first real significant submission attempt of his short black belt career. 

An Epic Elimination Process 

The brackets are stacked on both sides, but Langaker's is arguably the more difficult. He stands among Ramalho, the winner of the Brazilian qualifier, Lindblad, Youngam Noh and more. Langaker's first match will be top European black belt Pedro Ramalho of Portugal, who proved to be one of the more disruptive figures at the event Grand Slam in London. 

Levi's got the slightly easier side: Bradley Hill (GBR) and Darragh O'Connail (IRE) stand out, both capable and experienced competitors. But it's hard to pick against Levi making it through hid side of the bracket based on his recent performances. 

Neither Tommy or Levi will have byes, meaning it's going to be five matches for gold. 

The main 77kg black belt bracket goes down on Friday April 26 on Mat 4, with the final on Saturday April 27.