Former IBJJF black belt World Champion Tye Ruotolo will put the gi back on to enter IBJJF Worlds at middleweight. Tye is a former world champion at lightweight who is known for his aggressive style, scrappy demeanor, and twin brother, and with this entry he sets up potential collision courses with champions like Mica Galvao and Tainan Dalpra.

The IBJJF No-Gi Worlds kicks off this weekend live from Las Vegas, NV, available exclusively on FloGrappling. From top to bottom, this stands to be one of the best years in history for the tournament as tons of elite grapplers have flocked to the event to take their shot at world gold.

The ADCC World Championship's first 2024 World Championship qualifier will happen soon, and the list of entrants are finally public. The European, Middle East, & African Trials will take place September 16th in Warsaw, Poland and the winner of each male division will earn automatic entry into the 2024 World Championships in Las Vegas, NV.

In a wild second day of action, Team Modolfo won the AIGA Champion's League quarterfinal pool but lost their head-to-head match against defending champions Universal Fighters 4-3 in a tightly contested contest. Nurmagomedov MMA School, Universal Fighters, and Team Modolfo finished the event with a 2-1 record, with Modolfo claiming the overall team title by virtue of tie-breaking criteria (most submission victories). Both they and Universal Fighters, who placed second overall, will advance to the December finals, joining Battle Force and Acai Republic. Al Leone finished in fourth with several strong showings despite the lack of overall team success.

Nicky Ryan will return for his first competition of 2023 when he takes on WNX and WNO veteran and rising contender Rene Sousa at the Tezos WNO 19: Meregali vs. Duarte presented by Fat Tire in Austin, TX. The two young black belts will face off at 170 lbs in one of the August 10th card's feature bouts.

Kade Ruotolo defeated Tommy Langaker to retain the ONE Fighting Championship Lightweight Submission Grappling World Championship on June 9th, with the judges favoring his top work and aggression in the 10-minute unanimous decision victory to defend his 170lb. title.

The 2023 IBJJF World Championships have officially concluded and history has been made. Victor Hugo and Gabi Pessanha stand alone at the top of the IBJJF world with their respective double gold performances, Jansen Gomes had a run that will be remembered for years to come, and Dream Art took home its first ever team championship from the event.

In a late move, 2022 IBJJF Lightweight World Champion black belt Tye Ruotolo has registered himself for the 2023 World Championships - up at middleweight. The weight move was unexpected but opens up a ton of interesting matchups for the exciting young champion, who may face exciting matchups with world and Pan champions like Tainan Dalpra and JT Torres.

As we get ready for the great grappling action set for Tezos WNO 18: Meregali vs. Marinho, let’s take a look at one of the matches on the card that has the most potential for fireworks - Dante Leon and Ruan Alvarenga at lightweight, 155lbs. In this article, I’m going to highlight a few areas of the fight that could prove critical or interesting in their bout, explain a few ways they match up based on prior performances, and give you a sense of what to watch out for when they lock up on May 18th.

Let’s look back at some of the notable grapplers who competed in mixed martial arts over the weekend. With ADCC Champions, IBJJF World Champions, and superfights on grand stages, there was plenty for the grappling fan to appreciate and recognize on some of the biggest cards in the world.

Who's Number One continues to bring matchups featuring the most exciting and dynamic grapplers on Earth, as surging Brazilian black belt Francisco Lo takes the relentless William Tackett on May 18th's Tezos WNO 18: Meregali vs Marinho. These are two young grapplers who both have serious accolades and a fan-friendly style that we expect will bring fireworks.

Three Brazilian standouts will leap across the pond to compete at the 2022 IBJJF European Championships this month in the super heavyweight division.

Beatriz Mesquita, Ffion Davies, and Mikey Musumeci became the newest WNO champions with their victories at WNO: The Return Of Gordon Ryan on Wednesday, October 20.

Forty athletes are registered for the male black belt middleweight division at No-Gi Worlds, making it the deepest of the tournament. That roster includes six ADCC veterans, three returning IBJJF no-gi world champs, and one Levi Jones-Leary looking to make his no-gi debut as a black belt.

Day four of the 2021 IBJJF Pan Championships is in the books, and the stage is set for the final rounds of the black belt tournament.