Worlds 2016 Recap /// By: Lea Young

The 2016 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship could arguably be the best one yet. No matter which mat you were watching on any day, there was no shortage of action or excitement. The energy in the Pyramid was also hard to dismiss, especially on Sunday during the black belt semi and finals matches. 

The hype leading up to Worlds had much to do with two things: 1) Buchecha returning to competition after suffering a horrific knee injury at the 2015 Worlds and 2) Rafael Mendes going after his 6th consequtive World title. Needless to say, the hype WAS real and Buchecha returned with a vengeance to take home another double gold. Mendes also walked away unscathed with his 6th World title. 

In one of the most emotional black belt finals matches, Romulo Barral signified his retirement by tying his belt around Leandro Lo after his silver medal performance in the medium-heavy weight division final. 10x World champion, Michelle Nicolini, announced her retirement in May but still fought to the very end, earning silver after being choked by Mackenzie Dern in the featherweight final.

Dominyka Obelenyte, the 20-year-old black belt phenom from Marcelo Garcia’s, proved once again that she is a force to be reckoned with, earning back-to-back double gold at Worlds. In her super heavy weight finals match, she outscored Venla Luukkonen 33-0 for the title. She also outscored black belt veteran, Bia Mesquita, 1-0 on advantages after a 2-2 tie, to win her second open class title in a row. 

Paulo Miyao again claimed the light-feather weight title and also earned himself the title of the #1 ranked adult black belt competitor for the 2015-2016 season. His brother, Joao, earned bronze in his rooster weight division, narrowly losing to Caio Terra by a controversial sweep in the quarter finals. 

The black belt divisions definitely weren’t the only source of action during Worlds weekend. This year’s Juvenile 2 blue belt divisions were stacked with teens whose skill levels far surpass their ages. Cicero Costha standout, Thalison Soares, who has easily been mistaken as the third Miyao, ripped through his light feather division and battled it out with AOJ’s Liam Moss to secure the title. AOJ’s Jonatha Alves continued his double gold streak by claiming the medium-heavy and open class titles. 

If there is one thing that we can take away from the 2016 World Championships, it’s DO NOT TAKE YOUR EYES OF THE MATS FOR ONE SECOND because you might miss out on something good.  The preparation for the 2017 World Championship has already started… will you be there?