Last week, the IBJJF and USADA announced that Felipe Pena had tested positive for PEDs and, as a result, was stripped of his 2021 IBJJF Worlds absolute title. On Tuesday, the IBJJF announced that Fellipe Andrew — who had tied for third in the absolute division — has now been
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Make no mistake, twin brothers Tye and Kade Ruotolo do not support close-outs. So when the two were slated to face each other in the finals of the adult brown belt division at the 2022 IBJJF Worlds, they stayed true to their word and competed against each other in a
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Varun Mehrotra is just a blue belt, but jiu-jitsu fans worldwide should take note of his name. The outspoken Unity Jiu-Jitsu representative is fresh off a gold medal performance at the 2021 Worlds, and at just 20 years old, has an incredibly bright future ahead of him. Mehrotra recently appeared
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Earning a spot on the podium for the adult black belt division at the IBJJF Worlds is an impressive feat. At the 2021 Worlds, Rene Lopez used his ultra-dangerous guard to capture third in the featherweight division. Making Lopez’s performance more impressive is that, unlike most of the elite IBJJF
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As 2021 winds down, Grappling Insider will be recognizing those athletes that made the biggest impact, had the best performances, and found the most success this year. In women’s jiu-jitsu, 2021 was a year that saw the passing of the torch from accomplished, veteran competitors to the new generation of
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Fresh off winning absolute gold at the 2021 IBJJF Worlds, Felipe Pena is now gearing up for the 2022 ADCC Championships, where he will attempt to become the first person to ever win two ADCC absolute titles. And as Pena moves his focus from gi to no-gi grappling, so too
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The fallout from Nicholas Meregali’s disciplinary disqualification from the 2021 IBJJF Worlds continues. Victor Hugo — the man that Meregali was facing when he gave the finger to someone in the audience — didn’t take kindly to Meregali’s reaction to the disqualification and is now offering to face Meregali in
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At the 2021 IBJJF Worlds, top black belt competitor Nicholas Meregali was disqualified from the competition after making an obscene gesture during his ultra-heavy semifinal match against Victor Hugo. Meregali was initially awarded the victory, but was subsequently disqualified and forced out of scheduled finals matches in both the absolute
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Mikey Musumeci is the most accomplished American competitor in the gi, ever. After a year in which he competed exclusively in no-gi competition, Musumeci put the gi back on to compete at the 2021 IBJJF Worlds, capturing his fifth IBJJF black belt world title and his fourth in the gi.
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Felipe Pena has taken off the gi for good. At the 2021 IBJJF Worlds, Pena captured absolute gold then announced his retirement from gi competition. After a disappointing loss to Erich Munis in the super-heavyweight division, Pena looked impressive in the absolute division, winning three matches against accomplished competitors. In
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