There's currently a feud going on for the No. 1 ranking position in the IBJJF. The Brazilian Nationals take place this weekend in Sao Paulo, and a quick scan of the sign-ups shows that Leandro Lo has gone up in weight once again! This time, the NS Brotherhood black belt is in at super heavyweight (100.5 kg), the same weight division as Erberth Santos. 

We'd heard rumors that Lo signed up specifically to face (and beat) Santos, and here is the reason why: $15,000. 

Santos overtook the top spot on the IBJJF black belt rankings. The Almeida JJ star has been persistent in not only entering many of the IBJJF Open tournaments but also winning double gold at nearly every one. His persistence has paid off, making him the lead athlete to score the $15,000 end-of-year prize, which will be awarded at the World Championships in Long Beach, CA, on June 4. 

But there is currently another competitive black belt who wants the prize for himself -- Lo.

Right now, Santos leads the IBJJF rankings with 1,345 points. In second place is Lo, with 1,186.5 (158.5 points behind Santos as of April 26).

Position	Name	Country	Points	Academy
1.	Erberth Santos	BRA	1,345	Atos / Almeida JJ
2.	Leandro Lo	BRA	1,186.5	NS Brotherhood

Leandro Lo vs. Erberth Santos at the Copa Podio 2016 Middleweight Grand Prix, a match Lo won by points.  

The Brazilian National Championship is considered one of the toughest tournaments in the world. The divisions are stacked, with 16 people signed up in the super heavyweight division. 

As Lo has moved up in weight classes, he has maintained that he's simply looking for the extra challenge. While he has also been growing in size over the years, super heavyweight is a big jump from his current weight class of heavyweight. So we can only gather that Lo is trying to prevent Santos from earning as many points as him. If Lo wins, he gets the point and avoids giving Santos the chance to earn as much, therefore closing the gap.

Should Lo win the super heavyweight division (worth 81 points) and the absolute division (121.5 points), then he will win a total of 202.5 points, giving him a total of 1,389.

If Santos takes double silver, (27 points for the weight class and 40.5 for the absolute), then he gets 67.5 points, giving him a total of 1412.5. 

That puts Lo within 25 points of the top spot. 

Keep in mind that Santos has earned his lead in a similar way as the Miyao brothers, who earned the first- and second-place spots during this past season. They were active on the competition scene, competing as often as possible and of course winning or placing at the most important tournaments. 

The last day of the season is the day before the World Championships begins, meaning that any points won at Worlds do not count toward the end-of-season prize. 

That means that Lo would need to sign up for and take double gold in one of the IBJJF International Open tournaments between now and then -- of which there are a few choices:
• Atlanta Spring International Open
• Salvador Fall International Open 
• San Diego International Open 
• Miami Spring International Open 
• Curitiba Fall International Open 

Double gold at any of these tournaments would be worth 67.5 points (27 for weight category, 40.5 for absolute). 

Santos has already signed up for the San Diego International Open, just two weeks prior to the Worlds, his last chance to pick up any necessary points. As yet, we still haven't seen Lo sign up for any of the Opens, but that could change -- especially as there is $15K on the line. 

So if you're wondering why Lo keeps going up in weight and why he's suddenly in the same division as Santos, here is one reason why.

Additional reporting by Erin Herle.

Read more:

IBJJF Rankings explained

Watch: Leandro Lo vs Erberth Santos Copa Podio 2016 Middleweight Grand Prix