One of the most exciting storylines coming into the 2018 IBJJF World Championships is the number of talented women set to compete this weekend at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA. Featuring a great mix of new talent and the old guard, this year's black belt divisions promise to thrill spectators and raise the level of competition to new heights.  

Here is an overview of each women's division at Worlds and our predictions for who will come out on top.  

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Roosterweight

Three-time world champion Rikako Yuasa is back in the division she's dominated since 2015. It's likely that Rikako will take on GF Team representative Thamires Aquino has dropped down from light-feather to join the rooster weight ranks this year.  

The other side of the bracket is anyone's game, but we wouldn't be shocked to see Brasa CTA standout Outi Tammilehto earn a finals berth.

Light-Feather

The light featherweight division is a fun one this year.  There's been a budding rivalry between 2017 world champion Talita Alencar and 2015 world champion Gezary Matuda—the two met again at the 2018 Pan Championships with Gezary taking the win. 

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They are seeded on opposite sides of the bracket and will only meet in the final. The division contains plenty of upstarts to shake things up, including Kristina Barlaan, Liwia Gluchowska (a first-year black belt), and Pati Fontes from Checkmat.  

Featherweight

Featuring names such as Bianca Basilio, Tammi Musumeci, Karen Atunes, and returning champion Maxine Thylin, the featherweight group of women is one of the most talent-rich divisions of the tournament. 

The brackets have rendered this one anyone's game: We could see Araae Alexander vs. Bianca Basilio and Tammi Musumeci vs. Karen Atunes in the quarterfinals, both of those being dream matchups between highly skilled competitors.  

Lightweight

Two of the best female competitors of all time are featured in the lightweight division: Beatriz Mesquita and Luiza Monteiro. The two have nine world titles between them, and it's a relatively safe bet they'll meet each other in the final once again this year. 

Can top prospects Catherine Perret (Checkmat) and Jena Bishop (Gracie Humaita) shock the world and inject a little mayhem into the division? We'll find out Sunday!

Middleweight

Ana Carolina Vieira, the 2017 world champion, remains undefeated as a black belt. The momentum clearly favors the GF Team standout, but her path to gold this year isn't without its challenges. There is a solid chance that Vieira will run into Samantha Cook of Checkmat in the semifinals, and she's been on an absolute tear since getting her black belt.  

The opposing side of the bracket features new black belts Renata Marinho (Alliance) and no-gi world champion Raquel Canuto (Checkmat), who will surely be eager to take down some favorites in their first Worlds as a black belt.  

Medium-Heavy

Reigning heavyweight world champion Claudia Do Val fro De La Riva has dropped down to medium-heavy this year,  effectively switching places with MH champion Nathiley Karoline, who has jumped up to the heavyweight. 

Assuming Do Val doesn't have a difficult weight cut that affects her performance, she'll likely face two-time world champion Monique Elias in the final.

Heavyweight

As mentioned above, the big news in this division is the arrival of Nathiely Karoline. We're predicting a showdown between her and Gracie Barra ace Jessica Flowers in the semifinals, the winner of which will likely meet three-time world champion Fernanda Mazelli, who represents Gracie Humaita. 

Super-Heavy

It's hard to be one anyone other than Tayane Porfiro, the Alliance athlete who hit the double grand slam in 2017 in her first year as a black belt. However, Carina Santi out of G13 did give Tayane an exceptionally tough match when they met back at the European Championships, and it's not impossible for an upset to occur in the semifinals.  

The super-heavyweight division also sees the return of Alliance standout and three-time world champion Andressa Correa, who has been absent from competition for much of the year.