World Series of Grappling 2

We Could See Keenan vs Meregali, Mahamed Aly & More This Weekend

We Could See Keenan vs Meregali, Mahamed Aly & More This Weekend

Brace yourself, grappling fans. We could potentially see Keenan Cornelius go up against Mahamed Aly and Nicholas Meregali this weekend.

Oct 5, 2018 by Hywel Teague
World Series of Grappling Discussion

Brace yourself, grappling fans. We could potentially see Keenan Cornelius go up against Mahamed Aly and Nicholas Meregali this weekend. 

We weren't sure to what to expect for this weekend's World Series of Grappling 2, which goes down on Sunday October 7 and is being live streamed on FloGrappling, is a different type of tournament. 

The last event– which paid out $20,000 each to the two brown-black belt division winners– attracted stellar talent in search of the big payday. But the names weren't there for this one until the last minute, when all of a sudden we saw a flood of World champions enter the mix. 


Mahamed Aly was first to sign up. Keenan Cornelius slid in there a few days ago. The final big name to arrive was Nicholas Meregali, right at the last minute. 

And because there are only two weight divisions, with -180lbs and +180lbs, there is a real chance we could see these guys face off even though they are heavy, super-heavy and ultra-heavyweight competitors. 

It would be wrong to discount the other 21 grapplers in the brown-black +180lb division, and there are a number of standout names. 


Kaynan Duarte, winner of WSOG 1, is back. Joining the fun is teammate Gustavo Batista, who made it to the final at Worlds this year. Max Gimenis, the GF Team giant, will be there, as will Roberto Jimenez, the new brown belt who has consistently been one of the biggest prospects of the last few years. 

But all eyes are on three names: Keenan. Mahamed. Meregali. 

Their talents alone provide compelling reasons why matches between them could be fun. Their histories would mean they could become instant classics. 

Keenan beat Mahamed in the final at Pans after weathering the storm and grinding out a sweep. 

Mahamed beat Meregali in the semifinal at Worlds, having always lost to him by submission when they were colored belts. 

Meregali and Keenan, both prodigious technicians, have never faced each other. 

Jiu-jitsu competitors are known for being respectful to each other, but there's nothing wrong with a few rivalries. World Series of Grappling 2 gives us the chance to see some old ones resurface, and hopefully some new ones forged. 

Watch World Series of Grappling 2 LIVE or On Demand ONLY on FloGrappling.