Masters: The Over-30s Tearing Up The Adult Divisions At IBJJF 2017 Worlds

Unlike Europeans or Pans, at Worlds there are no masters-only divisions (athletes over 30 years of age). Therefore, we see many athletes who compete in the adult division despite being eligible for masters due to their age.

May 30, 2017 by Erin Herle

Masters: The Over-30s Tearing Up The Adult Divisions At IBJJF 2017 Worlds

The IBJJF World Championship has long been considered the most prestigious tournament of the gi competition season.

Unlike Europeans or Pans, at Worlds there are no masters-only divisions (athletes over 30 years of age). Therefore, we see many athletes who compete in the adult division despite being eligible for masters due to their age.

Most of the notable athletes on this list are considered to be legends of the sport -- some of them hold multiple world titles. They all have years and years of experience training and competing and have had pages in the jiu-jitsu history books dedicated to them.

Turning 30 is by no means the end of a career in the adult division. Most of these athletes don't see their age as any indicator of slowing down -- in fact, some are very much in their prime. Take a look at some of the athletes over 30 years of age competing in the IBJJF 2017 World Championship in Long Beach, CA, on June 1-4:

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Wellington 'Megaton' Dias - 49

Megaton is the only person to compete at every World Championship since it began in 1996. He has been a black belt since the age of 18 and has never fought at Worlds as any other rank. This year will be his 21st time fighting at Worlds. Today there are a total of 26 in his division-- a number that could have been higher if not for the requirement of ranking points to qualify. If you want an example of walking history, Megaton is your man.

Daniel Beleza - 41

A black belt since 2000, Beleza secured a silver medal in 2001 and again 14 years later in 2015. When the Masters World Championship began, he entered the master 1 division and secured gold in both 2013 and 2015. He has been a constant presence in the light featherweight division for many years.

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Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles - 37

This four-time black belt world champion has never competed in masters, despite having qualified to do so for the last seven years. And we don't have any reason to believe that he should, considering he has medaled in every single world championship he has entered as a black belt. His first attempt at black belt gold was successful in 2006, and then he repeated the feat three more consecutive times. His journey is different than a lot of other jiu-jitsu champions given that he started training jiu-jitsu at the age of 21. This will be his 12th time competing at Worlds as a black belt.

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Andresa Correa - 37

The Alliance powerhouse has been training since she was 16. She has three black belt world titles but also closed out with Alliance teammate Gabi Garcia multiple times. Last year, she won double gold at Europeans, Pans, and Brazilian Nationals and secured gold in her weight and third in the absolute at the World Championship.

Sofia Amarante - 37

The 2016 master 2 light featherweight champion has been competing in jiu-jitsu for many years and won her first black belt world title at the 2009 Worlds No-Gi as a brown belt when the divisions were still combined with brown and black belts. She has found herself on the podium at numerous tournaments at black belt, most recently at the Pans and Europeans in 2017 and the Worlds the year before. The black belt under Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu has had success on her journey but is still seeking out the gi world title.

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Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu - 36

It's hard to believe that Cyborg has yet to win a world title at black belt considering he has conquered the ADCC, World No-Gi, Brazilian Nationals, Pans, Europeans, and more. It took him only five years to achieve the rank of black belt, and he has medaled repeatedly at Worlds throughout his career. From blue belt to black belt, he made it on the podium in eight separate years since 2001. So this year we might witness history and a goal finally achieved.

Josh Hinger - 35

The no-gi black belt world champion is the only American in the division to have a world title, having won the gold in 2016. He has nearly 14 years of training and a high school wrestling career prior to that. His experience with takedowns, the intense training at Atos, and his quirky submissions make him a contender in the middleweight division.

Romulo Barral - 34

The Gracie Barra star has competed in the World Championship almost every year as a black belt and won his first black belt world title in 2007. He was missing in 2008 due to a shoulder injury, and again in 2015 when he decided to focus on ADCC (a title he had won in 2013). He is considered one of the legends of the medium heavyweight division and has secured a total of five black belt world titles in the category. In 2016, he announced his retirement from competition and later clarified that it was purely a retirement from the Wold Championship. But lucky are we, because we get to see him in action once more.

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Andre Galvao - 34

Galvao has been competing in the World Championships since 2001 as a blue belt, and he won his first world title a year later at the same rank. It catapulted him into a successful run at the following next belt ranks, as he went nearly undefeated at each. He has won the worlds at every belt from blue to black, including the absolute title at purple and brown. He was also the first purple belt to achieve the IBJJF "grand slam," winning all four major IBJJF titles in the same year. His black belt golds came in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2016. Should he repeat the achievement this year, it will be his fifth gold at black belt.

Gabriel Moraes - 34

A man set in jiu-jitsu history, Gabriel won the world title as a blue belt in 2003 and then won Worlds a year later as a black belt. His run at blue and purple belt was short but spectacular as he was promoted straight to black belt without ever wearing a brown belt. He won Worlds again 10 years later in what was a controversial final against Ary Farias in 2013. He has over 15 years of experience at black belt and continues to search for more gold medals.

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Celso Vinicius - 33

"Celsinho" earned his black belt on the podium at the 2004 World Championship when he won gold in the brown belt lightweight division. His three world titles at black belt came in the following years. He earned the gold in 2005, 2006, and 2008. We haven't seen him at the top of the podium in quite some time, but should he conquer one more title this year, he will punch his ticket into the IBJJF Hall of Fame with four total world titles.

Venla Luukkonen - 32

The first black belt world champion from Finland, Venla conquered gold at the 2014 World Championship in what was her first Worlds at black belt. What's most impressive is that she was working on a PhD when she won the title. She didn't start training jiu-jitsu until she was 24 but has found success at all belts.

Jena Bishop - 31

The Gracie Humaita representative began entering the masters division at the encouragement of her coach, Regis Lebre, in order to gain more titles, but she is still very much a contender in the adult divisions. After winning the worlds at brown belt in 2013, she was awarded her black belt and took third place at Worlds in 2016. She also medaled at the 2014 Pan, her first as a black belt. As a master, she won double gold at the 2016 Europeans.

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