There are some huge differences between the 2016 IBJJF European Jiu-Jitsu Championship and this year's edition.

Many names from last year haven't signed up, including previous champions. What this means is that we might not see some of our favorite grapplers, but there are also many new additions in the form of world champions who have never entered this specific tournament, and new black belts who are on hot winning streaks.

Here is a breakdown of each black belt adult division on what we can expect.


Absolute Division
All of the 2016 open class medalists are absent. Some were in Abu Dhabi, some just aren't competing, either way a new champion will have their day to shine because of it. While we don't know exactly who will choose to enter the absolute this year, it's a safe bet that any number of the heavier guys will be included like Lucio Lagarto, Ricardo Evangelista, Igor Silva, Mahamed Aly, and Leandro Lo. But we can't wait to find out.

Ultra Heavyweight
In ultra heavyweight the champion Pedro Henrique de Souza Moura of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu will not be in attendance, and neither will any of the other additions to the podium from last year. We can postulate that a close-out can happen between GFTeam's Igor Silva and Ricardo Evangelista, teammates living and training in Abu Dhabi. In 2015, they closed out the division so this could be a repeat performance. It is noteworthy to mention that names like Rodrigo Cavaca, Alexander Trans, and Gabriel Lucas didn't sign up either.

Super Heavyweight
Erberth Santos is another 2016 champion missing from this year's edition, but the previous year's champion in Lucio 'Lagarto' Rodrigues is in. This is considered to be his tournament, as he always does well, rarely getting knocked out of the medal rounds in all of his years competing. Gracie Barra's Christopher Lowe placed third last year, so we could see a repeat podium visit from him. Otherwise, the relatively new black belt Mahamed Aly of Team Lloyd Irvin is expected to do well, having ran through his opponents at brown belt less than two years ago. Still waiting for his moment, but this could be it in a relatively sparse division. Vitor Toledo of Atos and Lagarto's student Arya Esfandmaz can easily make it to the podium as well.

Heavyweight
None of the previous year's' medalists are here as the champion Jackson Sousa had travel issues this year. It doesn't lack for exciting match-ups though. With Leandro Lo moving up in weight, the division could very well be his. We haven't seen him challenged by anyone besides Buchecha, Rodolfo and Bernardo in a while. His teammate Manuel Ribimar won worlds at brown, medaled at various tournaments recently and could make it through the other side to meet Lo. Tanner Rice is a definite contender but we've yet to see him take the gold at a major tournament. A dark horse could be Adam Wardzinski who is a new black belt under Checkmat in Poland that took the gold last year in the brown belt division.

Medium Heavyweight
The names in medium-heavyweight that we're used to seeing did not sign up this year. Romulo Barral and his student Gabriel Arges closed out last year, leaving open the way for an almost-guaranteed medal for Patrick Gaudio, who had gained a significant point lead over Romiulo before being submitted with the infamous cross-collar choke at Worlds. Taking into account that black belt world champion Claudio Calasans is in the division, we can assume a final between these two would go down. Luca Anacoreta of Italy and American Nathan Mendelsohn are tough draws, and seeing how new black belt Horlando Monterio does will be interesting to watch.

Middleweight
At middleweight we have the most scattered predictions with various names in the mix. Despite not having anyone but the 2016 third place medalist Eduardo Rios of Frontline, there's no sure winner. Alliance has a good chance of taking over the podium with Marcelo Garcia's Marcos Tinoco and Romero Jacare's Alec Baulding on each side of the bracket. And then there's newcomer Isaque Bahiense under Fabio Gurgel who will be on one of their sides, making his black belt debut. He took gold at brown belt last year and has been a prospect to watch for years. Another debut will be Braulio Estima's Bradley Hill who has been on the circuit for years as well. But more veteran-types like GFTeam's Jaime Canuto have a real momentum for gold as well as Atos rep and ADCC champion Davi Ramos.

Lightweight
Marcio Andre has chosen to 'vacate' his European featherweight title this year. The 2016 Euro champ will move up to lightweight where none of the previous years' medalists will be present. No Edwin Najmi, Michael Liera Jr., or Alex Cabanes. Andre's teammate Luan Carvalho has notable wins over some big name athletes and a gold at Brazilian Nationals, so this could be his year to make it to the finals. Atos has Andris Brunovskis and Rodrigo Caporal to throw in the mix -- both are solid competitors and at least one has a good chance to make the podium.

Featherweight
The late addition of Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles to the featherweight division confirms it will be one worth watching. With Marcio out of the division and Paulo Miyao nowhere to be seen, the podium is open to the talented names in the bracket. Brian Mahecha is back in the division; he placed third last year. More names include Pan champion Gianni Grippo, veterans Carlos Holanda and Isaque Paiva, as well as new black belt Ian Sanders under Rodrigo Freitas, and Mendes brothers' student Rick Slomba.

Light Featherweight
The only division that holds the previous year's champion is that of light-featherweight, with Joao Miyao. But he has new rivals this year. Mikey Musumeci of Brasa CTA has a 3-0 winning streak against Joao, and whether Miyao may have figured him out this time in one of the hot topics of this tournament. In 2016 there was a close-out of Cicero Costha reps, as Joao met in the final with his teammate Hiago George, and we could see this happen again. We must mention the presence of Isaac Doederlein of Cobrinha BJJ (who beat Mikey at the Worlds) and another Alliance member and black belt world champion Gabriel Moraes. All of these men could win the gold.

Roosterweight
The roosterweight division is without Caio Terra, who has elected to enter the masters division instead. Koji Shibamoto placed second last year, so this could be his time to secure the gold to add to his 2012 European title. Both of the third place medalists have returned, Rodnei Barbosa Gabriel Junior and Vincent Nguyen, so the podium could look very similar to last year's.

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