2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Rio De Janeiro

Erberth Santos' Next Challenge: A 22-Man Heavyweight Division in Brazil

Erberth Santos' Next Challenge: A 22-Man Heavyweight Division in Brazil

Erberth Santos looked like his old self at the ADGS Los Angeles and King of Mats in September. He'll need to stay that way to win the 110kg division in Rio.

Nov 16, 2018 by Michael Sears
Erberth Santos' Next Challenge: A 22-Man Heavyweight Division in Brazil

Erberth Santos looked like his old self at the ADGS Los Angeles and King of Mats in September. He'll need to stay that way to win the 110kg division in Rio. 

Santos defeated eight opponents (three by submission) in one weekend to win both the Heavyweight King of Mats and 110kg division in Los Angeles. 

When Erberth is hot, he's really hot. But when he's cold, he looks like a shadow of himself. For example: he started the year by bombing out at Euros, getting submitted my middleweight Tommy Langaker in January.

Santos went 7-0 at the Abu Dhabi World Pro in April, making him a perfect 15-0 in UAEJJF competition over the last two seasons. He seems to perform well under these conditions. Six-minute matches suit his explosive style. 

Erberth will have to fight his way through a stacked 22-man division in Rio in order to keep that unbeaten streak alive. 

Contending with him in the 110 kg bracket will be 2016 Abu Dhabi World Pro champ Ricardo Evangelista (Commando Group), 2018 World bronze medalist Admilson Gobi Junior (Jiujikan Team), three-time Brasileiro runner-up Igor Schneider (NS Brotherhood), along with former brown belt World champs Vinicius Ferreira (Alliance) and Max Gimenis (GF Team).

Watch the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro LIVE or On Demand on FloGrappling, November 16-18