Dark Horses, wild cards, spoilers – these are the athletes that have all the right ingredients but have yet to put together that special performance to secure their status among the elites of their respective divisions.  

We've put together a list of six names that we believe stand a strong chance of shaking up the brackets and upsetting dreams this weeken at the biggest No-Gi event of 2018: IBJJF No-Gi Worlds.

Watch the IBJJF 2018 No-Gi World Championships LIVE Dec. 14-16 Live on FloGrappling

Marvin Castelle - Featherweight

Marvin Castelle is one of 10th Planet’s most promising young black belts, but he’s yet to string together a series of big victories that would usher him into the realm of the elite.  Competing under the IBJJF ruleset will also be a huge challenge for Castell, as some of his main tools: the heel hook and various reaping entanglements.  

Castelle's division is packed with killers including Samir Chantre, Kennedy Maciel, Matheus Gabriel, and Pablo Montovani – there will be no easy matches and a podium finish here 

Masahiro Iwasaki - Lightweight

Masahiro Iwasaki is probably a bit tired of being included on every dark horse and wildcard article we put out, but the Carpe Diem representative seems to have obtained a sort of the gatekeeper status in the black belt lightweight division.  His unshakeable base and sturdy half-guard have frustrated and bested even the most elite opponents – including Gilbert Burns, Edwin Najmi, & Renato Canuto, and Iwasaki knows a thing or two about 'ringcraft' and how to earn the points when needed.

Ideally, Iwasaki will find himself standing across the ts from some of the more creative and unpredictable athletes in the division like Jeremiah Vance or Dustin Akbari who could really force the match into uncharted waters.

Iwasaki vs Vagner Rocha at KASAI Pro.  

Jaime Canuto - Middleweight

The inclusion of Jaime Canuto on this list may have some fans scratching their heads – there's simply no denying that the explosive middleweight is among the most successful competitors flying the GF Team flag today, but he competes almost exclusively in the gi.  It's true that he's entered some IBJJF No-gi open events, but as far as we can see, Canuto has yet to compete in No-Gi event that is as STACKED as this year's middleweight division, and it will be an interesting test of his skills.

Though the brackets have yet to be released, Canuto will potentially face savages like Mike Perez, Victor Silverio, and  Enrico Cocco, among many others – all of whom would be a gigantic test for Canuto

See an example of what Canuto can do it the gi below

Dan Borovic – Medium-Heavy

Dan Borovic is a name that may not leap out at casual fans, but he is absolutely an athlete that could spoil anyone’s gold medal hopes.  A Brasa CTA athlete out of Milwaukee, WI, Borovic is one of the most talented jiu-jitsu athletes residing in the Midwest and currently serves as UFC standout Anthony Pettis' jiu-jitsu coaches. 

Borovic has always done well at IBJJF events but had an exceptional performance early in 2017 at EBI 11 where his creative guard and relentless back takes were on full display.  Borovic has won no-gi worlds at blue and purple belt and could very well be adding another medal to his collection after Sunday.  

 Dan Borovic vs Servio Tulio – 2016 No-Gi worlds

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Vegard Randeberg – Medium-Heavy

Hailing from Norway, Vegard Randeberg is a regular training partner of Tommy Langaker and Espen Mathiesen who has yet to have a break out performance at a major competition.  The Viking's bruisers has stated in the past that No-Gi is his preferred competition format and looked fantastic at ADCC European Trials in October until he ran into Ross Nicholls in the quarterfinals.  

You'll never see Vegard pull guard, expect full Porrada from the Viking as he tries to secure a takedown and work his pressure game, which is quite nasty (as evidenced below).

Satoshi Ishii – Ultra-Heavy

A judo Olympic gold medalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games and seasoned MMA fighter, Satoshi Ishii is certainly one of the most well-rounded athletes coming into the Ultra-Heavyweight division this year at No-Gi Worlds.

 But Judo and MMA are whole different ballparks from the aforementioned disciplines from jiu-jitsu, and Ishii has some seriously powerful potential opponents to test himself against on Saturday including Gordon Ryan, Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu, Mahamed Aly, and more.  Expect fireworks.