2019 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship

Road To Black Belt Absolute Gold: Victor Hugo Turns The Tide

Road To Black Belt Absolute Gold: Victor Hugo Turns The Tide

Victor Hugo dug down deep to overcome adversity on his route to black belt absolute gold.

Dec 16, 2019 by Chase Smith
Road To Black Belt Absolute Gold: Victor Hugo Turns The Tide
Four months ago, Victor Hugo was a freshly promoted black belt and a last-minute entrant to the IBJJF No-Gi Heavyweight Grand Prix.

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Four months ago, Victor Hugo was a freshly promoted black belt and a last-minute entrant to the IBJJF No-Gi Heavyweight Grand Prix.

His opening match was against the legendary Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, and while the Ribeiro jiu-Jjtsu athlete demonstrated strong potential, the match was one-way traffic for the veteran competitor.

The pair met for the second time in the ultra-heavyweight semifinal; it was a razor-thin match that saw Cyborg take the lead after Hugo was penalized for going out of bounds during a scramble — again, Hugo’s dreams of gold were dashed.

Victor Hugo vs Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu - Ultra Heavyweight Semi-Final

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But Hugo did not shrink from the challenge. He stepped up to face Abreu for the second time on the same day for the no-gi world championship black belt absolute title, and this time he didn’t let points factor into the equation.

Hugo pulled guard instantly, spun beath Cyborg’s legs with a kiss of a dragon and finished the Fight Sports leader with a fierce kneebar in less than two minutes, earning him his first black belt world title. 


Watch Victor Hugo's Road To Gold In Its Entirety Below