BJJ Stars 13: Vikings Edition is scheduled for August 3rd, 2024 and we’ve put together a full preview of the stacked card. The promotion has decided to move away from their tournament format for this event and instead, they’ve put together a series of amazing superfights featuring some of the best in the world. They’ve really pulled out all the stops and even the preliminary card matches could easily serve as main events for smaller promotions. They’ve managed to attract several IBJJF World Championship gold medalists and even a few ADCC world champions as well, so there’s going to be some crazy highlights available once the dust has settled.
BJJ Stars 13: Vikings Edition Lineup
Mica Galvao vs Davi Ramos
Mica Galvao is one of the best grapplers in the world right now and he’s been on fire throughout 2024, winning every major IBJJF event and securing his first grand slam. He’s gone 17-0 over the course of the year, all while going against the very best in the world at his weight. Davi Ramos on the other hand hasn’t competed in a grappling match in 3 years and hasn’t won one in 6 years. The former ADCC champion has been focusing on his MMA career but he’s coming off a loss there and is 2-2 since leaving the UFC. Galvao is the clear favorite here and given his high finishing-rate, this should be a submission win too.
Tainan Dalpra vs Francisco Lo
Tainan Dalpra and Francisco Lo are meeting in a rematch that both men were probably eager to have. They met for the first time at the IBJJF World Championship this year and although Dalpra was the favorite to win the whole event, he ended up losing that match in controversial fashion. Dalpra was disqualified for an illegal leg attack and Lo progressed in the bracket instead of him, so Dalpra will no doubt be out for revenge here. Lo will want to prove that he can beat Dalpra through his own actions too, but Dalpra is still the favorite to win this match.
Anderson Munis vs Fellipe Andrew
Anderson Munis won his first IBJJF world title earlier just a few months ago and he’s shown some really impressive development in recent years. This isn’t the first time that he’s faced Fellipe Andrew though, and Andrew won all four of their matches in 2022 by submission. Munis has gotten a lot better since then and he will have a size advantage, but Andrew is one of the best heavier competitors in the world. Andrew should still win this match even if Munis is able to make it look more even than he did last time.
Pedro Maia vs Andy Murasaki
Andy Murasaki is a fantastic grappler and the only reason he isn’t a gi world champion by now is because he’s had the misfortune of being in the same brackets as both Dalpra and Galvao. Pedro Maia has also come close to winning a world title in the past and his elite passing has helped him get some very impressive wins over the years. If Maia can establish top position early then he definitely could win, but Murasaki has more paths to victory and is more likely to emerge victorious.
Felipe Machado vs Diogo Reis
Diogo Reis is the reigning ADCC world champion in the under 66kg division and one of the favorites to retain his title in just a few weeks time. Felipe Machado hasn’t reached that same level of success just yet, but he’s known as one of the most entertaining grapplers around. Machado had to settle for a bronze medal at ADCC Trials this year so this is a huge opportunity for him and he’ll be throwing everything he has at Reis. Reis has beaten Machado before though, and he’s the favorite in this match even if Machado does pile the pressure on.
Preliminary Card
Lucas ‘Hulk’ Barbosa vs Isaque Bahiense
Lucas ‘Hulk’ Barbosa and Isaque Bahiense will be headlining the preliminary card and this is actually the second time that they’ve met on the mats. They first competed against each other all the way back in 2017 and although Bahiense won that match, it was only on advantages. That was a gi match too, whereas this match will be in no gi which is Barbosa’s specialty. It’s a tough match to predict and it could go either way, but we’re picking Barbosa to win in this preview of BJJ Stars 13: Vikings Edition.
Wellington Sebastiao vs Gabriel Costa
Wellington Sebastiao has a fantastic open guard and Gabriel Costa has slick passing from a distance, so this is a perfect matchup. They’ve met three times before and Costa has won every time, including one submission win too. A lot has changed since then and both men have gotten better, but Costa won his first IBJJF major at Brasileiro earlier this year. All signs point towards another win for Costa and although Sebastiao is always a tough opponent, the odds are definitely against him.
Fabio Caloi vs Servio Tulio
Servio Tulio and Fabio Caloi are great competitors in both gi and no gi, and both men are veterans with a ton of experience. The fact that this is a no gi match might actually play into Tulio’s hands a little, as he’s had a higher level of success in that format in the past. Both men have stood on the podium of ADCC Trials but Tulio is the only won who has actually won it. That was all the way back in 2019 though, and Caloi won his silver medal earlier this year. It’s a tough match to predict because both men have a chance of winning here, but Caloi has had better performances recently and might have a slight edge.
Thalyta Silva vs Ingridd Alves
This is the only women’s match in this whole preview of BJJ Stars 13: Vikings Edition, and it’s probably going to end up being one of the most entertaining of the night too. Both Thalyta Silva and Ingridd Alves are fierce competitors and they will probably end up trading attacks back and forth. They are 2-2 against one another and interestingly, both of their last two matches have ended in disqualification. They’ve also beaten each other on points back in 2022, so either woman could realistically win here. Silva has been a bit more consistent this year by winning three IBJJF majors prior to the World Championship though, so she’s the slightly safer bet.
Felipe Nacib Minasian vs Cleber Sousa
This is another rematch, but this one is actually years in the making. Cleber Sousa faced Felipe Nacib Minasian back at the IBJJF No Gi South American Championship in 2022, submitting him with a guillotine in the final. Sousa is coming up on a decade of competing at the highest level of the sport and he’s still in his athletic prime too, whereas Minasian is a little older than him. This should be a win for Sousa, but he’ll still have to be on top form in order to beat Minasian.
Leonardo Goncalves vs Lucas Bernardes
This will be the first no gi match of the night and it’s going to be a very big challenge for Lucas Bernardes. Leonardo Goncalves is a top competitor who has managed to stand on the podium of major no gi IBJJF events for the last few years. Bernardes is a talented grappler in his own right of course and he’ll definitely make things hard for Goncalves, but Goncalves is going to be the favorite heading into this match.
Erik Hudson vs Kaike Righetti
The opening match of the event is one that will be very interesting for fans of BJJ Stars, as both Erik Hudson and Kaike Righetti have won the BJJ Stars Confere tournament; an event that the promotion operates to showcase the next generation of stars. Both put on entertaining performances on the way to winning their respective titles, so they will open the show in style. Hudson represents Fratres Jiu-Jitsu and Righetti is an Alliance Jiu-Jitsu competitor, and it’ll be fun to get a sneak-peek at two top prospects on the rise.
The full BJJ Stars 13: Vikings Edition event, including all of the matches in the above preview, can be watched live on August 3rd, 2024 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
