Charles Negromonte has just been announced as one of the five elite competitors who will be representing Team Misfits Europe in the CJI 2 lineup. He will be stepping in to the under 99kg division and he’s the second member of the team to be announced, after Owen Jones was given the invite at under 66kg. There are still three positions left to fill on the roster but all three of those can only be earned by winning a qualifier tournament. The four-man divisions have been set for the under 77kg, under 88kg, and over 99kg trials tournaments and all three divisions are stacked with some of the best grapplers in the world.
Negromonte didn’t have to compete for his position, as Team Misfits Europe’s coach Faris Ben-Lamkadem awarded him the invite based on the strength of his career so far. Negromonte is a veteran competitor, and he’s been facing off with many of the best grapplers in the world for well over a decade at this point. Negromonte was first promoted to black belt back in 2012 and although he was born and raised in Brazil, he moved to England shortly after that and has been training there ever since. Not only has he hit the podium if the IBJJF No Gi World Championship multiple times, but he also went 1-1 at ADCC 2024 just last year.
Negromonte is a great addition to Team Misfits Europe and he has just the right skillset to be a valuable addition to the team under the Quintet format that’s being used. Firstly he’s well-rounded and incredibly strong, so he should be a challenging opponent for even the heaviest and most talented grapplers. More importantly, Negromonte is one of the most difficult men in the world to submit. Over more than 160 matches at the highest level of the sport, Negromonte has only been submitted 3 times and not at all in the last 7 years. This makes him an ideal teammate under Quintet rules, as he should be able to take out almost anyone he faces either by beating them or battling them to a draw.
Team Misfits Europe coach Faris Ben-Lamkadem shared the news that Charles Negromonte was joining the team for CJI 2 in a recent post to his official Instagram account:
