Nicholas Meregali made a huge decision in 2022 when he made the move to train under John Danaher at New Wave Jiu-Jitsu, but he hasn’t moved there just to make the transition to no gi competition. While that is of course what Danaher and his competition team are most well-known for, Meregali has remained with them for his preparation to return to gi competition at the IBJJF Pan Championship 2023. He has entered the ultra-heavyweight division and although he will be looking to win his first title at the tournament, he is still the favourite to leave the weekend with a gold medal.
Nicholas Meregali recently spoke about his return to gi competition under John Danaher and how he’s helped him prepare:
“John is as great as he is no gi also in the gi because he’s by far the most brightened mind inside Jiu-Jitsu and he knows all the fundamentals, concepts, everything behind every technique. And the difference between gi and no gi is the jacket and pants. Of course there are positions we cannot translate for both worlds, but we can definitely adapt for both worlds. So John is the guy. John knows how to see a technique, how to understand, how to apply, and how to build perfect replication (of) any particular position/situation/grip.”
Meregali is far from the first athlete to praise the coaching abilities of Danaher of course, and he’s often regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport. It also helps that there’s a ton of elite competitors training at New Wave Jiu-Jitsu and the gym also attracts a ton of top competitors to drop in and train at any time. With incredible coaching and some of the best training partners in the world, Meregali is poised to make a big statement when he returns to gi competition.
The interview with Nicholas Meregali where he explains what it’s like to train in the gi under John Danaher was recently uploaded to the official Instagram account of FloGrappling:
