Nicholas Meregali is one of the top competitors in both gi and no gi grappling right now and apparently he only has his sights set on 5 specific matches for his 2024 competition schedule. Meregali had already announced that he was stepping away from IBJJF competition last year and after this, it seems as though he might be focusing more on superfights than tournaments. It’s hard to blame him though, he’s already achieved so much in the sport and he finished 2023 as the Jits Magazine Male Gi Grappler of the Year. After everything, he currently sits in a pretty comfortable position and can call out anyone he wants.
He already challenged both Nicky Rodriguez and Craig Jones to a pair of matches one after the other, so it’s no surprise that they feature in the 5 matches he wants the most. The other three opponents are a little less predictable though, and only Victor Hugo is the only one he’s interested in facing in a gi match. He already holds a 4-1 record against Hugo, and he isn’t the only rematch that Meregali is looking for. He also wants to compete against Kaynan Duarte, even after he submitted him just last year at Who’s Number One 19. The final match that Meregali wants in 2024 is not a rematch though, he actually wants to face a brand new challenge in the form of Matheus Diniz.
Nicholas Meregali reeled off the list of 5 matches that he is looking forward to facing in a recent post to his official Instagram account. He also later added more context, explaining that one of the competitors he wants to face has rejected a match with him already:
“One of the names on my list has already been removed. The organization and I tried to make contact and withdrew the offer. Interestingly, the guy asked for 3x of the money to compete against me, and, without any reasonable explanation, he thought it was the right amount he should ask for. I get it, I’m on top of the world and this is a chance for my opponents to make some extra money, we all know they’re going to get beat anyway so why not a few thousand more dollars? Just learn one thing, if you want to be paid well you have to be at the top, beating the bests. Last year I made deals that I didn’t like. I was looking for the moment I’m living now, I took a risk, I dominated all the best guys in the World Gi and No Gi, and here we are, making the money I deserve. If you want to compete against me, if you tell people you want the match, don’t charge more than you deserve, after all, you’re just getting advantage and promoted by losing to the best in the world.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/C120G_apilT/
