The Sapateiro World Championship 2025 is scheduled for March 15th, 2025 and the promotion has announced the full lineup for the landmark event. It’s the first ever edition of the tournament and they’re going to crown a single champion at 160lbs, awarding them a $100,000 grand prize along with the title. Sapateiro have been on a mission to put together the best roster they possibly can and they’ve done so through a combination of qualifier tournaments and invites. Some of the biggest names in the sport have received invites and there have been some seriously talented grapplers emerging from the qualifiers to challenge them.
Perhaps the most accomplished competitor in the bracket is Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira and although some might consider him the favorite, he’s also going to be at a disadvantage in terms of size against most of his opponents. He isn’t the only ADCC medallist in the bracket either, as fellow 66kg competitor Josh Cisneros will also be competing. Several of the other men in the tournament are ADCC veterans too and even if they haven’t the podium there, they’re still serious contenders. Both Ethan Crelinsten and Gianni Grippo have had multiple appearances at the world’s most prestigious no gi grappling event, and Deandre Corbe made his debut just last year.
Gavin Corbe is just as talented as his brother and either one of them could end up winning this, while another serious threat is the always-exciting Julian Espinosa. Alongside them is another fast-paced submission-hunter in Daniel Sathler and a man who has won titles in almost every professional grappling promotion in North America; Max Hanson. There’s a handful of other big names who will make for very tough opponents too, and grappling fans will almost certainly be familiar with Jordan Holy and Carlos Henrique. Top prospects Michael Sainz and Jett Thompson will both be looking to make big statements with some wins over big names; while the bracket is rounded out by Kade Tsitos, Henrique Camargo, and Werther Marciales.
Sapateiro announced the full lineup for the Sapateiro World Championship 2025 in a series of posts to their official Instagram account:
