• Home
  • Features
  • BJJ News
  • MMA
  • Interviews
  • Shop
  • Giveaway
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Features
  • BJJ News
  • MMA
  • Interviews
  • Shop
  • Giveaway
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Features

The Five Best BJJ Competitors Who Haven’t Won A World Championship (Yet)

Alex Lindsey by Alex Lindsey
August 16, 2020
in Features
0
Gordon Ryan Lachlan Giles Steroid Use
515
SHARES
4.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A World Championship is an elusive thing in any sport and BJJ is no exception. There are incredible athletes around the world who have never been able to take home the sport’s highest honor at black belt, but that doesn’t make them any less incredible. Sadly, the attention usually goes to the winners, not those that fall just short of gold. As a result, we want to shine a light on some of the best BJJ competitors who haven’t been able to win a world championship yet.

Garry Tonon

This one might seem like an unusual inclusion considering how incredibly well known he is, but it’s a fact that Tonon has never actually won a world championship in BJJ. He’s won five different EBI events and earned a bronze medal in both the IBJJF and ADCC World Championships, but he’s never actually come out on top on the highest stage. Now that he’s focusing much more on his burgeoning MMA career over at ONE FC (5-0) it seems unlikely that Tonon will ever win a World Championship. That being said, his ADCC bronze medal only came in 2019 and with Mo Jassim (ADCC organiser) being a fan of his, he should get another chance in 2021 as well.

Garry Tonon World Championship

Levi Jones-Leary

Jones-Leary is a phenomenal young Australian grappler and a black belt under Murilo Santana at Unity Jiu-Jitsu. He has previously won a world championship at brown belt but has not been able to repeat that feat since earning his black belt in 2018, as he was disqualified in the second round of 2019. He did recently put on a fantastic performance at the Spyder Invitational, running through some of the best competitors in the -76kg weight class with relative ease. This performace and Jones-Leary’s age mean that he should be destined for at least one gold on the highest stage over the next few years.

Levi Jones Leary World Championship

Roberto Jimenez

Jimenezis another young and relatively recent black belt who seems destined for greatness in the not-so-distant future. He’s found repeated success in his journey through the colored belts, winning five world championships both in and out of the gi from Juvenile to brown belt. He excels at hunting for the back and securing the finish when he gets there, having done so in 5 out of 19 wins at black belt. Although he hasn’t competed in the highest stages at black belt just yet, Jimenez competes in superfights and minor tournaments often. In fact, he has already beaten elite grapplers like Vagner Rocha, Nick Rodriguez, Manuel Ribamar, and Fellipe Andrew.

roberto jimenez world championship

Craig Jones

Another unusual choice given his overwhelming popularity, it’s surprising that Jones has never managed to win a world championship. Less so, when you consider that he specializes in both Triangle Chokes and Heel Hooks, the latter specifically from the Z-guard position, and does not compete in IBJJF tournaments as a result. He has had two fantastic attempts at winning an ADCC gold medal so far, but has finished 4th and 2nd in 2017 and 2019 respectively. An avid competitor on the superfight scene, there’s no doubt we’ll be seeing Jones make another attempt in 2021 and given his rate of improvement, a gold medal is definitely within reach despite the fact that he’ll be 30 at the time of competition.

Craig Jones World Championship

Joao Gabriel Rocha

Rocha is a prolific competitor who seemed guaranteed to take home a world title after winning every major IBJJF event at brown belt. Sadly, life derailed his career in 2014 when he was diagnosed with cancer, although he made a full recovery and very successful comeback the following year. He’s fallen just one match short of a world title on several occasions, owning three IBJJF silver medals and an ADCC silver medal. He’s had a rough streak lately after losing all of his matches this year so far but is only a year removed from beating the likes of Kaynan Duarte, Patrick Gaudio, Vinicius “Trator” Ferreira, and Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida. With only a few years left of his athletic prime, it remains to be seen whether Rocha will finally get that elusive gold medal.

Joao Gabriel Rocha World Championship

Is there anyone you think was missed off this list or was more deserving of a spot than those included? If so, sound off in the comments below!

Tags: Craig JonesGarry TononJoao Gabriel RochaLevi Jones-LearyRoberto JimenezWorld Championships
Previous Post

Fight 2 Win 149 Full Results and Review

Next Post

Submission King Charles Oliveira Set To Meet Beneil Dariush In October

Alex Lindsey

Alex Lindsey

Alex Lindsey is the managing editor at Jitsmag after previously holding the same position at Grappling Insider, and is a current staff writer for Bloody Elbow. Having started training and competing in MMA at 16, he's spent the last 10 years having been exclusively grappling orientated.

Related Posts

Greatest Grappler UFC History
Features

Opinion: Who Is The Greatest Grappler In UFC History?

by Kathrine Burne
May 17, 2022
Rigan Machado Judo Black Belts
Features

Throwback: Watch Rigan Machado Submitting Judo Black Belts In Competition

by Ian Rollo
May 7, 2022
Pete The Greek Letsos
Features

Mindset, Wrist Locks, and Advice from Pete ‘The Greek’ Letsos

by Connor Lewis
May 5, 2022
Art of Jiu-Jitsu Success Mendes Brothers
Features

Opinion: Art Of Jiu-Jitsu Shows The Secret To Long-Term Success

by Phil Jones
April 16, 2022
Rickson Gracie Sambo Tournament
Features

Throwback: Watch Rickson Gracie Compete In Sambo Tournament

by Phil Jones
April 11, 2022
Next Post
Charles Oliveira Khabib Nurmagomedov

Submission King Charles Oliveira Set To Meet Beneil Dariush In October

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Premium Content

Mackenzie Dern Best Jiu-Jitsu Women's MMA

Mackenzie Dern Says She Has The Best Jiu-Jitsu In Women’s MMA

April 12, 2022
ADCC Asia Oceania Trials Postponed

ADCC Asia and Oceania Trials Postponed

October 4, 2021
Matt Serra Retire Cornerman UFC 259

Matt Serra Explains Decision To Retire As Cornerman After UFC 259

March 13, 2021

Browse by Category

  • BJJ News
  • Features
  • Giveaway
  • Interviews
  • MMA

Browse by Tags

ADCC ADCC 2022 ADCC Trials Andre Galvao ATOS Bellator BJJ Fanatics Celebrity BJJ covid covid-19 Craig Jones Danaher Death Squad Fight 2 Win Gabriel Almeida Gordon Ryan Gracie Family IBJJF Injury Instructional John Danaher Judo Kade Ruotolo Kayla Harrison Khabib Nurmagomedov Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa Mason Fowler Mikey Musumeci Oliver Taza ONE FC PFL Podcast Polaris polaris squads Police Roberto Jimenez Submission Underground Team Grappling Third Coast Grappling Tye Ruotolo UFC Who's Number One William Tackett Women's BJJ women's MMA Wrestling
Jitsmagazine.com

Your home for the latest BJJ and grappling news.

Categories

  • BJJ News
  • Features
  • Giveaway
  • Interviews
  • MMA

Browse by Tag

ADCC ADCC 2022 ADCC Trials Andre Galvao ATOS Bellator BJJ Fanatics Celebrity BJJ covid covid-19 Craig Jones Danaher Death Squad Fight 2 Win Gabriel Almeida Gordon Ryan Gracie Family IBJJF Injury Instructional John Danaher Judo Kade Ruotolo Kayla Harrison Khabib Nurmagomedov Lucas "Hulk" Barbosa Mason Fowler Mikey Musumeci Oliver Taza ONE FC PFL Podcast Polaris polaris squads Police Roberto Jimenez Submission Underground Team Grappling Third Coast Grappling Tye Ruotolo UFC Who's Number One William Tackett Women's BJJ women's MMA Wrestling

Recent Posts

  • Ruotolo Brothers Win Big At ONE 157
  • Nicky Rodriguez Says ‘Animosity In The Room’ Led To DDS Split
  • Gordon Ryan Teases ‘Biggest Match In Grappling History’

© 2020 JitsMagazine.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Features
  • BJJ News
  • MMA
  • Interviews
  • Shop
  • Giveaway

© 2020 JitsMagazine.com

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?