The deep-seeded rivalries in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu undoubtedly fuel the fire for intense matches. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing your favorite BJJ superstar win against his/her greatest nemesis, especially in the finals of the Mundials, where you’ve spent hours waiting with bated breath for their match.
1) Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles vs Rafael Mendes
Perhaps the greatest featherweights in BJJ history, Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles and Rafael Mendes have competed against each other ten times in the last 9 years. In their first meeting, Cobrinha won on points, passing Mendes’ guard in the last few minutes of the match. Although Cobrinha has only beaten Mendes 4 times, it is always an interesting match between the two competitors. With their super technical guard games, Mendes and Cobrinha are certainly the propagators of modern jiu-jitsu.
2) Caio Terra vs Bruno Malfacine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYx4LjLT9Zg
There’s a reason why 9x BJJ World Champion Bruno Malfacine has managed to stay on top of the Roosterweight division. Time and again, Malfacine has proved that he is a force to be reckoned with, staying undefeated for several years – until Caio Terra came into the picture that is. In 2008, Terra pulled off an upset and submitted Malfacine with a rear naked choke. The following year until 2012 however, Malfacine managed to redeem himself and stayed at the top of the division. As rivalries always go, Malfacine was in for another surprise. In 2013, in both the Pan Americans and the Mundials, Terra cinched wins again. Although Terra did not compete in the Mundials in 2014, Terra and Malfacine met again in 2015 and 2016, with Malfacine winning the Pan Americans with a rear naked choke and the Mundials by points.
3) Marcus Buchecha Almeida vs Rodolfo Vieira
Aggressive, explosive, athletic – these are definitely the words that best describe multiple-time BJJ World Champions Marcus Buchecha Almeida and Rodolfo Vieira. Time and again, both have been considered to be the biggest stars in BJJ today, putting on amazing fights in the most prestigious competitions. And when you put these two competitors against each other – it’s all-out war. Although Rodolfo has only managed to defeat Buchecha once, their matches are always close, with Buchecha winning by just a few points.
4) Joao Miyao vs Mikey Musumeci
Two of the best Light Featherweights today, Joao Miyao and Mikey Musumeci have certainly received their share of titles in the highest levels of competitions in BJJ. Although Miyao has been competing and winning at the highest levels of competition as a black belt since 2013, he has yet to defeat the younger Musumeci, who just received his black belt in 2015.
So tell us, which of these rivalries do you enjoy watching the most?
No Gracie v. Sakuraba? Or Gracie v. Bravo?
Cobrinha vs Mendes, Buchecha vs Veira