Worlds 2022

I really enjoyed IBJJF Worlds this year. It seems like we are turning the page on gi grappling being incredibly boring. Will it ever be as dynamic as no gi, probably not, but this years worlds had me yelling at the tv much more than in years prior. The new generation came to finish and score across all black belt divisions, and even matches that were decided by narrow margins featured exciting exchanges and there were quite a few matches decided in the last 90 seconds. I also found it interesting that the same guards prevailed across all divisions. From rooster to ultra heavy both men and women relied heavily on lasso, lapel, 50/50, or a combination of these guards and very few of the finals were determined by something outside of these positions. I think it will be very interesting to see whether someone will put actual money into this more dynamic style of gi grappling. I would love to see an adcc style tournament in the gi or bring back acb in a better format. Overall, 2022 worlds made me excited for gi grappling, now I just hope that someone finds a way to compensate the athletes adequately for their effort.