The early favorite for the main event tournament is going to be Victor Hugo, but he has plenty of tough opposition who are capable of beating him. The two opponents close to his weight who will be waiting for him are Devhonte Johnson and Javier Barter; two very stylistically different competitors who have both achieved a high level of success in recent years. Then although he’s slightly smaller, elite wrestler Michael Pixley is always a game opponent and being notoriously difficult to score on from standing makes him difficult for anyone but an elite guard-player like Hugo.
Pedro Marinho is probably the most well-rounded competitor in the bracket and although he’ll be at a size disadvantage against most of his potential opponents, he’s proven that he’s good enough to overcome that before. Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira is the smallest out of everyone though and even though he’s a master leglocker, even he will have a tough time winning this. Rounding out the bracket then is Nick Hartman and Marlon Tajik; two recently-promoted black belts who might not be as well-known as the rest of the bracket, but they’re both excellent grapplers capable of causing some big upsets.
The full IBJJF No Gi Absolute Grand Prix 2026 event, including the above lineup, will be available to watch live on February 26th, 2026 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
