2007 IBJJF World Championship

Did you know?

• ▸ Across 44 recorded matchups at the 2007 IBJJF World Championship, 26 ended by submission for a submission rate of 59 percent. That is a lot of finishes for a gi event at this level, which tells you something about the gap between top competitors and the rest of the bracket.
• ▸ The single most common submission on record here was the gi choke from back with 6 finishes, well ahead of the armbar and ezekiel choke at 3 each. Back control with the collar was clearly where matches got decided.
• ▸ Roger Gracie led all competitors with 7 wins, and 6 of those came by submission. Winning nearly all your matches by finish at a Worlds is the kind of run that defines an era.
• ▸ Roger Gracie beat Romulo Barral in the Absolute Division final by gi choke from back. Barral was no easy out, taking his own gold in the Medium Heavyweight final over Saulo Ribeiro on points.
• ▸ The finals showed off the full toolbox: Rubens Charles closed out Featherweight with a bow and arrow, Lucas Lepri took Lightweight with a baseball bat choke, and Bruno Malfacine finished Yusuke Honma with a rear naked choke at Rooster Weight.