One of the most impressive twelve months I've ever seen in grappling: Nicholas Meregali continued his meteoric rise in grappling this year in a way that few would predicted. In a game that has become increasingly specialized into gi and no gi athletes he got to the absolute top in both by beating the best of the best in dominant fashion and showed a truly incredible ability to reinvent his jiu jitsu mid career and take on entirely new skills and directions in a breathtakingly short time. In a truly sensational year and Meregali defeated the two most outstanding current gi athletes, both current world champions Victor Hugo and Erich Munis. He did so by winning Pan Ams double gold almost every match by submission and the IBJJF Grand Prix, again almost every match by submission. Shockingly his preparation for these events was a few weeks in between his no gi training! Then in the no gi realm he took on four athletes who I believe most people would agree would be the three best open weight active no gi athletes outside of our team/former teammates – Kaynan Duarte, Felipe Pena and Cyborg Abreau – and defeated all three in the most impressive way possible by submission. Moreover, he did this while exhibiting A completely revamped skill set from feet to floor. This has truly been one of the most remarkable transformations I have ever seen from an athlete who already a star with a fully developed game in one domain – to take on and dominate a whole new category of the sport with an entirely new arsenal in a year whilst improving his original domain was a truly amazing feat. Now he stands at the top of both gi and no gi worlds and is the best mixed domain athlete in the world. Congratulations Nicholas – that was one hell of a year!
