Sports

Jiu-Jitsu & Judo

IBJJF world heavyweight champion Rider Zuchi stripped of title, suspended three years

Jits Magazine reports the penalty against the Team 6 BJJ black belt, who won his division at May's Long Beach Worlds

Rider Zuchi, the IBJJF heavyweight black-belt world champion, has been stripped of that title and suspended for three years, Jits Magazine reported on Oct. 6. FloGrappling's results from the 2026 World Championship, held May 28-31 in Long Beach, California, list Rider Zuchi Samelo do Amaral of Team 6 BJJ as the winner of the adult male black-belt heavy division. Nicholas Maglicic of Atos was second, with Leonardo Silveira Ferreira and Luiz Felipe Assis dos Santos, both of Alliance, sharing bronze. The listing available does not set out the grounds for the sanction, and no response from the athlete was found. The title would normally pass to the runner-up, but the IBJJF's treatment of the podium has not been confirmed. Neither outlet's page was reviewed in full, so readers should treat details beyond the headline as unconfirmed.

Why it mattersA forfeited world title and a three-year ban test how the IBJJF enforces its rules as the federation tightens drug-testing arrangements.

Jits Magazine trade · FloGrappling: IBJJF Worlds 2026 results trade

Rei do Rio and Elevate cage card join Saturday's crowded grappling slate

Rio's two-day event starts at 12:00 UTC while FloGrappling also carries ADCC Vancouver and Elevate Submission Series #28

RIO DE JANEIRO — Rei do Rio, a two-day event running Oct. 24-25, begins Saturday at 12:00 UTC and streams on FloGrappling, according to the outlet's schedule. The Elevate Submission Series Cage Event #28 follows at 5:00 p.m. UTC. The same listings show the ADCC Vancouver Open and the PBJJF World Championships both starting at 1:00 p.m. UTC. Next week the IBJJF European No-Gi runs Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, the ADCC Caracas Open is on Oct. 31, and the PBJJF Charleston Fall International Open and LIJJN's Boo Jitsu Halloween Hangover both fall on Nov. 1. Fight to Win 328 in New England was the previous weekend's show. Rei do Rio's venue is listed as to be determined.

Why it mattersSeveral competing circuits are streaming on one platform over the same weekend, which shows how crowded the fall calendar has become.

FloGrappling schedule trade · FloGrappling: What's on this week trade

UPDATEJudo's late calendar adds Tashkent juniors and a Dushanbe Masters in December

The IJF lists 328 athletes from 57 nations for the World Juniors, followed by the Masters Dec. 18-20

TASHKENT — Beyond this weekend's junior Grand Prix in Dushanbe and the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, the International Judo Federation's calendar shows what comes next. Tashkent hosts the World Championships Juniors Individuals in November, and the IJF lists 328 athletes from 57 nations for it. Its Dushanbe junior event, the Hoji Sharif Grand Prix on Oct. 24-25, is listed with 233 athletes from 19 nations. The federation also lists the Dushanbe World Judo Masters for Dec. 18-20 in Tajikistan. Last month's Baku World Championships, held Oct. 4-11, were the senior season's centerpiece. The IJF's earlier plan to hold the junior worlds in Amman, Jordan, has been replaced by the Tashkent listing.

Why it mattersJunior world results feed ranking points and Olympic qualification, so the Tashkent field sets up the next generation of contenders.

IJF World Tour calendar primary · IJF: Hoji Sharif Dushanbe Grand Prix Juniors 2026 primary

MMA

Makhachev reportedly dropped from UFC 336 main event in Toronto

Reports say the welterweight champion's January date with Carlos Prates no longer works, leaving the card without a headliner

The UFC is reportedly looking for a new main event for UFC 336 on January 30 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight reported on Friday that welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is out of the headline slot. Ariel Helwani later said the date no longer works for the champion and that the reason is unclear. Makhachev beat Ian Machado Garry by decision at UFC 330 in August. The fight with Carlos Prates had been widely reported but was never officially announced. Dana White declined to confirm or deny the report and called it "interesting." Makhachev's manager had said earlier this week that talk of the fight was only rumor. Options floated include an interim title fight for Prates, possibly against Michael Morales, or holding Prates until the champion is ready. The UFC's event page still lists both top bouts as to be determined.

Why it mattersThe sport's top-ranked fighter is now out of the first numbered card of 2027, which could stall the welterweight title picture for months.

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Tim Kennedy's Congo ambush tied to mining-revenue contract work

Former UFC fighter was wounded and a New Zealand ex-SAS soldier killed while working for Erik Prince's Vectus Global

New reporting ties the September 17 ambush that wounded former UFC middleweight and ex-Green Beret Tim Kennedy to a Congolese government contract. MMA Weekly cited sources close to the government who said the three-man contractor team was on a ground-clearing mission. The mission was part of efforts to protect mining revenue, fight smuggling and collect taxes. The contractors worked for Vectus Global, the private security firm led by Blackwater founder Erik Prince. Former New Zealand SAS soldier Justin Conaglen was killed. Kennedy was reportedly shot three times in the leg. Sources cited by Reuters put the toll at about 20 dead or wounded in South Kivu, including at least seven Congolese nationals. Sources cited by Reuters pointed to Rwandan forces, but the attackers' identities and the circumstances have not been officially confirmed. Kennedy is reported to be recovering in the United States.

Why it mattersThe episode shows how private contractors are being used in eastern Congo's mineral economy, and what that costs on the ground.

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Palhares and Galvao to rematch 2011 ADCC final with body strikes

Rio's ACBJJ 23 on Nov. 13 pairs the two Brazilians under combat jiu-jitsu rules, with Gastelum facing Rodolfo Vieira

RIO DE JANEIRO — Rousimar Palhares and Andre Galvao will meet again on Nov. 13 at Farmasi Arena in Rio. The bout is the main event of ACBJJ 23, a Russian-run promotion. It is a rematch of their 2011 ADCC final at 88 kilograms, which Galvao won 9-4 in Nottingham. This time they fight at 100 kilograms under combat jiu-jitsu rules. Those rules allow punches and kicks to the body but not strikes to the head. Rounds are scored 10-9 on impact, fight control and aggression, promoter Davi Ramos told Sherdog. In the co-main event, UFC middleweights Kelvin Gastelum and Rodolfo Vieira meet at 88 kilograms under grappling rules. Sherdog also reports that Edson Barboza is expected on the card, though no opponent has been announced. Palhares was released by the UFC after repeatedly holding submissions past the referee's stoppage. Galvao is a five-time world champion and six-time ADCC champion.

Why it mattersThe card pairs two of the best-known leg-lock and jiu-jitsu names with a hybrid ruleset, and shows grappling-based events drawing UFC names.

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