Earlier this month BJJEE.com broke the news that Carlson Gracie Jr. is getting ready for a big comeback on the World Master Stage as a way to honor his late father, legendary fighter Carlson Gracie.

He will be joined by some of the biggest bjj names on this stage. Expected to attend are (in order from Master 1 to Master5):

Caio Terra, Milton Bastos, Osvaldo ‘Queixinho’ Moizino, Bruno Frazatto, Marcelo Mafra, Clark Gracie, Oli Geddes, Ezra Lenon, Vitor Oliveira, Tarsus Humphreys, Romulo Barral, James Puopolo, Vinny Magalhaes, Laurence Cousin Fouillat, Cicero Costha, Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro, Telles, Igor Gracie, Bruno Bastos, Saulo Ribeiro, Carlson Gracie Jr, Robert Zeps, Franjinha Miller, Kurt Osiander….

My “world championship journey “has come to the end , my history has been made . But that doesn’t mean is the end , I’m still open for super fights . Minha jornada em “campeonatos mundiais “chegou ao fim , minha história foi escrita , mais isso não é o fim , estarei sempre pronto para super lutas . 8 gold medals ?? 8 ouros 6 silver medals ?? 6 pratas 2 bronze medals ?? 2 bronzes ? from the best @stewartuy #stormkimonos #stormteam #whatsyourmission #missionsubmission @Stormkimonos

A photo posted by Romulo Barral (@romulobarral) on Jun 14, 2016 at 3:23pm PDT

Answering what his expectations for this tournament are Romulo Barral told Graciemag:

I’m excited, but the focus at the World Master is a little different. Of course we want to win, but I’m going there to see friends again. There isn’t that pressure to be a champion. I’m going to fight with a lot of love, and I want to have loads of fun. Regardless of the result, this championship will be very important to me. I’m starting a new phase in my life, without that world championship pressure, of having to train to kick everybody’s ass [laughs]. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun.

Our professor will be competing at the Abu Dhbai World Pro Legends event this Saturday. We want to wish him good luck and let him know how excited we are to watch him showcase his world class level Jiu Jitsu! #Shaolin #worldchampion #blackbelt #nycbjj #bjj #jiujitsu #vsbjj

A photo posted by Vitor Shaolin BJJ Academy (@vitor_shaolin_bjj) on Apr 20, 2016 at 1:05pm PDT

On the other hand Vitor Shaolin is clear about his motivations:

I had just come home from Abu Dhabi; I felt good competing there, and that gave me a lot of motivation. When I got to the gym and saw the guys training, I decided to sign up. I saw I had time to train too, so I went for it. This year the tournament should be bigger; the IBJJF will probably commemorate the 10 years of the death of Carlson Gracie, and that also motivated me to participate. I think it was all that together, and so I decided to sign up.

Tietando o nosso campeão @minotouromma !!! Oss #sandiego

A photo posted by Alexandre (Xande) Ribeiro (@xanderibeirojj) on Aug 19, 2016 at 8:21pm PDT

Xande Ribeiro is assured that this competition is a great way to assure the efficacy of his teaching philosophy:

The expectation is incredible! I fought in the first year at the pyramid, and it was very cool. Many people see the Master as the end of their careers, but I see it as another challenge. After all, it’s between the ages of 30 and 40 that we reach the height of our physical vigor. Besides, it will be an opportunity to fight alongside a good part of my team.

He continues:

I fully believe in the efficiency of my Jiu-Jitsu. Of course, having been competing since I was ten, at one point you can feel tired. But I feel very good, I take advantage of physical therapy, I surround myself from the right people, and I’m always training. Training is training — I attempt different things, I push myself, I strain, but always very carefully, because what really counts is when the referee says, “Combate!” I’m ready to face anyone, at any time and at any weight.

You can view the full list of participants by clicking here. The event will be taking place 25th, 26th, and 27th August at Las Vegas Convention Center Halls N1.