Kit Dale is stepping back into the fire.
The Australian BJJ veteran has been confirmed as a late addition to the Craig Jones Invitational 2 Team Misfits Australasia trials, stepping in with just two weeks’ notice.
Dale replaces top brown belt Josh Allsopp and will now compete in the two-day event for a coveted spot on Lachlan Giles’ CJI 2 squad.
The format is grueling.
Day one kicks off with a pre-qualifier featuring 16 elite grapplers battling for a single entry into day two.
That’s where things really get serious — a round-robin against five of the continent’s top athletes, with only two of them earning official team invites: one under 99kg and one over.
Dale will have to run through four matches on the first day just to advance. No easy task, especially given the depth of talent.
The pre-qualifier includes ADCC veteran Kenta Iwamoto, along with ADCC Trials medalists Anton Minenko and Tito Carle — all expected to be major threats.
Should Dale survive that bracket, he’ll face an even tougher lineup in the final round-robin.
That stage includes Declan Moody, Alibi Orazbek, Roberto Frias, Belal Etaibari, and Kaya Rudolph — all formidable names.
Still, if anyone has the experience to navigate that kind of challenge, it’s Dale.
A longtime presence on the international scene, he’s shared the mats with some of the sport’s best.
And although he took time away from competition to pursue other ventures, he’s already shown he’s back in form after a successful return earlier this year.
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