Despite not focusing on training with a gi, Nicholas Meregali has set his sights on competing in the IBJJF Opens this year – to establish himself as the world’s best Jiu-Jitsu athlete.
2023 was a year of unparalleled success for Meregali.
His focus was primarily on grappling, yet he plans to participate in select IBJJF Opens with a gi, aiming to enhance his submission rate:
For a guy who doesn’t train in a kimono, I’m still doing really well.
Last year I beat the ‘best guys in the world’ without even training Jiu-Jitsu in the gi regularly.
The camps I took lasted two or three weeks and I only did one session a day.Interestingly, I beat them under those circumstances and I still have people saying I’m in the top three, but I’m not the best gi fighter in the world.
Meregali continued to explain how he’ll approach 2024:
I understand that there are a lot of gi fighters better than me, I was just lucky enough to win and look dominant in my fights.
This year 2024, I will compete in the gi without training, I want to be part of these easy events, like the IBJJF Opens, or get a super fake fight.
The plan is to increase my submission rate and look like the best fighter in the world, after all, there are people who don’t understand the difference between greatness and being good.
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