The 2021 IBJJF World Championship was nothing less than superb, with heaps of athletes putting their best performance on the line. You can see the full results here.
However, the eagerly expected absolute final match – the one between Felipe Pena and Nicholas Meregali – did not take place. The reason? Meregali’s disqualification from an earlier ultra-heavyweight semifinal match. Namely, Meregali showed a middle finger to someone in the audience, while the match was still ongoing.
Even though the exact reasons are still unknown, some of those who were watching the match live are saying that the middle finger insult was directed towards Xande Ribeiro and Rafael Lovato Jr.; who were allegedly yelling to the referee that Meregali was stalling the match.
However, these rumors still haven’t been confirmed. Nicholas spoke out on his social media, saying that he’ll clarify what happened soon:
Tomorrow I will take a stand on what happened and the disqualification.
Today I just want to be at peace and have a little fun with my friends. The performance in the championship was positive, but the result was not. Anyway, I’m happy, for me who didn’t want to fight the Worlds this year, we’re profiting. Thank you guys.
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