On His #1 Overall Ranking

Alliance’s Fellipe Andrew is one of the most active athletes on the IBJJF competition circuit. In addition to competing at all the major championships, he also competes at IBJJF open events all across the country. His consistency and positive results have earned him the #1 overall ranking at adult male black belt. “I aim to fight as much as I can, to face more and more people before the World Championships. Of course the $15k at the end of the season is pretty cool, but it's just a consequence.”

2022 Season Assessment

Fellipe’s 2022 season started flawlessly as he won his weight and the open class at the European Championships in Rome. He would go on to hit the podium at the next three major championships, earning two silver and three bronze medals. Although the results were positive, Fellipe is always striving for more. “I’m not satisfied with the beginning of the year, but I'm happy to still be competing at a high level and always reaching the highest places on the podium. I believe it's a phase and I'm looking to improve more and more.”

At the 2022 American Nationals, Fellipe did just that, winning double gold in the gi and also his weight class without the gi. “The American Nationals is an event that I really enjoy and I make a point of fighting whenever I can. This year I also joined no-gi in my weight division to test myself and start picking up the pace of no-gi competitions.” Fellipe will carry the momentum from American Nationals into his next big challenge, a super fight at the IBJJF FloGrappling Grand Prix against Erberth Santos.

The IBJJF FloGrappling GP Super Fight

Fellipe will take part in the IBJJF FloGrappling GP event on August 12th, this time in the form of a super fight. His opponent will be 2017 super-heavy World Champion Erberth Santos, a challenge Fellipe is looking forward to. "Erberth is a great athlete. It's sure to be a good show for everyone who can watch.” The super fight will allow Fellipe to prepare for a single opponent, something he doesn’t often get the chance to do in a tournament setting. “Sometimes I try to train by putting together a strategy for a specific opponent, but not always. Normally I try to impose my game, but always watch out for some dangerous moves by my opponent.” Both Fellipe and Erberth have plenty of dangerous moves, as the two are always hunting for the submission. “I don't know what to expect from this fight but I'm sure it will be a great war with a lot of jiu-jitsu exchanged and always going forward.”

Medium-Heavy and Inaugural Female GP

The IBJJF FloGrappling GP event will feature both male and female four athlete brackets. The male bracket will be at medium-heavy weight and will include Leandro Lo, Gabriel Arges, Ronaldo Junior, and Mathias Luna. Fellipe shared his thoughts on the GP’s. “My support for this male GP belongs to Leandro Lo. He's the athlete I like to see the most at the moment and he's always been an inspiration to me, since I was a white belt. For the women's GP, I don't really know what to say because there are four great athletes and they all have a chance to win. I think the jiu-jitsu community will benefit from this, to see so much high quality jiu-jitsu. And not to mention that it is a big step for jiu-jitsu itself. Women have deserved this space for a long time and little by little they are conquering it, with a lot of work. I was very happy with this GP too.”

In closing, Fellipe shared a final message. “I just wanted to thank everyone who cheers for me and say that I will be very ready for August 12th! It will be a good war!” Be sure to tune in to FloGrappling on Friday August 12th to catch Fellipe’s match as well as the male and female Grand Prix brackets.