The last time Josh Cisneros competed at the Worlds No-Gi, he won the brown belt featherweight division with four submissions in six matches. The Ares black belt has always been an exciting competitor, mixing his dynamic takedowns with a versatile submission game. At this year’s Worlds No-Gi, Josh will go up to the lightweight division for yet another challenge.

Lightweight is always one of the toughest divisions at every event, and this years Worlds No-Gi is no different. Though Josh has been competing in as many major championships as he could since being promoted to black belt in 2020, this will be his first Worlds No-Gi appearance at his current rank. “It’s awesome to finally compete at No-Gi Worlds as a black belt. I’ve dreamt of competing on the mats as a black belt and the time has finally arrived.”

The jump up to lightweight will give Josh the chance to test his game against a whole new set of opponents. Dante Leon, Daniel Sathler, Alexander Molinaro, Carlos Henrique, Deandre Corbe, and many other talented competitors are all in at light. “I talked about it with Professor Quexinho and the lightweight division seems like a better match for me. Everyone knows I like to scrap, so you can for sure expect to see some fireworks at No-Gi Worlds.”

Despite all the highly accomplished and skilled competitors in the division, Josh is not focused on any particular matchup. Rather, he plans to bring his action packed style to any and every match. “I feel any matchup will be fireworks in the lightweight division. I’m not looking at anyone in particular. The game plan is going to be the same as always, going in there and looking for the submission.”

As the no-gi game has grown and evolved, many competitors have put an increased focus on takedowns and leg locks. Josh commented on the current developments in no-gi, stating “Takedowns are definitely a must. As for leg locks I’m not really a leg locker. You’ll see more of me trying to pass, looking for back takes, and jumping on submissions.” All of these skills are a big part of what Josh is working on day to day in training. “My training never really changed. We train hard year round at Ares Goodyear so we are always ready for any event whenever it comes.” When asked what to expect from his matches this weekend, Josh simply replied, “Expect exciting matches.”

You can watch Josh Cisneros and the rest of the black belt competitors at the Worlds No-Gi only on FloGrappling. The event kicks off on Thursday December 8th and concludes with the black belt finals on Sunday December 11th.