Professor Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu will compete on Friday November 18th in the IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix alongside seven other elite black belt athletes. Cyborg is no stranger to the Grand Prix format, as he won the No-Gi Heavyweight GP back in 2019. “It’s always a great pleasure to be able to challenge myself against simply the best. I won the last Grand Prix I competed in and I look forward to having a great performance at this one as well.” This Grand Prix is a gi event, and includes competitors Cyborg has gone up against before, including Kaynan Duarte, Gutemberg Pereira, and Elder Cruz.

Cyborg comes to the event with more experience than any other competitor. His run at the 2019 No-Gi Heavyweight Grand Prix was especially impressive, as he defeated Victor Hugo, Lucas Barbosa, and Joao Gabriel Rocha in consecutive matches. “Winning the IBJJF GP in 2019 was a great moment in my career. It was a super tough GP. I had three great fights that evening and it was a great experience. I believe I fight good in that kind of environment and I’m looking forward to it. I cant wait for the next one, especially being in the gi this time.”

The last IBJJF event Cyborg competed in was the 2022 Pans, where he won ultra heavy gold.

With fourteen years between his first Pan title in 2008 and this one, it was quite a memorable moment for the Fight Sports leader. “It felt great. I jumped into it last minute to support my students and ended up bringing the title home. Unfortunately I got very busy this year with work and I couldn’t compete as much as I wanted to compete. So it’s going to be great to have one more chance to fight in the Gi this year.” Cyborg has always dedicated himself to both gi and no-gi training, something he believes plays a crucial role in his success. “I believe gi and no-gi complement each other.  I’ve always loved both sides of the art and one supports the other.”

With a black belt career spanning nearly two decades, Cyborg has had more longevity at the highest levels of the sport than anyone. So what’s the secret to consistently achieving great results at the elite levels of the sport? “The secret is love for the art. I love training and living the true lifestyle of jiu-jitsu. I motivate myself with all my athletes who are starting and dreaming of a successful career. For me it was always about the journey, not the titles. So I’m always training and ready. When tournaments come, I show up. The more we love the art, the easier it will be to have longevity and keep ourselves motivated. No matter the result I’ll still be doing the same thing on Monday.”

You can watch all the matches from the IBJJF Absolute Grand Prix on Friday November 18th, exclusively on FloGrappling.