Baret Yoshida, Michael Liera Jr. and Fellipe Andrew notch big wins.
Fight to Win has been showcasing the top jiu-jitsu talent on its stage since 2015. The Denver, Colorado based promotion travels across the U.S to feature both the top ranked professional competitors and local talent on its cards. Fight to Win has had to slow its pace since the pandemic, but has still managed to maintain its place as the most active professional jiu-jitsu show. The promotion has held events in Miami, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Sacramento so far in 2021.
Its most recent event went down on Friday September 10th in San Diego, California. CEO Seth Daniels was thrilled with the event, stating “Fight to Win 183 in San Diego was the biggest and best show we’ve had since the pandemic. We’re planning to be back many more times.” Below are the key takeaways from the event.
Baret Yoshida thrills with another submission
Baret Yoshida has been competing against the top grapplers in his weight class since 1999, the year he made his ADCC debut. Since then, he’s competed in nearly every edition of the event while also competing in the most prestigious IBJJF gi events. Despite being 46 years old, Baret has showed no signs of slowing down. At Fight to Win 180 in Los Angeles, Baret won by assassin choke, a choke he set up from the crucifix where he managed to tie up his opponents arm with his own gi before sliding his hand underneath the neck to get the tap. In the Fight to Win 183 main event, Baret submitted 2001 World Champion Bernardo Pitel with an anaconda choke in a minute and a half, capturing the master’s featherweight title for his efforts.
Michael Liera Jr. wins welterweight gi title
The Fight to Win welterweight gi title was up for grabs in a match between returning champion Jackson Nagai and top contender Michael Liera Jr. Jackson captured the title at Fight to Win 182, where he submitted Edwin Najmi with a triangle he setup from side control. Michael Liera Jr. is a black belt under Andre Galvao and went on to open his academy Logos Jiu-Jitsu in Denver, Colorado. Liera pulled Jackson into his closed guard early in the match. After some failed arm drag and sweep attempts, Liera unlocked his guard and found openings for foot locks and a triangle. Jackson defended the submission attempts well, but they were enough to earn Liera the decision and the Fight to Win welterweight gi title.
Double gold Pan Champion Fellipe Andrew cruises to submission
Coming off a double gold medal performance at the 2021 IBJJF Pans, expectations were high for Alliance Jiu-Jitsu representative Fellipe Andrew. His opponent at Fight to Win 183 was Fellipe Trovo, an Atos competitor coming off a gold medal in the open weight division of the IBJJF American Nationals. In this highly anticipated no-gi match, Fellipe Trovo elected to pull guard, a strategy he’s used to great effect in recent matches. The size and pressure of Fellipe Andrew proved to be too much though, as he methodically worked his way past Trovo’s guard and into the mount, where he finished the match with a head and arm choke.
Fight to Win will be back in action in Reno, Nevada for its 184th event on Saturday September 18th.