A rundown of the biggest headlines and news from the world of competitive grappling.
The IBJJF Pan Championship is one of the biggest BJJ competitions of the calendar year, and it regularly attracts the best competitors from all across the world. There’s particular attention on this edition of the tournament though, because it also marks the return of Nicholas Meregali to gi competition. After spending so long training no gi for his ADCC debut, it’ll be interesting to see how he does in his transition back to the gi.
He’s not the only athlete looking to make a statement at the tournament though; Fellipe Andrew is coming in fresh of a phenomenal performance at the IBJJF Los Angeles Open. There will naturally be a lot of attention on Tainan Dalpra as well, with fans wondering if he can continue his dominance in the middleweight division. Then at super-heavyweight, Erich Munis is in good form after winning the IBJJF Curitiba Open just weeks before.
Tammi Musumeci to make ONE debut against Bianca Basilio
While Mikey Musumeci has been busy winning the very first ONE Championship flyweight submission grappling title and working hard to defend it, his sister Tammi has been preparing for her promotional debut. A multiple-time IBJJF no gi world champion in her own right, Tammi Musumeci has been an impressive competitor for a decade already and will no doubt be eager to make a statement in her first ONE Championship match.
She isn’t going to have an easy time of it though, as her opponent is ADCC world champion Bianca Basilio. She won the women’s under 60kg division back in 2019 and is an incredibly tough opponent for any competitor. The grappling match between the two will serve as the first fight of ONE Fight Night 8, which will be headlined by an epic kickboxing title match between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmuu9.
ADCC trials winners get back in action with great performances
Several top competitors who earned their places at ADCC 2022 last year were back in action this weekend, and all of them put on a show for the fans. North American trials winner Keith Krikorian was competing in the co-main event of SOGI Pro: Winter Warz against Andrew Solano. He put on a flawless display of his talent by locking up a rear-naked choke to submit his opponent.
On the other side of the planet, European trials winner Ashley Williams had traveled all the way to Australia to face Asia and Oceania trials winner Jeremy Skinner on his home turf. The pair met in the main event of Subversion: Equinox and they both put everything they had into the match, delivering plenty of action over the first few minutes. Around the halfway mark Williams managed to lock up a triangle choke to earn ‘Submission of the Night’.
Gunnar Nelson hits a beautiful finish at UFC 286
The UFC took a trip to London, England and gave the fans in the UK a rare opportunity to see a title-fight live in action. While the local hero Leon Edwards managed to defend his title against the former champion Kamaru Usman and win their trilogy bout, one of the most exciting moments of the night came a little earlier. Gunnar Nelson was taking on Bryan Barbarena about halfway through the main card in a fun match between two veterans.
Nelson started out using his classic side-on Karate-style stance, but once he got a hold of Barbarena he looked much more like the grappling ace. Nelson immediately took Barbarena down and transitioned to mount with relative ease, dropping shots regularly along the way. After a few seconds in mount, Nelson spun for a beautiful armbar to get the finish in the first round and win ‘Performance of the Night’.
Full results for the event can be found here.
Quick Hits
- Judo legend Teddy Riner has started adding Jiu-Jitsu to his training regime in order to prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games.
- Roberto Satoshi de Souza is going to attempt to get back in the win column at RIZIN 42 in a non-title bout against Spike Carlyle.
- Felipe Pena revealed that he still intends to transition to MMA, once he’s had his fourth match with Gordon Ryan.
- Craig Jones has announced that he will soon be starting his own podcast with a co-host, entitled ‘El Segundo podcast’.