A rundown of the biggest headlines and news from the world of competitive grappling.
Who’s Number One (WNO) is a regular event put on by the biggest streaming service in Jiu-Jitsu, FloGrappling, that usually aims to find who the top ranked grappler in a certain weight-class is. This time however, two men will be competing for the title of pound-for-pound king as Gordon Ryan faces off against a fellow 2019 ADCC World Champion, Matheus Diniz. Ryan will have a significant weight advantage coming into this fight but Diniz is no slouch and has performed well in Absolute divisions in the past.
Earlier on in the same event, Gordon’s younger brother Nicky Ryan will also compete as the nineteen year-old BJJ brown belt faces a unique challenge. NCAA Champion wrestler and two-time US National Team member Tony Ramos will make his debut on the professional grappling circuit, competing under traditional WNO rules. This will no doubt give Ryan the edge as he’ll be fighting on home ground, so to speak, but Ramos is an elite wrestler who’s more than capable of giving him trouble.
ADCC European, African and Middle-Eastern Trials Postponed Until December
Competitors all across the world will be feeling a little disappointed as many of them were just starting to enter training camps ready for the ADCC trials. Sadly, with a little over a month left to go until the very first trials event, it was postponed until the 19th December instead. The organisation revealed that the decision was made in light of travel restrictions that are currently in place and the difficulty some athletes will face attempting to compete as a result of them.
As a result, there are likely some athletes that are actually relieved at the change of date, as it may mean the difference in them being able to make the journey to Poland. Regardless of who is happy and who isn’t, it was a smart move by the organizers to delay the event. Just recently, the IBJJF Pan-Ams were rescheduled for their traditional home in the US and they faced a lot of backlash from Brazilian athetes who were publicly unhappy due to the likelihood of them not being able to compete.
Subversiv 3 Brings a Unique Twist on Team Grappling
Subversiv 3 brought something new to the US with an event that featured sixteen teams of one female and two male grapplers competing in a knockout tournament. The tournament attracted some of the best competitors from the most high-profile gyms across the US, including Checkmat, Gracie Barra, Unity, Alliance, and Fightsports. The unique approach resulted in over forty matches of elite grappling action and a metric ton of highlights.
When all was said and done, the final saw a tough battle between Unity and Gracie Barra that saw Levi Jones-Leary give Unity the early lead with a Decision victory over Carlos Souza. Fellipe Trovo levelled the playing field with a phenomenal Flying Triangle Choke to secure the tap against Devhonte Johnson that put all the pressure on the women competing next. Kendall Reusing joined her teammate Trovo in winning by submission as she locked up a tight Arm Triangle against Chloe McNally. Full results for the event can be found here.
Polaris Starts Announcing Competitors for a Team Grappling Event of Their Own
We previously covered Polaris announcing the brand new team format for their next event, but they’ve started to go into overdrive announcing the competitors. So far, only three out of eight representatives have been announced for Team UK and we can now exclusively reveal the first competitor for Team Europe. UFC and Bellator veteran Marcin Held will be one of the men fighting for Europe which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering he’s fought under the Polaris banner relatively recently.
He and the rest of his, as yet unknown, team will be standing across from the best grapplers that the UK has to offer. The first announcement back when the ruleset was revealed was Polaris double champ and Welsh grappler, Ashley Williams. Since then, he’s been joined by one of the men who attempted to win the Polaris UK Grand Prix, Bradley Hill. The man who featured on that same card, although as one half of a superfight he ended up winning, Jed Hue is the only remaining athlete representing Team UK so far. Keep your eyes peeled as the rest of the teams are revealed in the coming weeks.
Quick Hits
- The Caio Terra Academy has been forced to close it’s doors after being threatened with a $5,000 fine for every single class the 12-time World Champion runs.
- Craig Jones is back to his usual antics with a tongue-in-cheek promotional video for his latest instructionals on BJJ Fanatics, poking fun at all the worst parts of competitive BJJ.
- BJJ Globetrotters, the famous training camp experience for BJJ competitors around the world, has announced mandatory Covid-19 testing for all attendees in order for camps to go ahead as planned.
- Derrick Lewis takes one step closer to becoming the baddest purple belt in Texas after receiving the first stripe on his blue belt, shortly after his stunning first-round victory over Aleksei Oleinik.
Technique Corner
Leg Lasso to Kneebar or Toehold, to Back-take
Mount Escape to Lockdown, to Electric Chair, to Vaporizer