DECEMBER 12, 2020, Another Who’s Number One event, led by the FloGrappling team. The event featuring a series of super fights between some of the foremost submission grapplers on the planet. This included a strong main event between the current +99 kilogram ADCC champion, Kaynan Barbosa of the Atos Academy, and one f the legends of gi jiu-jitsu, Mr. Rodolfo Vieira – who returned from his current MMA career, where he has been focussing his time for the past 5 years, for this event.
Although most of the media attention was set on Duarte vs Vieira, there were plenty of matches on offer, one could argue, more relevant matches to grappling fans. Namely the super interesting clash between Mayssa Bastos and undefeated prospect Grace Gundrum or that of 17YO phenom Tye Ruotolo versus the always dangerous Kody Steele. For a full description of all tonight’s matches, check below.
– Tye Ruotolo def. Kody Steele via Inside heel hook
Ruotolo was an absolute berserker throughout the match. Takedowns, guard passes, and relentless aggression at a crazy pace. Although more experienced, Kody was outmatched everywhere the action went. Another impressive submission win for Tye.
– Vagner Rocha def. Jon Blank via decision
Solid match between these two no-gi specialists. Not a lot of submissions exchanged but Rocha did look dominant from the top, controlling distance and passing. Fun match and a good decision win for the Fight Sports veteran.
– Roberto Jimenez def. Dante Leon via decision
Great performance by both competitors, who came in ready to show their craft and put on a show.
Although both are to be praised for their commitment to the show, Jimenez was the clear winner here. Unpredictable as always, the young gun took the match to Dante in every aspect of the game by wrestling, playing from the top, and playing guard at a frenetic pace. One of the great performances of the night, which could have easily ended in a submission, as the match ended with Roberto on a locked mounted triangle.
– Mayssa Bastos def. Grace Gundrum via decision
On paper, this was one of the most interesting matches on the card. Two amazing grapplers, one who hadn’t lost a match since her childhood days and Mayssa, the current reigning IBJJF World Champion.
Both athletes played strategically with no big positions being scored by either competitor.
Mayssa did appear to push the rhythm harder than Grace. Her game-plan seemed to be: Playing guard to get a sweep, coming up on a leg-drag for back exposure. Bastos did pursue this for most of the match, conquering many sweeps, but, when she did not find her way, she would fall back to her guard.
Near the end, Mayssa started playing more from the top, applying solid pressure passing to attempt strong knee slides and half guard underhook passes, all blocked by Gundrum.
Not the most exciting match but very technical.
– Kennedy Maciel def. Geo Martinez via decision
Great match by both athletes, a very technical fight between two masterful grapplers. Geo looked dangerous from the bottom, getting Kennedy in a few tricky leg entanglements while Maciel played well from the top position, passing Geo’s guard on one occasion and looking very solid with a few grueling cross faces.
A hard match to score, given the submission-only rules on offer. Could have gone either way, but all 3 judges opted to raise Maciel’s hand.
– Kaynan Duarte def. Rodolfo Vieira via RNC
A dominant performance by Kaynan, who is clearly at the top of his grappling prowess against a veteran of the game who hasn’t competed at the highest level in a long, long time. 2 mins was all it took for Kaynan to take Vieira down (via throw-by), take the back and submit via RNC. Although somewhat to be expected, this was still a very solid performance by the Atos competitor, Kaynan, who continues to impress in all aspects of the game.
