JULY 18, 2021, Last night we saw an appetizer for what the ADCC organization has in store for its fans in the near future, an event accurately labeled “Road To ADCC” which symbolized the start of the promotion’s season as they ramp up towards the World Championships in 2022.
Regarded by many in the combat sports industry as the Olympics Of Grappling, the ADCC poses many challenges to jiu-jitsu athletes and fans, mainly due to its unique and intricate ruleset. What better way was there to promote the organization’s unique ruleset other than to showcase some of the best grapplers in the game playing under those rules?
The Road To ADCC 2021 featured 6 grappling super-fights, all of which provided plenty of exciting action. Definitely a positive experience for the fans and the promotion. Find out more information on the action below.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT
This was, without a doubt, one of the most fun no-gi events we’ve seen in a while. Literally, every match on the card provided tons of excitement and showcased high-class grappling for the fans. That said, we believe Roberto Jimenez‘s war against Kade Ruotolo was the most fun of them all.
Although considerably smaller than Roberto and a last-minute replacement for Andre Wiltse (who was forced to pull out due to a medical condition), Kade Ruotolo came into this match like a bat out of hell. The first 5 minutes of action were true organized grappling chaos, with takedowns, scrambles, sweeps, flying submission attempts, and more.
Both athletes played the wrestling game early, with Kade conquering a blast double takedown (reminiscent of his coach André Galvão). Not happy with establishing top control, Ruotolo immediately jumped on a tight armbar, which Roberto escaped. The roll of positional exchanges continued for most of the match until Jimenez managed to establish top position and side-control. From there Roberto attacked Kade’s neck, forcing the brown belt to turtle, a maneuver he used to establish back control and the match-ending Mata Leão choke. Beautiful work.
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT
Again, plenty of subject matter here. From Musumeci’s solid performance against one of the toughest 145 lb grapplers on the planet (Geo Martinez) to Lucas Barbosa‘s bulldozing display of passing pressure against Tackett, or, arguably, the cleanest performance of the night, that of Kaynan Duarte against ADCC 88 kg champion, Matheus Diniz. From all the action, we would highlight Nicky Ryan‘s hard-fought physical and mental display of grit and skill over Dante Leon.
This was one of Ryan’s toughest challenges to date and his first battle since turning 20 years of age last month. Dante is an ADCC veteran who took 4th place at the last event (2019) and posed plenty of interesting questions as to where Ryan stood in the middleweight division right now. Ryan answered those questions to the fullest, taking Dante down multiple times, and using excellent “wrestle-jitsu” to sweep the Canadian and control the match.
Sadly, with around 5 minutes to the end of the clash, Ryan suffered a knee injury during a takedown scramble. The American pulled through the pain but appeared visibly limited from that moment on. He was forced to coast from his guard for the remainder of the match, playing defense and blocking every passing attempt by Leon.
MUSUMECI X MARTINEZ RIVALRY
On the build-up to the match, there was a clear animosity building up between Mikey Musujmeci and Geo Martinez. The spark that fueled the feud appears to be Martinez’s belief that Musumeci fakes his friendly demeanor to get to his opponents’ heads. A passive-aggressive posture for which the 10th Planet Freaks representative showed complete disapproval.
Once the match ended, Mikey tried to shake Martinez’s hands. The San Diego native refused which caused a heated post-fight interview with commentator Hywel Teague, where Michael spoke out against Geo saying he should not be a black belt for carrying himself in such a manner.
Back to jiu-jitsu now.
– Roberto Jimenez def. Kade Ruotolo via RNC
– Mickey Musumeci def. Geo Martinez via 6×0
– Ana Carolina Vieira def. Elisabeth Clay via 5×0
– Lucas Barbosa def. William Tackett via 33×0 (-2×0)
– Nicky Ryan def. Dante Leon via 5×0 (-2×0)
– Kaynan Duarte def. Matheus Diniz via calf-slicer (leaf clover)
