SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2020 – the professional grappling promotion Sub Stars produced a fantastic card last night, filled by some of the main stars in the jiu-jitsu world who competed in a particular set of rules laid out by the SS organizers. This Sub Stars rules had the first round of action as a submission only match, after which – in case of no sub – an additional round was fought, this one being decided by golden score (first to score is deemed the winner). The main difference from other jiu-jitsu settings, however, was the allowance for leg reaping and heel hooks in gi matches, which produced one of the highlights of the night. More on that below.
The promotors spared no effort to make this a high-class show, with taiko drummers in place for added dramatic value and the plush surroundings of The Fillmore Miami Beach arena. Although mainly a grappling event, the Sub Stars also offered a “Celebrity Sumo Wrestling” match in between the main card and the prelims. Below are the results from last night’s jiu-jitsu matches.
UNDERCARD
As previously mentioned, these were not your average preliminary matches. Some high-level names here and high-level activity. A special reference for brown belt Ethan Crelinsten, who defeated a world-class veteran yesterday in Enrico Cocco. Equally impressive was black belt newcomer Roberto Jimenez in his win over the dangerous no-gi, submission-only specialist Dan Martinez. Dan did manage to get very close to Jimenez’s legs (Martinez’s specialty), but Roberto did a diligent job at clearing his knee line and attacking with successful guard passes.
Prelims Match Results
– Jacob Brown def. Julian Perez via decision
– Carlos Andrade def. Hector Acosta via golden score
– Jasmine Rocha def. Nathalia Santoro via golden score
– Andy Perez def. Alex Moran via guillotine
– Felipe Porto Eduardo Roque via golden score
– Mauricio Gomez def. Josh Garcia via modified toe hold
– Roberto Jimenez def. Dan Martinez via golden score
– Ethan Crelinsten def. Enrico Cocco via decision
– Ana Carolina def. Vedha Toscano via Kneebar
– Nicky Ryan def. JZ Cavalcante via inside heel hook
– Vagner Rocha def. Thiago Moisés via golden score
MAIN CARD
Traditionally the main card is where matches are much tighter. Although better as a competitive exercise, this can sometimes hinder the entertainment aspect of grappling. Rest assured that this was not the case here, as the matches were tremendously well played, with plenty of spectacular moves on show. Below are the match results and our comments on those.
– Nick Rodriguez def. Roosevelt Sousa via RNC (No-Gi)
One of the finest performances we have seen from the New Jersey native, against the very competent Fight Sports team challenger. Nicky Rod was all on the offense against Roosevelt, pushing for his trademarked flying knee-slide (more like knee piercing) passing and lightning-quick back takes, a combo that won him the match.
– Luiza Monteiro def. Maggie Grindatti via outside heel hook (Gi)
Perfect use of the rules by Monteiro, who was allowed to heel hook with the gi at Sub Stars, and heel hook she did! Currently ranked at #4 in BJJ Heroes’ Pound 4 Pound, “Best Of All Time” female athletes (check here) was Luiza Monteiro, who proved her seniority over black belt newcomer Grindatti – 2019s brown belt world champion.
Monteiro was on the offense from the time she slapped hands with Maggie, pulling guard and attacking the omoplata, armlocks and finally the match ending outside heel hook from ashi-garami. Beautiful grappling.
– Fellipe Andrew def. Patrick Gaudio via botinha (Gi)
We were curious to see these two compete again after they went 1 for 1 at the IBJJF European Open last month. Both very close contests. Competing under submission-only rules, both athletes went for it from the very start, with Gaudio choosing to pull guard to attack Andrew’s feet. Going toe-to-toe, both figuratively and literally, against one of the gi’s top footlockers proved to be a tactical error for Patrick as Andrew quickly snatched a foot of his own for the tap.
– Roberto Abreu def. Rafael Lovato via golden score (No-Gi)
This was a war. Both veterans fought more minutes than anyone on the card last night and fought hard throughout the rounds. A big chess-match between two savvy veterans, it would be Cyborg to come out the victor with a sweep in overtime.
– Gordon Ryan def. Tex Johnson via katagatame (No-Gi)
Arguably the most one-sided match-up of the night saw Ryan allow Johnson to pull him to his strong open guard game, only to completely shut down Tex’s very dangerous leg locking game. Repeated passes to mount, with a few 3 katagatame (arm-triangle) attempts, failed due to Gordon’s head positioning being too high and Aaron’s resilience. In the end, however, the necessary adjustments were made and Ryan added another “W” to his outstanding record.
