NOVEMBER 10, 2019, Richmond – California set the scenery for the latest edition of the Fight 2 Win grappling promotion, who put together nearly 40 matches for their 131st show. Below is an account of the main clashes on offer last night.
TYE RUOTOLO DEF. VAGNER ROCHA – decision
Out of these many matches on order, the one that captured much of the online discourse was that between the teenage phenom Tye Ruotolo from Atos and the grizzly veteran Vagner Rocha. A silver medal at the ADCC in a weight class above Ruotolo’s, Vagner was seen as the heavy favorite coming into the match, but the 16-year-old stud proved exactly why he is seen as one of the sport’s top prospects.
Mostly spent on the feet, Ruotolo and Rocha’s majority of the match was somewhat uneventful with both athletes playing conservative game plans. Although Rocha played his traditionally bully tactics, his attempts were met with a stoic Tye who kept his composure and delivered as many shoves as he received. Once the match hit the ground it was Ruotolo who pushed the pace, getting close to an omoplata at one point. Once the match ended, the judges gave the win to Tye.
JOSH HINGER DEF. MURILO SANTANA – decision
Another highly anticipated match was that of “Captain America” himself, Mr. Josh Hinger and Unity JJ top man, Murilo Santana. Although both are veterans of the sport and compete in the same weight class, Josh and Murilo had only met once in the past, a win that went to Santana back in 2016 at the No-Gi World Championship. Last night Hinger avenged his loss.
Not one of the most exciting matches we’ve seen from either athlete, Hinger was certainly the most active of the two, pushing for tie-ups when standing and passes once Murilo pulled guard. With no clear positional dominance established from either competitor, the judges’ decision went to the Atos representative, Hinger.
JAIME CANUTO DEF. EDWIN NAJMI – decision
The return of Edwin Najmi to the gi was seen with great anticipation, and indeed, this was one of the matches of the night. The fight started with the Gracie Barra standout almost pulling one of his trademarked aerial triangles, which landed near perfectly. Canuto struggled to relief the choke, slamming Najmi on the floor for the escape. Once free Jaime pressed Edwin’s guard retention to the max, putting on a real pace on the match, eventually passing and mounting.
From the mount position, Canuto was aggressive with cross chokes and armbar attempts. A dominant performance from GF Team’s middleweight, which granted him the nod from the judges. Arguably the best match of the night.
Other important matches on the card:
– Marcos Torregrosa def. Sean Nikmorad by decision
– Devhonte Johnson def. Eliot Kelly by decision
– Cole Franson def. Alex Canders by decision
– Gustavo Andrade def. Nisar Loynab by decision
