JUNE 21, 2024, AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA. Last night Who’s Number One made its return with the 24th edition of the show and one of the most stacked cards of the year. Making the most of the local talent, FloGrappling showcased 7 out of the 12 matches with members of the B-Team and 3 with New Wave athletes, two rival squads from the Austin area, a modus operandi often applied by the WNO matchmakers.
Overall, the matches were fun to follow and athletes did their best to put on a show for the fans while being competitive. A winning recipe for all. Below are the full match results and our report on the main card clashes.
UNDERCARD
– Ally Wolski (B-Team) def. Natalia Santoro (New Wave) via armbar
– Jordan Holy (B-Team) def. Andrew Degraff (New Wave) via decision
– Tyler Hillshaw (B-Team) def. Lauren Sears (10th Planet) via decision
– Declan Moody (B-Team) def. Felipe Costa (Six-Blades) via RNC
MAIN CARD
– Ethan Crelinsten (B-Team) def. Deandre Corbe (Standard JJ) via decision
An even contest for the first two-quarters of the match with good standing exchanges by both opponents. Once the match went to the floor, with Ethan on top, Crelinsten was able to establish his dominance, passing Corbe’s guard multiple times, getting the mount and the back. Crelinsten proved once again what an amazing talent he is and how unfortunate it is, for the fans, that he competes so seldom against good opponents.
– Jozef Chen (B-Team) def. Elijah Dorsey (Lloyd Irvin) via RNC
Chen’s performance was as clean as they come. Tripped Dorsey with (what looked like) an ouchi gari, passed Elijah’s guard with his patented tripod pass, got to the back, and sunk the finish. Flawless.
– Adele Fornarino (Atos) def. Anna Rodrigues (Dream Art) via decision
Solid performance by “Daddy” Fornarino who faced an opponent with a wealth of experience with the gi, but very little in this no-gi ruleset. Anna Rodrigues’ inexperience was made clear from the get-go. Too used to outside passing, Anna quickly realized how hard this approach would be without kimono grips against a top-level opponent, and sadly for the spectators, Rodrigues didn’t appear to have any other weapons in her arsenal. with no plan B, Anna was forced to play defense the whole match with Adele trying to force any type of engagement against the Brazilian’s backfooting.
– Tainan Dalpra (AOJ) def. Jay Rodriguez (B-Team)
Outstanding match here. Jay Rod started best, taking Dalpra down, passing to the mount from his (and his brother’s) favorite maneuver, the body lock, and looking very good overall.
In the 3rd quarter of the match, around the 10-minute mark, Dapra started gaining momentum, sweeping Jay from an outside ashi entry. Jay managed to scramble back to his feet, but Dalpra remained persistent, finding his way to a wrestle-up sweep from the crab-ride, and getting Rodriguez’ back from his guard passing sequence. A very strong final 5 minutes by Dalpra, who looked composed out there in adversity and quite promising for only his third no-gi match as a black belt against one of the best in this ruleset.
– Victor Hugo (Six-Blades) def. Javier Zaruski (Atos) via RNC
As expected, this was a tough mountain to climb for Zaruski. Although a worthy opponent, Javier could not handle the size, technical skill, and experience of Victor Hugo, who was in the driver’s seat from the start and got the finish halfway through the match.
MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
– Jonnatas Gracie (Atos) def. Jacob Couch (Pedigo SF) via decision
If pressure makes diamonds, we should call Jonnatas Gracie The Diamond Maker. Relentless from the get-go, Gracie took Couch down (single leg), passed the dangerous closed guard of The Hillbilly Hammer, and got to the mount, never releasing an inch of pressure throughout the clash.
FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
– Diego “Pato” Oliveira (AOJ) def. Fabricio Andrey (Alliance) via RNC
A beautiful start of the match by Andrey, with a flying kimura attack, over Pato’s guard. Fabricio would have other strong moments in the match including a back-attack scramble that ended in a crucifix for the Alliance representative. The two kept exchanging attacks at a solid pace, though Andrey kept ahead up until the 10-minute mark when Pato eventually used a wrestle-up sweep to gain top position. From that scramble, Diego was able to find the back and the RNC. In two minutes, everything changed in favor of the AOJ phenom.
HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
– Gordon Ryan (New Wave) def. Josh Sanders via inside heel hook
A Gordon Ryan master class on how to deal with a larger opponent. Pulled guard early, got underneath Sanders to off balance, and come to a top position. Chest to chest guard passing got the big man tired and ended up going for the finish around the 9-minute mark. Very entertaining match by Gordon and credit to Josh Sanders for his survival skills.
