MARCH 27, 2021, Another solid night of jiu-jitsu in Texas, brought to us by Who’s Number 1, a grappling event produced by FloGrappling. The tournament featured a few of the top no-gi athletes in the sport and captivated the interest of illustrious spectators such as podcast legends Joe Rogan and Lex Friedman, as well as ADCC promoter Mo Jasim and BJJ Fanatics co-founder Michael Zenga.
On the mats, no major upsets took place. Headliner Gordon Ryan submitted his opponent, Vagner Rocha with a dominant performance; 3x world champ – Mikey Musumeci – did the same to Marcelo Cohen, while Rafaela Guedes dismantled Maggie Grindatti with relative ease.
Arguably, the most impressive performance of the night was that of Nicky Rod (Danaher Death Squad member) who looked tremendous against 2x ADCC champion Yuri Simões. Working from the top, Rodriguez did not play the evasive tactics he’s been prone to use in the past. Instead, the New Jersey native dove right into Simões’ dangerous guard, using a clinical body-lock passing style to slice through Yuri’s defenses, establish side control on two occasions and even attacking the back. Stong, technical and methodical, Rodriguez was a pleasure to watch.
One interesting side-note to the action: Gordon Ryan left an unopened envelope on the commentator (Hywel Teague) desk to open after the match, the envelope contained his prediction on how he would submit Vagner in their super fight. Once opened, after the match, the prediction was correct as it showed a drawn triangle. Ryan had, famously, also predicted the finishing method in his match against Robert Jimenez a few weeks ago.
PRELIMINARY MATCHES
– Andrew Tackett DEF. S. Yadimarco via decision
– Cole Abate DEF. Ned Johnson via straight ankle lock
MAIN CARD
– Oliver Taza DEF. Johnny Tama via decision
– Rafaela Guedes DEF. Maggie Grindatti via RNC
– Mikey Musumeci DEF. Marcelo Cohen via triangle-armbar
– Nick Rodriguez DEF. Yuri Simões via decision
MAIN EVENT
– Gordon Ryan DEF. Vagner Rocha via reverse triangle
