Get ready for more high-quality competitive jiu-jitsu this weekend as 3rd Coast Grappling’s Kumite V kicks off in Texas on Saturday.
The promotion isn’t slowing down, following up their fourth kumite event (which saw Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu take home the big win after defeating Fellipe Andrew in the finals) with yet another star-studded card featuring both an eight-man tournament and a number of superfights throughout the night.
The fifth 3CG Kumite tournament will feature a $10,000 prize for the winner of the -170lb no-gi bracket. When the event was first announced, Jonnatas Gracie was among the competitors, but he has since been replaced by Kade Ruotolo, who will be on the opposite side of the bracket as his twin brother, Tye.
3CG: Kumite III champion Roberto Jimenez will be making yet another appearance in the Kumite series, this time having to face off against 2018 no-gi world champion Hugo Marques in round one. Jimenez is well acquainted with the rules for the promotion, having previously competed for 3CG multiple times, but Marques will be looking to make a statement with his 2020 competitive debut. Knocking out Jimenez in the first round would certainly accomplish that with an upset — 100 percent of Jiu-Jitsu Times readers who responded to our bracket poll believe that Jimenez will be the one moving on to the semifinals.
Vitor Oliveira was another underdog going into his match with the formidable Jonnatas Gracie (78 percent of our respondents thought Gracie would be the winner of the first-round match), but now, Oliveira has to contend with Kade Ruotolo. As a multiple-time World Masters champion, Oliveira has proven that he has the skill and experience to excel on the mats, but Ruotolo has shown that he’s setting the bar for the future of jiu-jitsu. Should the teenage purple belt make it past Oliveira, we may have the chance to see him face off against his brother in the finals.
Johnny Tama will also be returning to the 3CG mats, this time to face off against the notoriously exciting Renato Canuto. As a 2019 no-gi world champion, Tama has already proven that he’s a serious force to be reckoned with, and taking out Canuto would be a noteworthy first step on his way to the finals. He’ll have his hands full, though — Canuto also has a No-Gi World Championship title on his resume, and he made waves with his action-packed match against Garry Tonon at ADCC last year. Our readers have Canuto (83 percent) getting the win over Tama (17 percent).
On the opposite side of the bracket from his brother, Tye Ruotolo will be going up against Renzo Gracie/Tristar standout Oliver Taza. Both competitors competed at ADCC last year, with Ruotolo shocking the world with his performance as a blue belt. Taza would hardly be a surprising victor in this match, and though our readers have Ruotolo winning this one (57 percent) over Taza (43 percent), the margin is significantly slimmer than the disparities between the other first-round competitors.
Here’s the final schedule for this weekend’s card:
3rd Coast Grappling: Kumite V will take place Saturday, August 9 and can be streamed live on FloGrappling.
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