A week ago, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes made history by becoming the 66kg champion at ADCC, defeating elite grapplers like Paulo Miyao and Kennedy Maciel to do so. It was Tanquinho’s fifth ADCC, and the first one in which he came home with the coveted gold medal (He earned bronze in 2015). Tanquinho’s story is one of perseverance and determination, and it’s not over yet. Tonight, less than a week after winning arguably the biggest title of his life, he’ll be competing in another title match, this time at Fight 2 Win.
Tanquinho will be headlining F2W 127 in Dallas, TX against Matheus Gabriel for the 155lb no-gi title. If you’re getting deja vu, there’s a reason for it: Tanquinho and Gabriel competed against each other in the ADCC quarter-finals this year. Tanquinho won the match, but victory didn’t come easily for him, and ultimately, he moved on to the semi-finals by referee decision.
Gabriel has certainly earned his place opposite the BJJ legend. Even though he’s only been a black belt for less than a year and a half, the 22-year-old has shown that he has the potential to be one of the best jiu-jitsu athletes of his generation. In addition to a very solid performance at ADCC, he also won both Worlds and Pans this year. While he didn’t quite manage to defeat Tanquinho last weekend, his efforts were enough to prove that he had the potential to do so, and he may just get to demonstrate it tonight.
Now, the question remains: Will Tanquinho pull off a repeat performance against Gabriel in Dallas, or will Gabriel thrive under the different rule set to defeat the new ADCC champ? Fight 2 Win presents its own unique challenges for competitors, and neither Tanquinho nor Gabriel can allow themselves to feel safe as they face off for the coveted title in the main event.
At the very least, their rematch will help us recover from our seemingly neverending ADCC withdrawal.
Take a look at the F2W 127 preview below to see more exciting matches to look out for in Dallas, and make sure you’re watching when the event streams live on FloGrappling tonight!
The post Days After Competing At ADCC, Matheus Gabriel & 66kg Champ Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes Will Have A Rematch At F2W 127 appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.