On Sunday, August 7, rivals Gordon Ryan and Felipe Pena squared off for the third time in their careers. In the main event of the Who’s Number One card, Ryan retained his heavyweight belt, earning a verbal submission from Pena after nearly 45 minutes of grappling..
The match had a number of interesting and exciting exchanges, with Pena giving Ryan the biggest challenge of the past few years.
The pair didn’t hit the mat until eight minutes in, when Ryan opted to sit down to open guard. Just thirty seconds later, Ryan swept Pena, very nearly taking his back in the transition. Pena escaped and returned to top position at the 12-minute mark.
The match returned to the feet at 25 minutes, with Ryan earning his first takedown just under ten minutes later.
At the 44-minute mark, after a series of scrambles, Pena verbally submitted, bringing an anti-climactic end to the main event. After the match, Pena explained that, due to the unexpected death of BJJ legend Leandro Lo, he did not want to agree to a match that was more than 60 minutes.
With the win, Ryan retains his WNO heavyweight belt.
Lower on the card, Nicholas Meregali removed any doubts about his no-gi game as he dominated veteran competitor Rafael Lovato Jr. on his way to his third no-gi win in as many matches.
To the surprise of many, Meregali used wrestling and pressure passing — tactics that are typically Lovato’s strengths — throughout a strong 15 minutes. Meregali seems to be in top shape heading into the ADCC World Championships in September.
Also, a trio of Fight Sports representatives cruised in nearly flawless victories. Mica Galvao picked up a submission win over EBI champion Alan Sanchez; Fabricio Andrey put on a passing and takedown clinic on Fabian Ramirez; Diogo Reis controlled Estevan Martinez to pick up a unanimous decision.
WNO: Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena results and video highlights
Main card
- Gordon Ryan def. Felipe Pena via submission (verbal tap)
- Nicholas Meregali def. Rafael Lovato Jr. via unanimous decision
- Mica Galvao def. Alan Sanchez via submission (one-armed rear-naked choke)
- Beatriz Mesquita def. Elisabeth Clay via unanimous decision
- Jacob Couch def. Jay Rodriguez via unanimous decision
Preliminary card
- Fabricio Andrey def. Fabian Ramirez via unanimous decision
- Diogo Reis def. Estevan Martinez via unanimous decision
The post WNO: Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena full event results and video highlights appeared first on Grappling Insider.
The post WNO: Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena full event results and video highlights appeared first on Grappling Insider.