Full event results from WNO: Nicholas Meregali vs. Pedro Marinho, which took place live from Oklahoma City on May 18.
FloGrappling’s Who’s Number One (WNO) returned to action on Thursday with a card headlined by a gi match between Nicholas Meregali and Pedro Marinho, and featuring a no-gi co-main event between Elder Cruz and Oklahoma’s own Rafael Lovato Jr.
Nicholas Meregali vs. Pedro Marinho
Meregali looked in top form, taking out Marinho with a clinical performance.
After an early salvo from Marinho that nearly ended with him taking the back, Meregali secured top position where he was able to dominate position, moving to mount where he sunk in a mounted triangle choke to earn the tap at a little over five minutes into the match.
After the match, Meregali explained that he had marked his gi with a large triangle to mark his prediction of a triangle finish.
Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. Elder Cruz
The co-main event saw Lovato bring the Oklahoma City fans to their feet with a thrilling submission victory over Checkmat standout Cruz. After a few minutes of hand-fighting on the feet, the action quickly picked up after Cruz scored a big takedown. Lovato, in turn, attacked aggressively from his guard, throwing up triangles and armbars in combination.
The 39-year-old’s constant attacks eventually led to a scramble that ended with Lovato on Cruz’s back, quickly sinking in the rear-naked choke.
After the match, Lovato thanked the supportive crowd before asking for a title shot against WNO light heavyweight champion Pedro Marinho.
And elsewhere on the card, Amanda “Tubby” Alequin earned a high-paced, gritty decision over Alex Enriquez; Izaak Michell pushed the pace to take a decision over Jacob Couch; no-gi world champion Dante Leon looked at the top of his game in making his lightweight debut, submitting ADCC veteran Ruan Alvarenga; and, in the opening contest of the lead card, Francisco Lo won a close and competitive decision over William Tackett.
Main card
- Nicholas Meregali def. Pedro Marinho via submission (mounted triangle)
- Rafael Lovato Jr. def. Elder Cruz via submission (rear-naked choke)
- Amanda “Tubby” Alequin def. Alex Enriquez via decision
- Izaak Michell def. Jacob Couch via decision
- Dante Leon def. Ruan Alvarenga via submission (rear-naked choke)
- Francisco Lo def. William Tackett via decision
Preliminary card
- Davis Asare def. Nick Heflin via decision
- Troy Russell def. Austin Oranday via submission (heel hook)
The post WNO results and highlights: Nicholas Meregali submits Pedro Marinho in gi main event appeared first on Grappling Insider.
The post WNO results and highlights: Nicholas Meregali submits Pedro Marinho in gi main event appeared first on Grappling Insider.