If the last WNO was anything to go by then fans of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are going to be in for a treat with the next one. The next WNO is scheduled for March 26th and the promotion has already revealed a number of eye-catching bouts featuring some of the best in the sport.
Headlining the event will be Gordon Ryan vs Vagner Rocha. Even though Gordon Ryan is much larger than Rocha and is definitely the favorite, it should be noted that Rocha is on a good run at the moment. The Brazilian is undefeated in his last 5 matches. Sadly, his last loss was against Roberto Jimenez who Ryan dominated. Still, with Rocha involved, fans are set for an aggressive display of high-tempo Jiu Jitsu.
The next match announced is Ryan’s team mate Nicky Rodriguez against Yuri Simoes. Simoes is an ADCC gold medalist and regarded as one of the best in his weight division. Still, this won’t phase Rodriguez who doesn’t have the reputation of ‘the black belt slayer’ for nothing. Expect a lot of stand up on this one and wrestling throughout.
Going down in size will see Mikey Musumeci go against Marcelo Cohen. This will be Musumeci’s first competitive outing in no gi since 2016. Don’t fear though, his last match was very successful, winning him gold in no gi Worlds. Even though he may have a degree of ring rust outside of the gi, he is still a firm favorite due to dominating his weight class.
Moving on to the women see Maggie Grindatti against the uber talented Rafaela Guedes. Guedes will be the favorite on this one due to her previous success at this level. The ATOS black belt is something of a super fight specialist, beating the likes of Elisabeth Clay last year. Grindatti is no slouch though either. Being the fiance of Cyborg Abreu means that she will be well prepared and also has bags of experience as well as strength and conditioning training under her belt.
Lastly sees yet another tasty battle between the Danaher Death Squad and ATOS HQ. Here, Ethan Crelinsten will face off against Kade Ruotolo. Ruotolo won their last outing and it’s insane that he’s still not a black belt. However, Crelinsten has been putting extra work in the gym lately and is looking stronger than ever. This one will be a close call.
There are still a couple of matches to be announced so keep your eyes peeled. For now it has been confirmed that the Costa Rican Johnny Tama will also be fighting. His opponent is soon to be revealed. This shows that WNO is certainly moving in the right direction and the match-making has been fantastic over the past two events.