Fight 2 Win 151 is nearly upon us, and Team No Sleep has pulled no punches in delivering a massive card for the night.
The event follows a short break as the crew focused their efforts on Subversiv 3, which saw Gracie Barra come home victorious against Unity in the finals. But they knew they had to follow up a huge card at F2W 150 (which ultimately resulted in Romulo Barral defeating Tanner Rice in the main event), and they certainly delivered.
In no particular order, here are five big reasons you should clear your schedule tonight to watch Fight 2 Win 151:
1. Queixinho faces off against Kennedy Maciel for the lightweight gi title.
Osvaldo “Queixinho” Moizinho has experience on his side, but Maciel (the son of Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles) is one of the fastest-rising stars in jiu-jitsu. Both of these competitors have shown their prowess in both gi and no-gi over the years, though arguably, their biggest achievements have been in the no-gi department. Queixinho is a multiple-time no-gi world champion and multiple-time No-Gi Pans champion, and Maciel has also won No-Gi Worlds (plus a silver medal at last year’s ADCC). Winning the Fight 2 Win black belt lightweight gi title would be a great addition to either of their resumes, and watching a competitor with Queixinho’s record go up against a member of the next generation of jiu-jitsu will be the perfect way to cap off a great night of BJJ.
2. Gabriel Arges tries to keep up his undefeated F2W streak.
The decorated Gracie Barra athlete Gabriel Arges will be going up against 2016 IBJJF Worlds champion Marcio Andre in the last match before the co-main and main event. Andre is a F2W regular, currently boasting a 4-3 record for the promotion. He’s defeated some big names on the stage, including Maciel and UFC veteran Benson Henderson, and he’ll have a big test ahead of him as he prepares to face Arges in the gi. Arges, for his part, is currently riding a 2-0 winning streak at F2W, and those victories were well-earned. He beat ADCC champion Matheus Diniz and no-gi world champ Dante Leon last year atop the stage, and now he’ll have to put that same effort in if he wants to add Andre to that list.
3. Two brown belt standouts battle for the masters no-gi light heavyweight title.
Emil Fischer and Kevin McCormick may not have the same star power as some of the big-name black belts on the card, but make no mistake: these two have both proven that they know how to entertain a crowd. McCormick recently earned a Submission of the Night honor for his armbar victory against Joshua Hightower at F2W 139. This wasn’t the first time he’s earned recognition for his performance at F2W either — at F2W 127, he battled to a close split-decision victory in a match that won a Fight of the Night award.
Fischer (who, full disclosure, also writes for the JJT) will be defending his title in this match. Having earned two No-Gi Pans titles in his colored belt career, Fischer is known just as much for his skills on the mats as his weigh-in and walk-out antics. In addition to being the current masters brown belt no-gi light heavyweight champion, he’s also the former adult brown belt no-gi light heavyweight champ, and in 2018, he was named the male no-gi purple belt competitor of the year for the promotion. Regardless of the result of their match, we can expect an entertaining match from these two tonight.
4. Lovato black belt Vinny Saenz takes on Lucas Pinheiro.
One of the most exciting aspects of F2W is seeing up-and-coming grapplers getting the chance to compete against big names, and that’s exactly what will be happening in a 135lb black belt gi match between Vinny Saenz and Lucas Pinheiro. Saenz, a F2W regular, earned his black belt just last year under Rafael Lovato Jr. He’s been competing for the promotion long before he got his black belt and earned a Fight of the Night honor at F2W 65.
Saenz is no stranger to the competitive scene, but he’ll have his hands full with Pinheiro. The American Nationals champ (in both gi and no-gi) is also quite familiar with the F2W ruleset. He even managed to pull off a tough win against Joao Miyao back at F2W 128, and though he’s coming off a couple of losses for the promotion, he’ll be hungry to pull off a win against the Kasai veteran.
5. Rafael Lovato Jr. battles Tex Johnson for masters light heavyweight gi title.
Fight 2 Win has kept Lovato busy this year, and he’ll be aiming to improve his 2020 F2W record to 3-1 in this title match. The former Bellator champion is also a BJJ legend, winning world titles in both gi and no-gi, and he’s always one of the main draws of an event whenever he competes. This time around, he’ll be facing off against Aaron “Tex” Johnson, who’s coming off an impressive performance at Subversiv 3. Johnson has been competing for F2W since its early days, getting a win over Tom DeBlass during his time on the stage, and fans will be eager to see which athlete will get their hand raised at the end of this co-main event.
As always, there will be many more exciting matches between local competitors that are sure to produce some big highlights to enjoy.
Fight 2 Win 151 takes place tonight and can be streamed live on FloGrappling.
