The main event of Who’s Number One saw 2019 ADCC champions Gordon Ryan and Matheus Diniz face off in a match with a 30-minute time limit. As it turned out, though, Ryan didn’t need the entire thirty minutes to submit his opponent.
Ryan immediately pulled guard, and Diniz stayed low as he tried to pass. As Diniz stood up, Ryan chased after him and took him down, with Diniz only briefly managing to grab half-guard before Ryan worked himself out and grabbed a kimura grip. Diniz was able to get out, however, and came back on top and tried to get past Ryan’s knee shield. With just under 25 minutes left, Ryan worked to get underneath Diniz and tried to isolate a leg, but Diniz managed to pull his leg out and escape. As the competitors reconnected, Diniz turtled up as Ryan came back on top, with Diniz only managing to secure quarter-guard on his opponent. Ryan passed into mount, and Diniz tried unsuccessfully to buck and roll him off. Ryan continued to pressure down, working to isolate Diniz’s arms. The competitors inched toward the border of the mats and were reset by the referee with a little over twenty minutes left to go.
Diniz continued to defend his arms as Ryan tried to work for a head-arm choke. Finally, with 17:45 to go, he worked his way out from beneath Ryan, briefly entering Ryan’s closed guard before Ryan switched to a knee shield. The athletes scrambled to their feet momentarily before Ryan returned to playing guard, Diniz staying low as he tried to pass.
A brief scramble saw Diniz nearly come on top before getting trapped in a leg entanglement, and Ryan quickly capitalized to secure a heel hook. Diniz recognized that he was stuck and tapped, and Ryan was declared the winner.
Here are the WNO Full Results:
- William Tackett defeats Jason Rau via kimura
- Nicky Ryan defeats Tony Ramos via heel hook
- Nathalie Ribeiro defeats Luiza Monteiro via split decision
- Geo Martinez defeats Paulo Miyao via split decision
- Dante Leon defeats Kody Steele via decision
- Gabi Garcia defeats Elisabeth Clay via decision
- Craig Jones defeats Roberto Jimenez via heel hook
- Gordon Ryan defeats Matheus Diniz via heel hook
