Pedro Rocha and Andrew Wiltse went head-to-head in the finals of the medium heavyweight division at this year’s 2020 IBJJF No-Gi Pan American Championship, and though it was close, Wiltse came away with the win.
Wiltse began the match by pulling guard, and Rocha circled him, searching for opportunities to secure a grip or passing opportunity and seldom finding one. Wiltse tried to move underneath Rocha’s legs to secure butterfly hooks, but Rocha quickly pulled himself away from danger.
Rocha continued to maintain distance, hand-fighting with Wiltse and avoiding his opponent’s attempts to close the gap between them. The lack of action from Rocha ultimately earned him a penalty, prompting him to become slightly more aggressive in his passing attempts as Wiltse continued to try to work his way beneath his opponent and snatch a leg. At about the three-minute mark, Wiltse attempted to attack a leg, but the two rolled out of bounds.
As the clock wound down, Rocha picked up the pace again, alternating between trying to step around Wiltse’s legs and staying low and trying to knee-cut through. Still, Wiltse’s guard and constant threat of sweeps and leg entanglements kept him at bay. The match finished without either competitor putting points on the board, but Rocha’s penalty gave Wiltse the win, and he was crowned the winner of the medium heavyweight division.
You can watch this match and many more as this year’s No-Gi Pans stream live on FloGrappling.
