ADCC silver medalist Brianna Ste-Marie has made history yet again, dominating fellow ADCC 2022 alumna and multiple-time world champion Mayssa Bastos to take home a decision victory in WNO’s first ever female headliner.
Bastos, however, didn’t go down easily – though she gave up close to fifteen pounds in fighting weight, she evaded her larger opponent’s aggressive guard-passing sequences for a significant portion of their match, and fought her way out of several tight submission attacks from Ste-Marie.
Bastos ultimately fell victim to a slick kimura trap from Ste-Marie, who immediately pounced on the back of Bastos. Nevertheless, despite Ste-Marie’s clear dominance, Bastos refused to quit, escaping from beneath Ste-Marie’s relentless back attacks in the final seconds of the match, and forcing both players to return briefly to their feet.
“I do want to give a shoutout, obviously, to all the women who came before me, who kind of allowed for this to come true tonight,” Ste-Marie told interviewer Kendall Reusing after the history-making match. She added, “There were so many women’s matches that would have been good enough to be the main event. I’m super excited to be the first, but I look forward to a whole host of other women’s events in the future.”
She also spoke out against the ongoing ban on jiu-jitsu tournaments in her native Quebec, stating, “One last thing I’ll say – I don’t know if this is at all going to make a change – but jiu-jitsu competitions are actually illegal in Quebec, where I’m from.” She cited the remarkable track records of fellow Québécois grapplers such as Ethan Crelinsten and Oliver Taza, who have risen through the ranks to dominate the international competition scene over the past few years – despite being banned from competing in their homeland.
“All of us are coming out of Montréal, and competitions are illegal there – so, if this coverage can somehow make a change for that, I’ll just point out how ridiculous that situation is,” she told Reusing.
Indeed, fellow Montréal-born Ethan Crelinsten earned a submission victory on the same card – over the favorite, Fabricio Andrey, via rear naked choke, no less. Overall, performances at WNO showcased remarkable dominance from Québécois athletes – which should, with luck, draw the attention of sporting authorities back home.
Additional standout performances on this card included Luke Griffith, who successfully heel-hooked opponent Haisam Rida inside of thirty seconds, marking the second-fastest submission in WNO’s history, per FloGrappling. Jacob “Hillbilly Hammer” Couch also made short work of his opponent, locking up a guillotine finish on Bruno Matias in less than three minutes.
Main Card Results:
Ethan Crelinsten def. Fabricio Andrey via submission (RNC)
Luke Griffith def. Haisam Rida via submission (heel hook)
Cole Abate def. Damien Anderson via decision
Jacob Couch def. Bruno Matias via submission (guillotine)
Brianna Ste-Marie def. Mayssa Bastos via decision
Undercard Results:
Mourece Ramirez def. Keven Carrasco via decision
Emily Fernandez def. Rosa Walsh via decision
Jozef Chen def. Derek Rayfield via submission (Z-lock)
