A first-round match at BJJ Stars 5 saw Gutemberg Perreira get a win against Nicholas Meregali, serving up a huge upset early on in the event.
Meregali pulled guard, and Perreira countered by putting heavy pressure on his opponent and trying to get past Meregali’s legs. Meregali tried to transition to deep-half to prevent the pass, trapping Perreira in quarter-guard as Perreira drove forward and put big pressure on Meregali’s jaw.
Meregali managed to create distance and relieve the pressure, with Perreira four advantages ahead from the scramble as Meregali locked him up in closed guard. After transitioning to butterfly guard, Meregali looked for a sweep, and Perreira stayed safe and managed to disconnect. As Perreira resumed his passing attempts, he stayed low while Meregali put up solid frames to keep his opponent a safe distance away. Meregali was able to prevent the knee-cut pass, and Perreira stepped back to regroup.
As the clock wound down with under a minute to go, Meregali worked his DLR guard and tried some last-second attempts to sweep, but it only resulted in Perreira stepping over his opponent’s leg and nearly getting a pass again, earning another advantage for his efforts.
Meregali wasn’t able to get any advantages or points before time ran out, and Perreira was declared the winner by five advantages.
