In one of the most anticipated matches of the 2019 UAEJJF World Pro, Atos prodigy Kaynan Duarte has defeated Erberth Santos on their quest for gold, stopping his opponent in the semifinals.
Both athletes were favored to win all their matches up to their meeting, and while Santos (who last made headlines when he ran off the mats at BJJ Stars and attacked multiple people) was the more established competitor of the two, Duarte has proven himself to be one of jiu-jitsu’s fastest rising stars.
Duarte’s work for the day is done, but he will face Adam Wardzinski in the finals tomorrow. Wardzinski, for his part, was in the finals of last year’s World Pro, losing only to Felipe Pena. Wardzinski isn’t to be underestimated, though — he choked Leandro Lo at Pans this year and lost to Duarte in the finals by only an advantage. Duarte has bested Wardzinski two other times so far, but given the skill level of both of these competitors, nothing is guaranteed for either of them.
Watch Duarte and Santos’ match below:
