Longtime gi-wearing great turned Danaher-trained no-gi competitor Nicholas Meregali returns to his roots on the WNO stage in May — this time against Gracie Barra star and fellow ADCC 2022 alumnus Pedro Marinho, per FloGrappling. The two are slated to compete in the gi, a rarity these days for major submission grappling superfights.
Meregali, for his part, sounds like he couldn’t be happier. “The Gi is back at WNO stage,” he wrote in the Instagram comments of the official announcement. “I’m ready to deliver another dominating performance as only the greatest athletes do. Thanks [Pedro Marinho] for taking the match, much respect.”
In the caption of his own Instagram announcement regarding the match, Marinho wrote, “It’s porrada time! Marinho vs Meregali in the [gi] May 18 live on FloGrappling.”
These two may be looking to pave the way to bring the much-maligned kimono back to submission grappling’s mainstage — alongside teen sensation Mica Galvão, who’s previously spoken up on a desire to re-popularize gi competition as a spectator sport.
