GrappleFest 8 is just days away, and the promotion is bringing with them a killer lineup packed with some of jiu-jitsu’s best “rising stars turned superstars” of the past year.
Competing for the 90kg belt will be Adam Wardzinski and 10th Planet’s Jon Blank. Blank was the first-ever Combat Jiu-Jitsu 185lb champion, and he made his mark on ADCC history last year when he earned fourth place in the prestigious competition. Wardzinski, a fellow ADCC veteran from 2019’s event, also took home gold at No-Gi Worlds last year. Watching this GrappleFest veteran go up against one of 10th Planet’s finest athletes will be a worthy spectacle for the coveted 90kg title.
Both of the Ruotolo twins, Kade and Tye, will be involved on the card as well. The teenage phenoms have both had success so far in their GrappleFest pursuits, and they’ll be hoping to continue it against tough opponents. Tye, who made it all the way to the semifinals at ADCC last year as a 16-year-old blue belt, will be going head to head against Dante Leon. Leon will be following up on a win from GrappleFest 7 against Marcio Andre, riding the momentum of big wins at both No-Gi Worlds and Kasai Pro 7 as he prepares to face Tye.
Kade, on the other hand, will be facing European grappling star Ash Williams, who will also be making his return to the GrappleFest mats. GrappleFest’s European audience will be particularly pleased to see Williams back in action after his impressive defeat of Richard Alarcon at Polaris 12. But will this EBI veteran’s skills be enough to take down one Atos’ Kade Ruotolo? We’ll have to wait to find out.
These matches and many more will be available to stream live on FloGrappling when GrappleFest 8 goes down on February 29!
