The highly anticipated Fight 2 Win 108 is now just hours away. Some of jiu-jitsu’s best athletes have arrived in Philadelphia for a card full of stars, and if you haven’t cleared your schedule to watch it already, you may want to consider it.
Here are five of the most exciting matches to look forward to on tonight’s show:
5. John Battle vs. Daniel Maira
The match lightweight brown belt no-gi title will be between two east coast standouts. Battle, an EBI veteran and the reigning F2W lightweight champion, has graced the Fight 2 Win stage multiple times, earning a record of 5-0. Still, the McHugh BJJ student and coach won’t have an easy path to victory against the formidable Maira, who took bronze at last year’s No-Gi Pans and won gold in no-gi at the NY Fall Open. This will be Maira’s fourth time competing for the F2W, and he’s hoping to keep his undefeated streak going. This division is stacked with talent, and while Battle has certainly earned his place as the current champ, Maira is very much a worthy challenger.
4. Anton Berzin vs. Jon Blank
This 200-lb match will take place between two seriously impressive black belts. Berzin (a F2W veteran who won his last match in Philly) took gold in the no-gi division at last year’s New York Fall Open. He’s also an MMA fighter with a record of 5-2, and four of his wins so far have been via submission.
Blank is a 10th Planet black belt who has been establishing himself as one of the rising stars of his division. He’s perhaps best known for being the middleweight EBI 17 Combat Jiu-Jitsu Champion, and shortly after earning that title, he went on to win third at the ADCC Trials. He also made it to the finals of February’s Combat Jiu-Jitsu Fight Night, losing only to Yuri Simoes in a close match. Most recently, he was chosen to compete at last weekend’s Kasai Pro 5. The match between these two is guaranteed to provide some serious fireworks.
3. Walker Madden vs. Nick Rodriguez
It hasn’t been too long since we’ve seen either of these competitors, who will be competing for the purple belt super heavyweight no-gi title. Madden, from Colorado BJJ Stapleton, most recently competed (and won) at Denver’s F2W 101. This time around, he’ll be going up against Rodriguez, who made (and also won) his F2W debut just last week. Rodriguez is a blue belt and has been training for under a year, but has earned his place on the stage by qualifying for ADCC at the West Coast Trials earlier this year. Rodriguez defeated black belt Tyler King by decision at his F2W debut, but underestimating Madden — especially with a title on the line — would be a mistake even for this standout grappler.
2. Pati Fontes vs. Mayssa Bastos
The strawweight black belt gi title match will be a very worthy co-main event of the evening. Fontes has been on the No-Gi Worlds podium every year since 2015, winning the event three years in a row and earning silver last year. She was also a finalist at EBI 13, and her prowess on the F2W stage has already earned her the atomweight title for the promotion.
Even an athlete as accomplished as Fontes, though, won’t have an easy time against Bastos. The 22-year-old EBI 18 champ has been a black belt for less than a year, but she’s been winning just about everything she touches. Her already-extensive list of black belt achievements includes (but is not limited to) a win at No-Gi Worlds, Pans, No-Gi Pans, Euros, Brazilian Nationals, and American Nationals. She also won her superfight at last weekend’s Kasai 5 against Fiona Watson. These two have faced off four times previously, with Bastos currently winning every match she’s had against Fontes, but there’s no telling what may happen tonight.
1. Eddie Cummings vs. William Wolk
Cummings has had a difficult time finding anyone willing to compete against him, which is a large part of why we haven’t seen him in action since a year ago at Kasai 2. The jiu-jitsu world has been hungrily eyeing this main event, which will be a match for the 145-lb title that Cummings currently owns. The Unity athlete is a two-time EBI champ, an ADCC veteran, and is so far undefeated on the Fight 2 Win stage; this will be his third time competing for the promotion.
Wolk, for his part, is also a Fight 2 Win veteran, with multiple wins on the stage to his name. He’s taken some time off from competing — his last match on the stage, which he won, was at F2W 81 last July — but he has the backing of his hometown as he steps up to face Cummings. With both competitors emerging after so much time off, it will be interesting to see what both of these black belts can pull off.
Fight 2 Win 108 streams live tonight on FloGrappling.
