Although Who’s Number One has undergone a couple of changes due to COVID-19, the FloGrappling promotion will still have matches for Ronaldo Junior and Lucas Barbosa.
FloGrappling has announced that Vagner Rocha will be stepping in to face Junior, soon afterward revealing that Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu had stepped in on two days’ notice to face off against Barbosa. Cyborg vs. Barbosa will serve as the new co-main event — a spot that was initially held by a match between Garry Tonon and Dante Leon, which is now the main event.
The replacements come after the withdrawal of Gordon Ryan (who was originally set to face Junior in the main event) and Craig Jones, who was going to face Barbosa in another highly anticipated match. Both athletes were diagnosed with COVID-19 and had to pull out just days ago, though FloGrappling has stated that their matches were postponed rather than canceled.
Both of these matches are well chosen — Rocha is famous for his aggressive grappling style, which is sure to challenge Junior and provide fans with the excitement they crave even in the absence of Ryan. Cyborg and Barbosa have faced off twice before (most recently in the finals of Kasai Pro 7 earlier this year), with Cyborg besting Barbosa both times. Fans of these competitors will be excited to see if history will repeat itself, or if Barbosa will get the win he wants.
Who’s Number One will stream live Friday, July 31 on FloGrappling.
