Just one week after Kennedy Maciel tries to defend his lightweight gi title against Diego “Pato” Oliveira at F2W 163, Fight 2 Win is bringing another star-studded event to Dallas.
The promotion has announced that their main event for F2W 164 will feature none other than terrifying fan favorite Vager Rocha and decorated two-time ADCC champ Yuri Simoes.
Rocha’s last appearance for the promotion was at F2W 157, where he pulled off a heel hook to claim victory over Gabriel Almeida. Known for his aggressive style, Rocha stayed fairly busy last year after earning silver at ADCC in 2019. He made it to the finals of 3CG: Kumite III and was victorious twice at Who’s Number One, first against Ronaldo Junior and then against Jon Blank.
The guaranteed action in this match is even more exciting given that this is Simoes’ first competitive endeavor in jiu-jitsu since ADCC 2019. He’s since made his professional MMA debut with ONE Championship, and F2W fans will be eager to see if he can come back to the big stage and continue his undefeated promotional streak. It’s worth remembering that Simoes has defeated four big names over the years at Fight 2 Win — Dean Lister, Travis Stevens, Tim Spriggs, and most recently, Rafael Lovato Jr. Could Rocha be next on his list?
Also announced for the card is a match between Dante Leon and Manuel Ribamar. Leon is quickly establishing himself as one of the best grapplers of his time, winning No-Gi Pans twice and No-Gi Worlds once so far as a black belt. His most recent F2W appearance saw him submit Johnny Tama with a triangle at F2W 142, but he’ll need to pull out all the stops to defeat Ribamar, who also took home No-Gi Worlds gold in 2019. These two athletes have met twice before as black belts, and Ribamar has come away with the win both times. But though history sides with Ribamar, their last match against each other was in 2018, and Leon is certainly on a whole new level now.
Fight 2 Win 164 will take place on Friday, February 19 in Dallas, TX, and can be streamed live on FloGrappling.
