Another big upset took place at the Who’s Number One Championship tonight, this time in the very first match of the evening.
In the heavyweight final, fan-favorite and number-one-ranked Kaynan Duarte went up against unranked athlete Tim Spriggs after both made their way through the bracket yesterday.
The athletes stayed on their feet to wrestle for a little over a minute before Duarte pulled guard into single-leg X. Spriggs tried to pressure down and disentangle himself from his opponent’s legs. Duarte was persistent, though, and managed to lock onto a heel hook and work to transition to a calf-slicer. For a moment, it looked like Spriggs was in danger, but he then escaped and got back to his feet, where Duarte again pulled guard. Spriggs worked on a knee-cut pass, ultimately stepping away. Duarte returned to his feet momentarily before sitting guard again, keeping his opponent at bay with a shin shield in half-guard.
Then, Spriggs sat back for a leg lock. Duarte tried to counter with a leg lock of his own, but Spriggs locked in a heel hook. Duarte was unable to roll out of danger and was forced to tap at seven minutes and 21 seconds into the match.
