Grappling Report: Gordon Ryan and Andre Galvao both release statements on altercation
A rundown of the biggest headlines and news from the world of competitive grappling.
The altercation between Gordon Ryan and Andre Galvao that took place backstage at the last Who’s Number One event is one of the biggest things to happen in professional grappling in recent years. It’s no surprise then that a lot of attention has been paid to both of the parties involved in the incident and how they’ve chosen to respond to the attention that has been cast upon them, both positive and negative.
Gordon Ryan was the first to speak out about it and appeared to show no remorse for slapping Galvao in his statement. Instead, he went on the attack and launched into a lengthy criticism both of Galvao and several key members of ATOS, past and present. On the other side, It took almost a week for Galvao to gather his thoughts and respond, with his statement being essentially an explanation, an apology, and a message of forgiveness.
Fight 2 Win Hosts Their Second All-Female Event at F2W 165
Fight 2 Win have decided to take what was initially a one-off experiment and turn it into a more regular occurrence with their two all-female events in as many months. They first made the jump back in January with F2W 162, headlined by Rafaela Guedes and Ana Carolina Vieira’s battle for the promotion’s 155lbs no gi title. This time around they focused more on the preliminary matchups than titles changing hands.
They decided to add several female wrestling matches to the undercard while keeping the number of colored belt matches roughly the same. The headline match was still one with a title up for grabs of course and Elisabeth Clay put on a stellar display in becoming the F2W Welterweight Champion, submitting Maria Malyjasiak with a Toehold and earning Submission of the Night honors in her black belt gi debut.
Full results for the event can be found here.
Who’s Number One’s March Event Gets Several Elite Matchups
FloGrappling’s promotional arm is showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever, with Gordon Ryan returning to headline their next event against Vagner Rocha. He was quickly joined by his teammate Nicky Rodriguez, who faces a big challenge against multiple-time ADCC World Champion Yuri Simoes. Recently, another three high-profile matchups have been announced to round out what promises to be a fantastic card.
There will certainly be plenty of buzz for Mikey Musumeci’s return or Rafaela Guedes v Maggie Grindatti, but the majority of the attention is centered around a match that may not even happen. Craig Jones and Gabi Garcia have both agreed to meet in what would be the promotion’s first intergender match and despite plenty of fan-appetite, it remains to be seen whether WNO will actually put the match together.
Fight 2 Win and Third Coast Grappling Announce Latest Lineup Additions
F2W have announced headline matches for two out of three of their March events, including an appearance by ex-Bellator Middleweight World Champion Rafael Lovato Jr against Gabriel Almeida first up at F2W 166. Their second event, F2W 167, will then feature several matches between huge names like Kennedy Maciel v Gabriel Sousa, Victor Hugo v Tim Spriggs, and Pedro Marinho v Jake Watson.
Meanwhile, things are heating up for the Third Coast Grappling 6 Grand Prix as the promotion has announced two more additions to the previously-revealed four entrants. Pedro Marinho is going to have a very busy couple of weeks as he’s been added to the lineup only two weeks after his F2W appearance, and he is being joined by another F2W veteran in the form of Manuel Ribamar.
Quick Hits
- The most successful IBJJF World Champion in history, Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida, has had his MMA debut scheduled against the undefeated Ji Won Kang for ONE FC.
- Ben Askren released the first footage of his sparring sessions in preparation for his upcoming Boxing match against YouTube star Jake Paul.
- 10th Planet black belt Nathan Orchard issued a public challenge to Colby Covington, requesting the UFC Welterweight to meet him for a grappling match at the next SUG event.
- The Professional Grappling Federation has just announced the first fantasy grappling league, with a prize of $1,000 up for grabs for the eventual winner.