Rafaela Guedes of Atos will be in action at Tezos WNO 20: Night of Champions, defending her heavyweight title against Nathiely de Jesus. 

This will mark Rafaela's first title defense since winning the championship in 2021, and it will come against one of the top female black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the two-time IBJJF absolute gold medalist Nathiely. This marks the first meeting of the two competitors.

Tickets are on sale now for Tezos WNO 20: Night Of Champions in Houston, TX on Oct. 1

Can’t make it to Houston? Subscribe to FloGrappling to watch WNO 20: Night Of Champions LIVE on Oct 1.

Rafaela became WNO Women's Heavyweight champion at the inaugural WNO Championship in 2021, when she defeated three women in a night to claim her top spot. The ADCC medalist and 2021 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds open class champion represents Atos and is coached by the legendary Andre Galvao. 

Nathiely will be returning to the WNO stage for the first time since defeating multiple-time ADCC World Champion Gabi Garcia in 2021. The two-time IBJJF World Championships open class gold medalist returned to major competition this year after having a daughter, winning the 2023 Tezos FloGrappling IBJJF Grand Prix Series with two victories over fellow world champions, and then at the 2023 IBJJF World Championships where she medaled at her weight class and in the absolute.

About Tezos WNO 20: Night of Champions

Tezos WNO 20: Night of Champions presented by Fat Tire will take place in Houston, TX on Sunday, Oct. 1st. Tickets are on sale now to watch it live in person at the Bayou Music Center. This week, FloGrappling will release matchups including title defenses and vacant title brackets.

In total, six belts are on the line, including the heavyweight strap, up for grabs in the main event bout between Gordon Ryan and Patrick Gaudio.

Full Announced Card:

• Men's Heavyweight Championship - Gordon Ryan (c) vs Patrick Gaudio
• Women's Heavyweight Championship - Rafaela Guedes (c) vs Nathiely de Jesus
• Women's Featherweight Championship - Elisabeth Clay vs. Brianna Ste-Marie
• Men's Welterweight Championship Bracket: PJ Barch, Mica Galvao, Jacob Rodriguez, Andrew Tackett
• Men's Featherweight Championship Bracket: Keith Krikorian, Diogo Reis, Gabriel Sousa, Ash Williams
• Heavyweight Bout -Rafael Lovato, Jr. vs Ricardo Evangelista
• Heavyweight Bout - Steffen Banta vs Thomas Bracher
• Women's Strawweight Bout - Thaynara Victoria vs Tiffany Butler