Two ADCC-qualified submission artists went head to head and fan-favorite Craig Jones dealt with a last-minute challenger to his sub-only crown at Grapplefest 5. 

Grapplefest 5 may not be able to take all of the plaudits– apparently there was another big grappling event going on– but grappling fans inside the Fusion Nightclub witnessed an exciting card of world-class submission-only action. 

The Liverpool, UK promotion held their fifth event less than a year since their inception. Fan-favorites returned to put on a show, and plenty of debuting talent also made an immediate impact. 

Giles vs Nicholls 

The main event featured European ADCC Trials winner Ross Nicholls against Asia-Oceania ADCC Trials winner Lachlan Giles, as the British Roger Gracie black belt put his Grapplefest title on the line in a tactical 20-minute battle.

The heel-hook savvy pairing pre-empted each other’s attacks and entries for the duration, which made for a close, but highly-entertaining, matchup. 

Nicholls largely played from the bottom and looked for leg entries on the Australian standout, but Giles was aware of the threat and stuffed most of the attempts. Nicholls had a clean saddle entry in the first half of the match which his rival escaped, and in the last minute he finally earned another, only to be punished by a tight-looking straight armlock attempt.

Combined with an earlier pass from Giles, the only clear submission attempt was enough to earn him the victory from two of the three judges at matside, and he snatched the belt from the RGA man’s grasp. 

F*** Craig Jones 

Giles’ Absolute MMA teammate and student Craig Jones kept his own Grapplefest slate clean with a quick inside heel hook victory over Miha Perhavec. 

The Slovenian did not shy away from the huge challenge ahead of him and looked to attack Jones in the early running. However, his outside heel hook attempt was thwarted and countered by the Aussie, who swiftly returned the favor for another tapout victory.

Other results 

The rest of the Absolute MMA representatives also impressed, as Jeremy Skinner took a unanimous decision nod over Renzo Gracie Academy’s Frank Rosenthal thanks to his relentless hunt for the submission from underneath, and Izaak Michell showed great skill from top and bottom to get a clear decision nod over Craig McIntosh. 

Mikail Yahaya also got a win over UFC veteran Phil Harris, albeit not in the manner he would have liked as it appeared the Englishman ruptured his bicep in the opening stages of the bout.

Chris Rees Academy’s Ashley Williams dominated a durable Jay Butler over the course of 10 minutes but could not get the finish despite spending most of the match on his opponent’s back.

There were 14 submission finishes overall on the 24-bout card, with eight of those coming by way of leg lock. 

The pick of the bunch included Andy Clamp’s armbar over world champion mixed martial artist Lee Chadwick– who stepped in on the day of the event when the UFC’s Tom Breese was forced off the card– and Freddie Sykes’ from-behind heel hook win over Charlie McDonald.

Lloyd Cooper countered Chris Paines’ leg lock attempt with a crunching toe hold, Jack Tyley handed Josh Cherrington his first defeat under the promotional banner via heel hook, and Shane Price was impressive in dispatching Sam Laird via rear-naked choke. 

All three of the night’s junior contest ended in submission, with wins for Brian Fitzgibbon, Brad McDonagh, and Jack Rimmer.

Watch the full event replay here