WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior Official Event Preview
WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior Official Event Preview
Everything you need to know about WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior on February 26th!
Who's Number One (WNO) is back with another stacked card on February 26th, with WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior. The action will kick off at 8:00 ET, with two free prelim matches streamed on the FloSports app, Facebook and Youtube. WNO always brings together the best no-gi talent in the world, and this event is no exception.
FloGrappling Official No-Gi Rankings
All of the matches will take place under WNO rules, being 15 minutes in length, besides the co main event which has been extended to 30. We will be streaming free a press conference on Thursday, February 25th at 5:30 ET.
This event is ridiculous from top to bottom, we only sign the most exciting athletes in the game and this one won't disappoint. I'll go through the entire card match by match here and let you know what to look out for. Let's get to it, here is your official event preview -
Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior
This is both athletes second appearance on WNO, with Craig submitting Roberto Jimenez in October and Ronaldo losing a referee decision to Vagner Rocha in July. They will meet in the middle here when it comes to weight, with an agreed upon catchweight of 195 lbs.
This match is yet another chapter in the ongoing Atos vs DDS rivalry, as Craig and Ronaldo should further the ongoing feud between Gordon Ryan and Andre Galvao. On the technique side of things, both of these athletes are known for being exciting, and this should play out with Ronaldo's relentless standing passing matched up against Craig's leg lock entries.
Gordon Ryan vs Roberto Jimenez
Wild turn of events here, as Roberto was originally set to face Nicky Ryan at this event. Nicky had to pull out with a knee injury though, only for his older brother to step in and take his spot in the co main event. Things moved quickly here, with Gordon signing the contract poolside while we were with him in Puerto Rico.
Props to Roberto, he is fearless and accepted immediately to go up in weight agains the P4P number one grappler in the game. This is Gordon's third match on WNO and Roberto's fourth, Gordon submitted Matheus Diniz in his last appearance in October and Roberto defeated Dante Leon by decision in January.
Just like the main event, this match is guaranteed action. Neither athlete has ever been known to stall and they are only happy winning by submission, don't blink during this one.
Gabi Garcia vs Nathiely De Jesus
Nathiely is one of only five women to ever defeat Gabi, and could become the first to ever beat her in both gi and no-gi if she wins this match. They are currently 1-1 against each other, with Nathiely winning the most recent meeting at F2W.
Gabi is extremely competitive, there is no doubt that winning this rubber match against the five time world absolute champion Nathiely is very important to her. These are the two most dominant women from different generations, possibly meeting for the final time with Gabi's sights set on MMA and Hollywood.
Geo Martinez vs Junny Ocasio
The top ranked featherweight takes on a top five bantamweight in this matchup. Although Geo is currently ranked higher after his win over Paulo Miyao at WNO in October, Junny won their only ever meeting on points at KASAI.
This should be a submission shootout between two sub only specialists. Junny has been of fire lately, with wins in six of his last seven. Geo recently claimed the top spot in his division, but will be looking to even the score against Junny here.
Andrew Wiltse vs PJ Barch
Daisy Fresh meets 10th Planet when two of the most exciting athletes in the sport clash in our first main card matchup. Both athletes are well rounded and scrappy, you should expect some great scrambles in this matchup.
Watch: Daisy Fresh
Barch comes from a wrestling background and has combined his wrestling skills with the 10th Planet system nicely to become a dangerous competitor. Wiltse is coming off winning No-Gi Pans in his first ever IBJJF tournament at black belt, he was a No-Gi Worlds champion at all the colored belts as well.
Jessa Khan vs Danielle Kelly
Two of the best 115 pound women in the world will meet here, in a matchup that should propel the winner into a match with either of the top ranked strawweights in Mayssa Bastos or Grace Gundrum.
Both athletes are fairly new black belts, receiving their promotions in 2020. They come from very contrasting styles though, Jessa out the IBJJF focused Art of Jiu Jitsu on the west coast and Danielle representing the no-gi, sub only focused Renzo Gracie style on the east coast.
This will be the second and final free prelim on this event, make sure you tune in to watch on any of our social media channels!
Jacob Couch vs Elder Cruz
A grudge will be settled between the "Hillbilly Hammer" and "El Monstro" here, as two of the best purple belts in the world meet in the first free prelim of the night. The pair met recently in IBJJF competition, with Cruz winning a 0-0 referee decision.
That led to the Daisy Fresh representative Couch challenging Elder to a rematch in WNO rules, and the self proclaimed "Daisy Fresh's worst nightmare" Cruz obliged. These two are no doubt future superstars in the no-gi scene, have exciting styles and this one should be a great way to kick off the night.
Watch WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior Live On Demand On FloGrappling