Some Takeaways: The head honcho of ACB was pissed with the Gi competitors. The pulling of guard, the stalling their way through the 1 min penalized period for pulling guard....the lack of submission attempts in general....these are the realities of Gi Jiu-Jitsu. It will be a sad day if this event is folded due to the gamesmanship of the athletes when for the first time male athletes (at least, that's another topic btw, the lack of any space or $$ for female competitors) being paid as professionals. They'll honestly have no one to blame but themselves in the event this happens. The gauntlet has been laid down, and the main ACB guy just doesn't seem one to make idle threats.
As opposed to the Gi matches with guys oft chomping at the bit to pull guard at the minute mark, the NoGi matches showcased some legit chain wrestling and scrambles throughout. It actually punctuated the pace of a ton of Gi matches for what totaled out at a 7 1/2 hour broadcast (trying for even the most dedicated grappling fan/afficionado).
Igor Silva vs....skipped it. Blah. Boring.
Berkhamov vs Saidov
Rd 1 - Berkhamov scores with a knee pick-up reaching single then again with an outside trip off of a tie-up. Saidov briefly threatens a triangle following the first points scored but loses it then uses it to force a scramble and get back to his feet. More action on the feet than entire Gi matches whether standing or on the ground.
Rd 2 - Berkhamov again with a leg grab/pick-up, head center to the chest double leg, that he quickly gets his hands locked and gets Saidov down again smoothly.
Rd 3 - Berkhamov again looking for the takedown, Saidov deep in on a shot, uses it to pull guard, but then can't get anything of note other than an outside heel hook that really isn't because it's rotating at the knee but uses it to come to top position but can't get anything else done before time runs out.
Berkhamov by Decision
Meregali vs Rocha
Round 1 - not much of note, Meregali eats a penalty, Rocha patient to keep his posture, grip fight, strip grips, semi looking to pass but frankly, not much.
Round 2 - aggressive Rocha with an over the back grip, pushes hard into Meregali who takes the bait, then the larger Rocha times the push back and hits a lapel grip shoulder throw/seionage then looking to over/under style pass. Meregali underhooks the leg with an omoplata and sweeps the monster of a man, Rocha. Wow. Guess the move does work regardless of size. Rocha beasts back up out of it to reverse it shortly thereafter, however. Sad face. Meregali gets the collar grip to assist the omoplata, then threatens a triangle to threaten the sweep, but Rocha stuffs it pretty easily, then Meregali threatened to settle for a triangle attempt which Rocha postures out of, leaving the score 4-2 Rocha's lead. Meregali miraculously (him and Keenan are two of my favorite bigger guys to watch) hits the sweep, and ends up chasing a low double leg with his hands locked around the hips as Rocha is now out of bounds. Meregali denied 2 points for what should've been a sweep, and is now forced to start from the feet. Le sigh. I'm having flashbacks of the IBJJF Worlds now. Kill me....then it happens. The unthinkable. The sweep points from the previous exchange are awarded. Wow. God is real. He's watching the match. Rocha not even pretending to try and open the guard, just sticking Meregali flat, hands/fists driving his shoulders flat to the mat, not controlling the hips, down on both knees. Sigh. Rocha for real stalling now, despite being given a penalty.
Round 3 - Joao hits a snapdown shoulder throw that forces the lighter Meregali to turtle, then gets to the back and drags him down...Joao gets 2 points, and you know the world class level stall is coming on strong, my friends. Meregali constantly pommeling his legs inside and trying to create movement against the bigger man barely moving. Meregali threatens a triangle, and rolls through, then to an omoplata underneath position then back to a triangle, but Rocha just too big and on top enough to avoid it. Meregalit with DLR, then feeds a lapel, then up onto a low single, and Rocha looking at the clock to ride it out....Rocha lays down to tie his belt like he was doing most of the work for the match. Blah.
Rocha by decision and by that I mean some takedown points and a stall-fest.
Mendes vs Terra
Mendes will likely be a familiar face for the next year or 2 after his USADA suspension goes through with the UFC.
Rd 1
Mendes hits an omoplata sweep, and thank god, fails in sucking Terra into 50/50, whew* that was a close one. I'm having flashbacks to the years of the Worlds finals being 50/50 leg scissor battles. Terra feeds the lapel underneath Mendes in an effort to step over the locked guard and pass but nothing doing. Terra down by a penalty due to stalling on the feet.
Rd 2
Terra sloppily reaches for a ankle pick, and Mendes just bulldozes him over for the half-assed attempt and picks up 2 points.
Rd 3
Mendes picks up a takedown within 15 seconds into the round. Let's hope he avoids the half-guard stall of doom this time around. With a minute left, Terra looks to create space and sweep, Mendes steps around after disconnecting, then forces Terra to turtle. Mendes gets hooks and back control points with 37 seconds left. Both men seem to look for a toe hold with a few seconds left, but y'know, that's mainly just for show most of the time.
Mendes wins by decision, 2 rounds out of the 3.
Marangoni vs Moizinho
Rd 1
Both guys throw out some obviously fake foot sweep attempts to give the appearance of giving a flying *&^% in the first minute/guard pulling penalty phase. I guess this is better than doing actually nothing for that first minute?
2 minutes in, and Moizinho is opting between leg lasso and RDLR and a spider hook on the bicep, Marangoni kneeling, to be safe. Man, I'm trying to enjoy this because I love grappling, but gdamn, I'm struggling to not skip the match at this point. Do I throw more minutes of my life after those already spent watching this minuscule level of activity?
Moizinho nearly comes up on a sweep, but Marangoni counters with a low single type position at the end to prevent it. Moizinho converts the leg lasso to an omoplata, rolls through, looks to come up, Marangoni rolls through and they're stuck.
Rd 2
In a scramble, Moizinho sits through/jumps to a triangle that looks pretty damn deep. It becomes an omoplata, Marangoni stands out of it to defend, Moizinho comes up on a single that looks good but Marangoni gets separation and they reset in the middle.
Having escaped that jump to triangle I believe being the reason, Marangoni is now up by 2 points.
Moizinho with another near sweep attempts, but Marangoni stands to pick him up and keep him off the ground until the round ends.
Rd 3
Moizinho with an omoplata to 50/50. My heart kinda dies at this point. Great. Rounds ends.
Marangoni wins I guess by decision.
Ali Magomedov vs Bruno Frazatto
I've always liked Frazatto. He'd be world champion but had to face Cobrinha in the finals several times before Rafa came along. Lately, he's had some boring 50/50 matches, but I mean, y'know, it's a thing in this weight class and in the Gi. Sigh.
Rd 1
Magomedov hits a sweep with a minute left, utilizing the lapel.
Rd 2
Magomedov toe holds Bruno Frazatto for the finish (eerily similar to how he lost a Worlds Final quite awhile ago to Cobrinha when he was up by sweep points with -1 min left in the match.
Magomedov wins vie toe hold.
Farias vs Miyao
I tried to enjoy this match. I've been enjoying training in the Gi quite a bit more as of late, and was truly prepared and wanting to enjoy some high level world class black belt level Gi competition by lighter weight competitors. With some 50/50 style action truncating the second half of a number of matches, there were few exciting exchanges over the 25 minutes. I'm the first to admit that over the course of ACB events, I wasn't exactly hyped for the Gi-centric cards...but this time, I was ready to enjoy. I just didn't find much here to enjoy. Perhaps I've lost my ability to truly nerd out on the gamesmanship of Gi-centric grappling, I dunno.
Lepri vs Ramos
Fighting on the feet primarily through rounds 1 & 2. Lepri pulls halfway through Rd 2 and is threatening a good looking sweep but Ramos gets separation and is immediately looking to pass. His time in the UFC and ADCC hasn't done much to take the heat out of his Gi game. Especially after some previous ACB matches (avenging a NoGi loss by winning the belt from Najmi amongst them). Ramos is HEAVY on a leg drag position, looking to pass and comes as close to passing Lepri as anyone has since Leandro Lo did it. Straight up. Whew. Lepri has the lapel fed through the legs, comes up on a single with the lapel, knocks out the supporting leg but as they go out of bounds, Ramos is back to his feet. Nailbiter.
Rd 3
3 minutes in, Lepri is elbow deep on a single leg with a lapel grip, rotates, gets Ramos down onto his back, but as Lepri settles, Ramos lifts him up with his leg and is back on his feet. Ramos again pulls late in the round, looking for a sweep but no dice.
Rd 4
Both men are up to 4 penalties apiece over the course of 15+ minutes of grappling. The action has been periodic and they're evenly matched on the feet, but with Lepri edging out Ramos overall on near sweeps and takedowns. Lepri again gets elbow deep on a single with the other hand in the lapel, and Ramos is on one leg hopping, and Lepri trying to drag him back in bounds, but Ramos evades and ends up out of bounds. The penalties for arguably fleeing out of bounds to avoid takedowns are going to be coming down the road in ACB I suspect. Lepri is awarded 2 points for the takedown. Ramos jumps to closed guard and Lepri is knee in the middle looking to crack open the closed guard. Ramos is hanging onto a leg lasso guard that Lepri is circling toward and backing around (how he normally addresses this hook) for the remainder of the round. Ramos never in much of a position to initiate a sweep, and Lepri content to not force any big passing attempts either.
Rd 5
Lepri pulls halfway through the round with 2 1/2 minutes left. Lepri has a DLR hook and the lapel fed between the legs to his grip spiraling the opposite direction. He comes up and scores a sweep. Ramos takes the foot and tries to cross the body in an effort to use it to come up but Lepri gets space enough to get his feet underneath him. Ramos pulls with 20 seconds left. Aggressively hunting but it's gonna be hard with short time.
Lepri wins the belt with 2 rounds his via a takedown and a sweep. A closely contested affair throughout with Lepri taking it in those two exchanges.
As opposed to the Gi matches with guys oft chomping at the bit to pull guard at the minute mark, the NoGi matches showcased some legit chain wrestling and scrambles throughout. It actually punctuated the pace of a ton of Gi matches for what totaled out at a 7 1/2 hour broadcast (trying for even the most dedicated grappling fan/afficionado).
Igor Silva vs....skipped it. Blah. Boring.
Berkhamov vs Saidov
Rd 1 - Berkhamov scores with a knee pick-up reaching single then again with an outside trip off of a tie-up. Saidov briefly threatens a triangle following the first points scored but loses it then uses it to force a scramble and get back to his feet. More action on the feet than entire Gi matches whether standing or on the ground.
Rd 2 - Berkhamov again with a leg grab/pick-up, head center to the chest double leg, that he quickly gets his hands locked and gets Saidov down again smoothly.
Rd 3 - Berkhamov again looking for the takedown, Saidov deep in on a shot, uses it to pull guard, but then can't get anything of note other than an outside heel hook that really isn't because it's rotating at the knee but uses it to come to top position but can't get anything else done before time runs out.
Berkhamov by Decision
Meregali vs Rocha
Round 1 - not much of note, Meregali eats a penalty, Rocha patient to keep his posture, grip fight, strip grips, semi looking to pass but frankly, not much.
Round 2 - aggressive Rocha with an over the back grip, pushes hard into Meregali who takes the bait, then the larger Rocha times the push back and hits a lapel grip shoulder throw/seionage then looking to over/under style pass. Meregali underhooks the leg with an omoplata and sweeps the monster of a man, Rocha. Wow. Guess the move does work regardless of size. Rocha beasts back up out of it to reverse it shortly thereafter, however. Sad face. Meregali gets the collar grip to assist the omoplata, then threatens a triangle to threaten the sweep, but Rocha stuffs it pretty easily, then Meregali threatened to settle for a triangle attempt which Rocha postures out of, leaving the score 4-2 Rocha's lead. Meregali miraculously (him and Keenan are two of my favorite bigger guys to watch) hits the sweep, and ends up chasing a low double leg with his hands locked around the hips as Rocha is now out of bounds. Meregali denied 2 points for what should've been a sweep, and is now forced to start from the feet. Le sigh. I'm having flashbacks of the IBJJF Worlds now. Kill me....then it happens. The unthinkable. The sweep points from the previous exchange are awarded. Wow. God is real. He's watching the match. Rocha not even pretending to try and open the guard, just sticking Meregali flat, hands/fists driving his shoulders flat to the mat, not controlling the hips, down on both knees. Sigh. Rocha for real stalling now, despite being given a penalty.
Round 3 - Joao hits a snapdown shoulder throw that forces the lighter Meregali to turtle, then gets to the back and drags him down...Joao gets 2 points, and you know the world class level stall is coming on strong, my friends. Meregali constantly pommeling his legs inside and trying to create movement against the bigger man barely moving. Meregali threatens a triangle, and rolls through, then to an omoplata underneath position then back to a triangle, but Rocha just too big and on top enough to avoid it. Meregalit with DLR, then feeds a lapel, then up onto a low single, and Rocha looking at the clock to ride it out....Rocha lays down to tie his belt like he was doing most of the work for the match. Blah.
Rocha by decision and by that I mean some takedown points and a stall-fest.
Mendes vs Terra
Mendes will likely be a familiar face for the next year or 2 after his USADA suspension goes through with the UFC.
Rd 1
Mendes hits an omoplata sweep, and thank god, fails in sucking Terra into 50/50, whew* that was a close one. I'm having flashbacks to the years of the Worlds finals being 50/50 leg scissor battles. Terra feeds the lapel underneath Mendes in an effort to step over the locked guard and pass but nothing doing. Terra down by a penalty due to stalling on the feet.
Rd 2
Terra sloppily reaches for a ankle pick, and Mendes just bulldozes him over for the half-assed attempt and picks up 2 points.
Rd 3
Mendes picks up a takedown within 15 seconds into the round. Let's hope he avoids the half-guard stall of doom this time around. With a minute left, Terra looks to create space and sweep, Mendes steps around after disconnecting, then forces Terra to turtle. Mendes gets hooks and back control points with 37 seconds left. Both men seem to look for a toe hold with a few seconds left, but y'know, that's mainly just for show most of the time.
Mendes wins by decision, 2 rounds out of the 3.
Marangoni vs Moizinho
Rd 1
Both guys throw out some obviously fake foot sweep attempts to give the appearance of giving a flying *&^% in the first minute/guard pulling penalty phase. I guess this is better than doing actually nothing for that first minute?
2 minutes in, and Moizinho is opting between leg lasso and RDLR and a spider hook on the bicep, Marangoni kneeling, to be safe. Man, I'm trying to enjoy this because I love grappling, but gdamn, I'm struggling to not skip the match at this point. Do I throw more minutes of my life after those already spent watching this minuscule level of activity?
Moizinho nearly comes up on a sweep, but Marangoni counters with a low single type position at the end to prevent it. Moizinho converts the leg lasso to an omoplata, rolls through, looks to come up, Marangoni rolls through and they're stuck.
Rd 2
In a scramble, Moizinho sits through/jumps to a triangle that looks pretty damn deep. It becomes an omoplata, Marangoni stands out of it to defend, Moizinho comes up on a single that looks good but Marangoni gets separation and they reset in the middle.
Having escaped that jump to triangle I believe being the reason, Marangoni is now up by 2 points.
Moizinho with another near sweep attempts, but Marangoni stands to pick him up and keep him off the ground until the round ends.
Rd 3
Moizinho with an omoplata to 50/50. My heart kinda dies at this point. Great. Rounds ends.
Marangoni wins I guess by decision.
Ali Magomedov vs Bruno Frazatto
I've always liked Frazatto. He'd be world champion but had to face Cobrinha in the finals several times before Rafa came along. Lately, he's had some boring 50/50 matches, but I mean, y'know, it's a thing in this weight class and in the Gi. Sigh.
Rd 1
Magomedov hits a sweep with a minute left, utilizing the lapel.
Rd 2
Magomedov toe holds Bruno Frazatto for the finish (eerily similar to how he lost a Worlds Final quite awhile ago to Cobrinha when he was up by sweep points with -1 min left in the match.
Magomedov wins vie toe hold.
Farias vs Miyao
I tried to enjoy this match. I've been enjoying training in the Gi quite a bit more as of late, and was truly prepared and wanting to enjoy some high level world class black belt level Gi competition by lighter weight competitors. With some 50/50 style action truncating the second half of a number of matches, there were few exciting exchanges over the 25 minutes. I'm the first to admit that over the course of ACB events, I wasn't exactly hyped for the Gi-centric cards...but this time, I was ready to enjoy. I just didn't find much here to enjoy. Perhaps I've lost my ability to truly nerd out on the gamesmanship of Gi-centric grappling, I dunno.
Lepri vs Ramos
Fighting on the feet primarily through rounds 1 & 2. Lepri pulls halfway through Rd 2 and is threatening a good looking sweep but Ramos gets separation and is immediately looking to pass. His time in the UFC and ADCC hasn't done much to take the heat out of his Gi game. Especially after some previous ACB matches (avenging a NoGi loss by winning the belt from Najmi amongst them). Ramos is HEAVY on a leg drag position, looking to pass and comes as close to passing Lepri as anyone has since Leandro Lo did it. Straight up. Whew. Lepri has the lapel fed through the legs, comes up on a single with the lapel, knocks out the supporting leg but as they go out of bounds, Ramos is back to his feet. Nailbiter.
Rd 3
3 minutes in, Lepri is elbow deep on a single leg with a lapel grip, rotates, gets Ramos down onto his back, but as Lepri settles, Ramos lifts him up with his leg and is back on his feet. Ramos again pulls late in the round, looking for a sweep but no dice.
Rd 4
Both men are up to 4 penalties apiece over the course of 15+ minutes of grappling. The action has been periodic and they're evenly matched on the feet, but with Lepri edging out Ramos overall on near sweeps and takedowns. Lepri again gets elbow deep on a single with the other hand in the lapel, and Ramos is on one leg hopping, and Lepri trying to drag him back in bounds, but Ramos evades and ends up out of bounds. The penalties for arguably fleeing out of bounds to avoid takedowns are going to be coming down the road in ACB I suspect. Lepri is awarded 2 points for the takedown. Ramos jumps to closed guard and Lepri is knee in the middle looking to crack open the closed guard. Ramos is hanging onto a leg lasso guard that Lepri is circling toward and backing around (how he normally addresses this hook) for the remainder of the round. Ramos never in much of a position to initiate a sweep, and Lepri content to not force any big passing attempts either.
Rd 5
Lepri pulls halfway through the round with 2 1/2 minutes left. Lepri has a DLR hook and the lapel fed between the legs to his grip spiraling the opposite direction. He comes up and scores a sweep. Ramos takes the foot and tries to cross the body in an effort to use it to come up but Lepri gets space enough to get his feet underneath him. Ramos pulls with 20 seconds left. Aggressively hunting but it's gonna be hard with short time.
Lepri wins the belt with 2 rounds his via a takedown and a sweep. A closely contested affair throughout with Lepri taking it in those two exchanges.
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