Manuel Ribamar and Pedro Marinho are now the latest additions to a stacked tournament lineup for Third Coast Grappling 6. The tournament itself hasn’t been announced for very long but the prizes of $15,000 for the winner and $5,000 for the losing finalist have definitely served their purpose by attracting some of the biggest names in the sport. This became very clear when the first competitor was announced as one of the most successful colored belts to ever step onto the ADCC mats, the Danaher Death Squad’s Nicky Rodriguez.
It wasn’t long before he was joined by another elite grappler in the form of ADCC and IBJJF world champion Kaynan Duarte. Considering the two powerhouses that were announced first, the third entrant for 3CG 6 came as a bit of a surprise as he would be the clear underdog in both size and experience. William Tackett was next up and although might be a brown belt and still a teenager, he’s already defeated some fantastic competitors like Fellipe Andrew, Aaron “Tex” Johnson, and John Combs.
As the bracket approached the halfway point, Submission Underground’s reigning Absolute Champion Mason Fowler joined in too. Despite being a little undersized against Rodriguez and Duarte, Fowler is no stranger to overcoming size disadvantages and should have no trouble with that aspect of the tournament. Now Manuel Ribamar, another IBJJF World Champion, and Pedro Marinho, an IBJJF World Champion at both purple and brown belt, have been added in to the bracket too. It’s an interesting choice as the tournament now has a healthy mix of established elite veterans and up-and-coming young stars, in order to give plenty of opportunity for shocking upsets.
To watch the upcoming Third Coast Grappling 6 on April 3rd on FITE TV, click here.
