The full lineup for the Who’s Number One qualifier tournament at Finishers Open 14 on November 12th, 2023 has just been announced and the event also includes three title-fights as well. While Finishers Sub-Only has also made a number of white and blue belt brackets available for competitors to enter as well, the main attraction is undoubtedly the 170lbs WNO qualifier tournament. The winner of this tournament will earn a place at a future Who’s Number One event, which will undoubtedly a huge opportunity for them to really get their name out there in the world of professional grappling.
Zack Ghalayini will be one of the favorites to emerge victorious and he has a bye through the first round, so he will only have to beat four opponents to win the bracket. His first match will be against the winner of Christian Shaffer and Jake Hixenbaugh, and his semi-final match will be against the winner of Adam Healey and Ricardo Pena. Nicholas Craton and Nathaniel Garland will also meet in the opening round with Evan Leve waiting for them in the next round, while Travis DePriest and Sam Meloy will battle it out to face Jett Thompson.
Christos Papadelos is the top contender to win the tournament on the other side of the bracket and he has an opening round match with Jake Straus, followed by a second round match with CJ Berkheimer if he wins that. Next up on this side of the bracket will be Alex Shaffer v Elijah Flores, with Dylan Garofalo getting a bye through to face the winner. Anthony Rua and Luca Martone-Martel are both getting byes and will meet in the second round, while Giancarlo Camacho v Max Livingstone is the final opening round match and Gary Gioni will face the winner.
The three title-fights finishing the lineup at Finishers Open 14 are going to be just as exciting too, starting with Chrissy Briggs defending her interim bantamweight title against Laylah Watkins. Watkins had to get through a lot to get here, as she won the promotion’s last Money In The Bank event, and the winner will face Alex Enriquez to unify the title. Yuki Takahashi will be challenging Rey De Leon for his bantamweight title as well, while Ryan Roth is the latest challenger for Pat Shahgholi to defend his heavyweight title against.
