Who’s Number One 18: Nicholas Meregali v Pedro Marinho took place on May 18th, 2023 and there were some fantastic moments throughout the event’s results. There were two fun matches on the preliminary card, and the main card after that was stacked with some of the best grapplers on the planet in their respective weightclasses. While there was plenty of action in every match, there weren’t a whole lot of surprises when the winners had their hands raised. The majority of the matches went pretty much exactly as everyone though they would before the event took place.
First up was Francisco Lo, reconfirming his place at the top of the game by winning a decision over William Tackett. One of the most impressive performances of the night came in the next match, as Dante Leon submitted Ruan Alvarenga with a rear-naked choke. There were a pair of decision wins after that, as both Izaak Michell and Amanda ‘Tubby’ Alequin emerged victorious in their respective matches. The co-main event might have started out a little slow to begin with but Rafael Lovato Jr was relentless in attacking once the match hit the ground, taking Elder Cruz’s back and sinking in the rear-naked choke to win.
That’s when it was time for the main event match between Nicholas Meregali and Pedro Marinho, and the results certainly didn’t disappoint. This match was actually a pretty historical moment, as it was the first gi match on the Who’s Number One stage. Meregali looked calm and in control for pretty much the entire fight, surviving early offense from Marinho before making his way to mount. From there, it seemed like just a matter of time as he ground down his opponent and locked up a mounted triangle choke to force Marinho to tap. He used his post-fight speech to challenge the winner of the absolute division in the upcoming IBJJF World Championship for a gi match at a future WNO event.
WNO 18: Nicholas Meregali v Pedro Marinho Full Results
Nicholas Meregali defeats Pedro Marinho via Submission – Mounted Triangle Choke
Rafael Lovato Jr defeats Elder Cruz via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Amanda ‘Tubby’ Alequin defeats Alex Enriquez via Decision – Unanimous
Izaak Michell defeats Jacob Couch via Decision – Unanimous
Dante Leon defeats Ruan Alvarenga via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Francisco Lo defeats William Tackett via Decision – Unanimous
Preliminary Card
Davis Asare defeats Nick Heflin via Decision – Unanimous
Troy Russell defeats Austin Oranday via Submission – Heel Hook
The full Who’s Number One 18: Nicholas Meregali v Pedro Marinho event replay, including all of the above results, is available to watch on FloGrappling.
