Who’s Number One 23 took place on May 10th, 2024 and although Nicholas Meregali faced Vagner Rocha in the main event, there were plenty of exciting results all throughout the card. The action started with the preliminary card and there were several exciting moments throughout the first 3 matches, but Achilles Rocha really delivered a big moment in the final one. His opponent Camron Couch shot in for a takedown right at the beginning of the match but Rocha was able to counter with a slick armbar, forcing him to tap in just 15 seconds and registering the fastest submission in Who’s Number One history in the process.
There were several other exciting finishes to kick off the main card but the biggest moment of the whole event came up shortly after, when Nicky Ryan faced the biggest challenge of his career so far in JT Torres. Torres is a two-time ADCC world champion and he was undoubtedly the favorite, but Ryan pulled off a huge upset by locking up a straight ankle-lock to submit him. The very next match was a battle between legendary competitors Felipe Pena and Rafael Lovato Jr, and although it was very close with little to separate the two men Pena won the judge’s decision in the end.
The co-main event was an interesting one, as Andrew Tackett stepped in at the last minute to face Tommy Langaker after Mica Galvao had to withdraw from the match. Despite the short preparation, Tackett came out all guns blazing and he got the submission win just after the 8-minute mark, taking Langaker’s back and finishing him with a choke. The main event of the night took a little bit longer, but Nicholas Meregali was in control of his match with Vagner Rocha pretty much from the start. Meregali was able to take mount over Rocha and set up an armbar, earning the finish after just a little over 13 minutes.
Who’s Number One 23: Nicholas Meregali vs Vagner Rocha Full Results
Nicholas Meregali defeats Vagner Rocha via Submission – Armbar (13:05)
Andrew Tackett defeats Tommy Langaker via Submission – Rear-naked Choke (8:02)
Felipe Pena defeats Rafael Lovato Jr via Decision – Unanimous (15:00)
Nicky Ryan defeats JT Torres via Submission – Straight Ankle-lock (8:05)
Jasmine Rocha defeats Emily Ferreira via Submission – Aoki Lock (4:02)
Diogo Reis defeats Shay Montague via Submission – Anaconda Choke (3:38)
Preliminary Card
Achilles Rocha defeats Camron Couch via Submission – Armbar (0:15)
Luccas Lira defeats Husam Alabed via Decision – Unanimous (15:00)
Jessica Crane defeats Cassia Moura via Submission – Rear-naked Choke (7:33)
Evan Leve defeats Marlon Tanaka via Decision – Unanimous (9:00)
The full Who’s Number One 23: Nicholas Meregali vs Vagner Rocha event replay, including all of the above results, is available to watch on FloGrappling.
