Who’s Number One 24: Gordon Ryan vs Josh Saunders will take place on June 20th, 2024 and we’ve put together a full preview of every match taking place at the event. Ryan will be making his return to competition and defending his heavyweight belt once again in the main event, but that isn’t the only title on the line throughout the night. There are another two title-fights featuring some of the very best competitors in both the featherweight and middleweight divisions, and of course there will be plenty of exciting superfights to enjoy throughout the card before any of them take place too.
Who’s Number One 24: Ryan vs Saunders Full Preview
Gordon Ryan vs Josh Saunders – Heavyweight Title
The main event of Who’s Number One 24 is also the one with the heaviest favorite in this preview, as Gordon Ryan and Josh Saunders are at very different points in their career. Saunders is an incredible athlete and he’s been able to skyrocket up the ranks in recent years, winning ADCC Trials on two separate occasions. The only problem is that Ryan is still the greatest no gi grappler on the planet right now and even though he’s coming off another long layoff, he’s proven time and time again that he’s able to come back right at the top of his game. Saunders has the size and skill to make things difficult for Ryan but ultimately, he should still be able to get the win by submission.
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira vs Fabricio Andrey – Featherweight Title
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira is the reigning featherweight champion at Who’s Number One and he’s already beaten some incredibly tough opposition, including submitting Dante Leon to become the lightweight champion in his last outing. Now he’s returning to his original weight class, but the opponents aren’t getting any easier for him. He’ll be facing Fabricio Andrey in his latest title-defense and not only is Andrey one of the best in the world at this weight, he’s also known for putting on an incredible pace and has a 2-1 record against Oliveira. This should be exciting from start to finish and every match between them has been close, so this really could go either way.
Jacob Couch vs Jonnatas Gracie – Middleweight Title
The third title-fight of the night is for the vacant middleweight title and it’s between two of the best in that weight class. Jacob Couch has been a top competitor for a little while now but he recently broke through to the highest level with a superb performance and gold medal at ADCC Trials last year. Stepping in on short notice is Jonnatas Gracie, who will be facing Couch for the middleweight belt. Gracie is a veteran competitor who has had some fantastic wins recently, but Couch is still a little more likely to end up the winner here.
Victor Hugo vs Javier Zaruski – Heavyweight
This is another heavyweight matchup, and Victor Hugo is one of the top competitors in the heavier weight classes right now. He’ll be facing off against the reigning IBJJF No Gi World Champion in the super-heavyweight division which means that this should be a tough match on paper. Javier Zaruski had the best performance of his career when he won that title and he’s one of the top competitors to come out of the more recent crop of ATOS black belts. Realistically Hugo is a huge challenge for anyone though and he will probably prove to be more than Zaruski to handle, so he should get the win here.
Tainan Dalpra vs Jacob Rodriguez – Middleweight
This is one of the most interesting matches in this preview of Who’s Number One 24, as it represents the biggest challenge that Tainan Dalpra has faced in his new no gi career. Dalpra has only had a handful of superfights but he’s passed every test with flying colors so far. Jacob Rodriguez is an incredibly unpredictable competitor though and he definitely has the standing advantage over Dalpra thanks to his wrestling background. Rodriguez will likely get the takedown to begin with but Dalpra should be able to take control of the match from that point and although Rodriguez is hard to submit, Dalpra should still get the win.
Anna Rodrigues vs Adele Fornarino – Flyweight
Anna Rodrigues has been one of the top gi competitors in the world for a few years now but she hasn’t competed in no gi all that often. That changed earlier this year when she won the Second ADCC South American Trials, and now she’s preparing for her ADCC debut. There isn’t really a better way to do that than by facing Adele Fornarino, who has proven time and time again that she’s one of the best around at this weight. This should be a pretty close match and it wouldn’t be surprising to see either woman win, but Fornarino should have the slight advantage.
Elijah Dorsey vs Jozef Chen – Welterweight
This is another interesting matchup featuring an ADCC North American East Coast Trials winner in Elijah Dorsey, but both men have actually won their continents’ respective editions of the event. After a breakthrough performance at the European Trials in 2023, Jozef Chen has been one of the most sought-after competitors in the world. He’s already beaten several grapplers around this level recently, but Dorsey is still going to be a tough opponent regardless. Both men are well-rounded and very evenly-matched so the most likely outcome here is that they trade attacks before one of them wins a close decision, and we’re picking Chen to come out on top.
Ethan Crelinsten vs Deandre Corbe – Lightweight
Ethan Crelinsten is a veteran competitor who has also won ADCC Trials, although in his case it has been on two occasions. He’s a fantastic grappler but he’s never made it through to the later rounds of ADCC and hasn’t quite broken into that highest level just yet. Deandre Corbe on the other hand is fresh blood in the division and is already seen as one to watch after he won ADCC Trials for the first time earlier this year. Corbe is on a run of 19 straight wins in competition coming into this match though and he should be able to ride that momentum into another win over Crelinsten.
Preliminary Card
Felipe Costa vs Declan Moody
Headlining the preliminary card is another battle between ADCC Trials winners, although this time in the under 99kg division. Declan Moody has been one of the best-kept secrets on the Australian grappling scene for quite some time now and he’s looking to get some high-level matches in before he makes his ADCC debut. Felipe Costa is a great choice of opponent for just that reason and although he managed to win gold in the First ADCC South American Trials earlier this year, he’s had mixed results outside of that. It’s going to be far from easy of course, but Moody should be able to get the win here.
Taylor Hishaw vs Lauren Sears
Taylor Hishaw has been making some noise lately thanks to a series of impressive performances on smaller promotions like Main Character Jiu-Jitsu. This is a pretty big step up in terms of both the stage and the level of competition though, so it’s unclear whether that success will continue. Lauren Sears is one of the top female competitors representing 10th Planet at the moment and she’s going to be a very tough opponent for Hishaw. Sears should be considered the favorite but if Hishaw can force her to play her game then it’s not hard to imagine her coming away with the win either.
Andrew DeGraff vs Jordan Holy
This is a really interesting match because it pits one of the top prospects around at the moment against a seasoned veteran. Andrew DeGraff is still just a teenager but he’s been getting some big wins on the local events and putting in some great performances on the ADCC Open circuit. Jordan Holy has done it all though, and he’s been competing at a high level at ADCC Trials or at events like Submission Underground for the better part of a decade now. DeGraff won’t be able to offer anything that Holy hasn’t seen before but he’s developing at a fantastic rate, and he might be able to get the upset win in this match.
Nathalia Santoro vs Ally Wolski – Flyweight
The first match of the night is one of the most unpredictable, as Nathalia Santoro is not a particularly frequent competitor. She is one of Gordon Ryan’s most frequent training partners and the uke for his instructionals, and is currently a BJJ brown belt under John Danaher. While her exact standing in the division isn’t quite known, she should be able to put on a solid performance. Her opponent is Ally Wolski and although it won’t be easy for the B-Team Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, Wolski is still the more known quantity and we’re picking her as the winner here.
The full Who’s Number One 24: Gordon Ryan vs Josh Saunders event will be available to watch live on June 20th, 2024 on FloGrappling.
