Third Coast Grappling is on fire this summer with its Kumite series events with $10K on the line each time. Third Coast Grappling Kumite IV goes down on July 11.
- With the only submission in regulation time, Pedro Marinho’s guillotine – affectionately now known as the “Marinhotine,” is NO JOKE. Neither is his relentless passing to get to the position he wants. Like a fine wine, it appears that Marinho’s performance gets better and more exciting with each event.
- John Combs is a smart dude. Technically smart, that is. In his first match against Pierre Olivier Leclerc, Combs basically put on a points clinic against Leclerc with his smooth passing to side control x2 plus a sweep to win 13-2 in regulation time. He even threw one of his signature “Combatine” in there but unfortunately was unable to finish.
- Tye Ruotolo’s leg lock entries are ON POINT. His inside heel hook attempts on Jimenez in the opening round had everyone on the edge of their seat. It should be interesting to see him match up against other high-level black belts in the future.
- Kody Steele’s matches never disappoint, nor are they ever boring. As a new black belt, Steele’s mindset of not being afraid to lose if it is an exciting match is a highly respectable one. Perhaps this is why he has a few notable victories under his belt in such a short time (i.e. DJ Jackson, Nathan Orchard, Alec Baulding) and is quickly gaining the respect and fanfare from legends in the sport.
Now, onto the Absolute. 3CG just announced the bracket a couple of days ago. Check out these first-round matchups:
Jimenez vs. Nicky Rod
Cyborg vs. Maidana
Felipe Andrew vs. Hulk
Tama vs. Guilherme Augusto
First off, props to Johnny Tama. He is by far the smallest in this competition but will always come to fight. It will be interesting to see what he and teammate, Roberto Jimenez’s strategy is to fight the big boys. Second, props to the matchmaker on this one. It’s another “first round of fire” fights with the fans looking to see either Cyborg or Nicky Rod in the finals with Hulk. Could you really see it going any other way?
But that’s not all, this event will feature a super fight exhibition match between the King, Gordon Ryan, and Houston’s own, Brian Marvin. This fight will benefit We Defy Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of disabled service members through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and physical fitness training.
The only thing that could be the icing on the cake for this event is to have Maracaba BJJ black belt Jake Watson as a commentator. Get this guy a gig.
During these uncertain and trying times, it’s hard to not get wrapped up in the negativity of the world. However, with events like 3CG taking the lead and keeping us entertained during whatever phase we’re in during quarantine, it gives us something to look forward to month after month. Not to mention that it helps keep sport Jiu-Jitsu and its athletes relevant during a time where there is a shortage of competitive opportunities.
Catch the event live on Flograppling on Saturday, July 11th at 6:00 pm PST.
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