Brianna Ste-Marie vs. Mayssa Bastos elevated to first women’s main event in WNO history

ADCC silver medalist Brianna Ste-Marie will take on Mayssa Bastos in the first-ever women’s main event match in Who’s Number One (WNO) history.

The upcoming WNO card has seen some shuffling. 

The November 11 event originally featured a main event title match between current WNO light heavyweight champion Pedro Marinho and recent ADCC champion Giancarlo Bodoni. According to a report from FloGrappling, that bout has been canceled due to injury.

A match-up between Brianna Ste-Marie and Mayssa Bastos – previously slated for the main card – has been elevated to the main event spot, marking the first time a women’s match will headline a WNO card.

Additionally, ADCC veteran Izaak Michell was forced to withdraw from his match against Gracie Barra representative Bruno Matias. Top Daisy Fresh athlete Jacob Couch steps up on short notice to replace the injured Michell.

Below is the current line-up for WNO on NOvember 11:

Main card

  • Brianna Ste-Marie vs. Mayssa Bastos
  • Jacob Couch vs. Bruno Matias
  • Cole Abate vs. Josh Cisneros
  • Haisam Rida vs. Luke Griffith
  • Ethan Crelinsten vs. Fabricio Andrey
  • Jozef Chen vs. Andy Varela

Preliminary card

  • Rosa Walsh vs. Emily Fernandez
  • Mourece Ramirez vs. Kevin Carrasco

An ADCC East and West Coast Trials winner, Canadian grappler Ste-Marie is still less than a year into her black belt career but already one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound competitors. She took home silver at the 2022 ADCC World Championships, defeating returning champion Bianca Basilio on her way to the final.

Bastos is widely regarded as one of the most technical grapplers in all of jiu-jitsu. A multiple-time IBJJF gi and no-gi world champion, the Unity Jiu-Jitsu representative also competed at the ADCC World Championships, but lost to former champion Bia Mesquita in the opening round.

Size may play a factor here, as this main event showdown is slated for bantamweight. And while Ste-Marie might be cutting weight to make the 135-pound limit, Bastos will likely come in well under that weight.

Outside of the size difference, Ste-Marie versus Bastos is also a clash of styles. The Canadian’s game is relatively traditional, focusing on slow and steady passing and positions like closed guard and half-guard. Bastos, on the other hand, possesses a world class berimbolo game and a complex, dynamic open guard.

How to watch: WNO: Ste-Marie vs. Bastos takes place on Friday, November 11 and will air live on FloGrappling (subscription required).

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and holds the rank of black belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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