Craig Jones set to headline Pit Submission Series 4
Craig Jones will take on Rinat Fakhretdinov at Karate Combat’s Pit Submission Series 4 on April 20 in Dubai.
The fourth installment of Karate Combat’s Pit Submission Series is on the calendar, and the promotion will be touching down in Dubai with a trio of submission-only contests.
Pit Submission Series 4 takes place on Saturday, April 20, and will feature some of grappling’s most decorated athletes.
At the top of the bill, two-time ADCC silver medalist Craig Jones will square off with current UFC welterweight contender Rinat Fakhretdinov.
The leader of the B-Team, Jones is one of the sport’s most liked and well-known figures. Beyond his personality, though, he’s an accomplished competitor and dangerous submission hunter, boasting recent notable victories over the likes of Nicholas Meregali, Rafael Lovato Jr., and Felipe Pena. The Australian star competed at Pit Submission Series 2 in February when he scored a highlight-reel submission win over Phillip Rowe.
For his part, Fakhretdinov comes from a combat Sambo background and is a talented submission fighter in MMA. This will not be his first foray into competitive grappling; the Russian recently defeated former Bellator MMA champion Douglas Lima at ADXC 2.
Before Jones and Fakhretdinov lock horns, two-time ADCC champion Kaynan Duarte will take on Iran’s Pouya Rahmani.
Duarte is undeniably one of the top BJJ competitors of the past few years. In addition to his pair of ADCC gold medals, the Atos representative is a multiple-time IBJJF gi world champion, a Polaris grand prix champion, and an IBJJF no-gi grand prix champion.
He’ll be facing an interesting challenge in Rahmani – a beach wrestling world champion who regularly competes in both gi and no-gi competition.
Rounding out Pit Submission Series 4 will be a clash between Yemeni standout Osamah Almarwai and Zayed Alkatheeri. Both men are trailblazers for Middle Eastern BJJ.
Almarwai is a 2022 IBJJF no-gi world champion, making him the first-ever Middle Eastern black belt world champion. And for his part, the UAE’s Alkatheeri is a 2023 IBJJF Pans champion and one of the region’s most promising young black belts.
Pit Submission Series matches consist of one 12-minute round of submission-only action. In the event no submission occurs, a panel of pit-side judges will determine the winner.
How to watch: Pit Submission Series 4 takes place on Saturday, April 20 at Karate Combat 45 and will air live and free on Karate Combat’s YouTube channel.
