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Grapplefest 17 results and video highlights: William Tackett, Ashley Bendle claim gold

Ben Coate

View the full main card results from Grapplefest 17, headlined by a title match between William Tackett and Eoghan O’Flanagan.

On Saturday, November 18, Grapplefest returned to action in Liverpool with Grapplefest 17, headlined by a pair of title matches and otherwise featuring a number of elite competitors.

In the main event, William Tackett put on a high-paced show of elite guard passing against defending Grapplefest 90kg champion and fellow ADCC veteran Eoghan O’Flanagan to take home a hard-fought judges’ decision and the Grapplefest title. The 22-year-old black belt came into the contest following a third-place finish at the ADCC East Coast Trials and, before that, scored a Submission of the Year contender over Bradley Hill at Grapplefest 16.

Before that, Draig standout Ashley Bendle shined in an action-packed, 15-minute match against Mara Kelly, earning the decision victory and the vacant Grapplefest 55kg title.

And in other notable action, The B-Team’s Kieran Kichuk scored a decision win over elite British competitor Ellis Younger, and MMA veteran Stevie Ray landed a heel hook finish on Shane Curtis.

Grapplefest 17 main card results and highlights

  • William Tackett def. Eoghan O’Flanagan via decision (Grapplefest 90kg title)
  • Ashley Bendle def. Mara Kelly via decision (Grapplefest 55kg title)
  • Kieran Kichuk def. Ellis Younger via decision 
  • Max Bickerton def. Jack Grant via decision (Grapplefest 90kg British title)
  • Shane Fishman def. Ben Bennett via submission (armbar)

  • Nora Schultz def. Simone Caffrey via submission (rear-naked choke)

  • Josh Gibbs def. Oskar Svels via submission (arm triangle)

  • Stevie Ray def. Shane Curtis via submission (heel hook)
  • Paul Lukowski def. Thomas Bracher via decision
  • Taylor Ellis Hishaw def. Amy Derwanz via decision
  • Saul Rogers def. Lewis Matthews via submission (arm triangle)
  • Brad Boyden def. Bradley Wills via submission (toe hold)
  • Danny Hughes def. Bartek Lukaszewicz via decision

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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