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SUG 25 Full Card Line-Up and Preview: Can Andy Varela Spring the Upset Against Pedro Marinho?

Ben Coate

Submission Underground (SUG) 25 takes place on Sunday, July 18. In the main event, Pedro Marinho will make his second SUG appearance when he takes on former SUG title challenger Andy Varela. And in the co-main event, veteran competitor Edwin Najmi will face UFC and Bellator veteran Jeremy Kennedy.

Below is the full SUG 25 line-up, as well as betting odds courtesy of BetDSI.

Pedro Marinho (-400) vs. Andy Varela (+300)

A top Gracie Barra representative, Marinho impressed in his first SUG performance with a pair of submission wins over Andrew Sidelinger and Roberto Jimenez, respectively. He is an all-action, aggressive grappler with an excellent guillotine and, as he showed in his SUG debut, an ever-improving leg lock game. Andy Varela is a 10th Planet standout and an eight-match SUG veteran. In April, he lost his SUG title bout against Mason Fowler, but bounced back in May with a win over Rafael Domingos.

Edwin Najmi (-600) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (+400)

Najmi is a black belt under Romulo Barral and one of the most entertaining grapplers in jiu-jitsu. Known for his flying submissions, he hasn’t competed since losing a decision to Kody Steele in 2020. Kennedy is a veteran of 20 professional MMA fights across the UFC, PFL, and Bellator; this is his first major grappling competition. In MMA, Kennedy is a well-rounded fighter but tends to rely on his wrestling and grappling, so he may have the skills to frustrate the much more accomplished Najmi.

The rest of the SUG 25 card:

  • Tag Team Impact vs. Tag Team BTT
  • Joey McKay (+150) vs. Keith Krikorian (-180)
  • Gustavo Pires (-180) vs. Nicholas Maximov (+150)
  • Colton Vaughn (+180) vs. Tanner Weisgram (-220)
  • Zachary Minteer (+260) vs. Aaron Tiegs (-350)
  • Kevin Shaughnessy (+140) vs. Zach Schneider (-170)
  • James Zeng (+210) vs. Ighor Horta (-260)
  • Josiah Iwamizu (+100) vs. Alex Larmey (-130)

How to watch: SUG 25 takes place on Sunday, July 18 and airs live on UFC Fightpass (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 currently holds the rank of brown 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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