Talent-laden Team Modolfo set to compete at AIGA Champion’s League
A number of ADCC veterans are set to compete for Team Modolfo at the AIGA Champion’s League quarterfinals.
ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim has assembled an incredibly stacked team of grapplers to compete at the Almaty International Grappling Association (AIGA) Champion’s League.
The second round of the AIGA quarterfinals is set to go down this weekend, August 19-20, from Almaty, Kazakhstan, and will see four teams of grapplers competing in a round-robin tournament to determine which squad will advance to the AIGA semifinals.
Loaded with ADCC veterans and established elite competitors, Jassim’s Team Modolfo looks to be the clear favorite early on.
Check out the current Team Modolfo line-up below:
- 60kg: Breno Peterson
- 65kg: Zach Kaina
- 70kg: Fabricio Andrey, Gabriel Sousa
- 76kg: Dante Leon, Cole Abate
- 83kg: Izaak Michell
- 91kg: Giancarlo Bodoni
- +91kg: Luke Griffith, John Hansen
With eight ADCC veterans on the squad, several names immediately stand out.
First and foremost, reigning 88kg ADCC world champion Giancarlo Bodoni will be competing at 91kg and he’ll be a heavy favorite against any opponent he faces.
Also, multiple-time ADCC semifinalist and current top lightweight Dante Leon, fresh off a sensational submission victory over Ethan Crelinsten, will compete at 76kg. Joining him at that weight will be Art of Jiu-Jitsu prodigy Cole Abate, who looks to build his black belt resume with some quality wins.
Other ADCC veterans on Team Modolfo include Brazilians Fabricio Andrey and Gabriel Sousa, Who’s Next champion Izaak Michell, New Wave representative Luke Griffith, and Pedigo Submission Fighting’s John Hansen.
Team Modolfo will go head-to-head against Universal Fighters, Nurmagomedov MMA School, and Al Leone. Of those squads, Al Leone boasts the most well-known competitors, including ADCC veteran Kenta Iwamoto and top B-Team product Jozef Chen.
What is the AIGA format?
The AIGA Champion’s League follows a unique team-based format.
Not unlike an amateur wrestling duel, the team matchups will see seven athletes from each squad (one at each weight class) go head-to-head. The team that wins four head-to-head matches wins the team match.
The AIGA head-to-head matches are unique, as well. The contests employ similar scoring and rules of an ADCC match, but each match consists of three five-minute rounds with a one-minute break between each round. Points reset at the beginning of each round, and the winner of two of the three rounds takes the match. However, a submission will end the match at any time.
And like ADCC matches, each round will start with a submission-only period, but points and takedowns are counted durinng that time.
The round robin team tournament will take place over the course of two days, with three team-versus-team matchups happening each day.
How to watch: The AIGA Champion’s League takes place on August 19-20, and will air live on FloGrappling (subscription required) each day beginning at 7:00 AM ET.
