WNO Championships: Heavyweight Bracket Features Kaynan Duarte, Orlando Sanchez
The Who’s Number One (WNO) Championships is a two-day event featuring five eight-person brackets and many of the best grapplers in the world. Recently, FloGrappling announced the full heavyweight roster for the event. You can view the other weight divisions here: men’s 155 lbs., men’s 185 lbs., women’s 115 lbs., women’s heavyweight.
View the full heavyweight division for the WNO Championships below:
The immediate odds-on favorite to win the division is top Atos competitor Kaynan Duarte. The 2019 ADCC heavyweight champion has looked nothing short of dominant since an upset loss to Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu last year. Duarte seems to have not only cleaned up his leg lock defense, but started to attack the legs with confidence. In his most recent performance, Duarte made quick work of fellow ADCC champoin Matheus Diniz, submitting him with a Texas cloverleaf at The Road to ADCC.
The bracket is far but sealed for Duarte, though. Longtime Submission Underground (SUG) champion and ADCC veteran Mason Fowler could be a darkhorse; he is an excellent wrestler and his extensive experience in EBI rules means he is excellent attacking and defending the back. Kyle Boehm, a 10th Planet standout currently in line for a shot at Fowler’s SUG title, will also look to play the part of spoiler.
The event will also feature the return to competition for 2015 ADCC champion Orlando Sanchez. Sanchez earned second at the 2017 ADCC championships, and hasn’t competed since losing to Nick Rodriguez at the 2019 ADCC championship.
How to watch: The WNO Championships take place on September 25-26 and will air live on FloGrappling (subscription required).
