WNO Championships: ‘The Hillbilly Hammer’ Jacob Couch Replaces Pedro Marinho

Now just days away from the blockbuster Who’s Number One (WNO) Championships on September 25-26, the roster shuffling continues. On Monday, FloGrappling announced that “The Hillbilly Hammer” Jacob Couch will replace Pedro Marinho in the 185-pound division. Marinho was himself a replacement for an injured Andrew Wiltse.

Couch is a brown belt under Heath Pedigo of Pedigo Submission Fighting (AKA Daisy Fresh). He’ll have an uphill battle against him, as he’ll be competing against the some of the best no-gi competitors on the planet.

Couch is a leg locking specialist but has skills in all areas of grappling. He has competed once before at Who’s Number One, losing a decision to Checkmat’s Elder Cruz.

With the latest roster change below is the full WNO Championships 185-pound division:

  • Jacob Couch
  • Oliver Taza
  • Tye Ruotolo
  • Mica Galvao
  • Dante Leon
  • William Tackett
  • Jon Blank
  • Roberto Jimenez

How to watch: The WNO Championships take place on September 25-26 and will air live on FloGrappling (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 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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