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WNO results: Felipe Pena defeats Nick Rodriguez in main event

Ben Coate

View the full WNO results. In the main event, Felipe Pena defeated Nick Rodriguez via decision.

On Saturday, February 25, FloGrappling touched down in Costa Mesa, California for a Who’s Number One event headlined by a heavyweight submission-only showdown between Nick Rodriguez and Felipe Pena.

The card’s main event was originally slated for a highly anticipated fourth match between Gordon Ryan and Pena. But when Ryan withdrew due to health concerns, his former teammate, Rodriguez, stepped up on short notice.

Despite accepting the match on just two-days’ notice, Rodriguez seemed to be in top form, working to pass with his trademark body lock pass for the bulk of the match. But Pena answered with several near sweeps and back-takes, countering Rodriguez’s pressure.

In the closing minutes, Rodriguez dropped back on a leg lock attempt that appeared deep, but Pena escaped, again nearly securing the back.

Ultimately, Pena walked away with the decision victory after an incredibly close and competitive 30 minutes of action.

And in the co-main event, Gracie Barra’s Pedro Marinho successfully defended his WNO light heavyweight title against recent ADCC champion Giancarlo Bodoni. Marinho scored a clean double leg takedown at the five-minute mark and would maintain top position for nearly the rest of the match as he worked relentlessly to pass Bodoni’s guard. The champion put his stamp on the match late, landing a foot sweep takedown after Bodoni had finally worked his way back to his feet. 

The WNO judges awarded Marinho the decision on the strength of his takedowns and pace-setting guard passing.

Lower on the card, Jasmine Rocha and Rene Sousa each picked up impressive submissions late in their matches, while 2022 IBJJF no-gi world champion Jonnatas Gracie and two-time ADCC champion JT Torres both earned clear-cut decisions in their respective WNO doubts.

Full WNO results and highlights

Main card

  • Felipe Pena def. Nick Rodriguez via decision
  • Pedro Marinho def. Giancarlo Bodoni via decision
  • JT Torres def. Magid Hage via decision

Preliminary card

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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