WNO results: Gordon Ryan submits Pedro Marinho to win heavyweight title

Gordon Ryan submitted Pedro Marinho with a rear-naked choke to win the Who’s Number One heavyweight title.

On Thursday, July 14, Gordon Ryan returned to action when he took on Pedro Marinho for the vacant Who’s Number One (WNO) title at WNO: Who’s Next Finale.

Ryan took advantage of his height advantage early, using heavy collar ties and effective hand fighting to control much of the action on the feet. About seven minutes in, Ryan achieved a takedown after taking Marinho’s back standing.

From top position, Ryan showed off his trademark pressure passing, moving to mount position with over 20 minutes remaining in the match. Ryan suffocated Marinho from mount for minutes on end, seemingly attempting to achieve a chest smother submission. Marinho defended by going bell-down, but Ryan continued to insist on forcing the mount position.

Ryan continued to hold the mount position until five minutes remaining in the match when he transitioned to the back. From there, Ryan isolated an arm and sunk in a clean rear-naked choke with four minutes remaining.

After the match, Ryan revealed that he had predicted to finish Marinho with a smother.

Originally slated to be the final match of the night, Ryan vs. Marinho took place before the no-time limit co-main event between Kyle Chambers and Izaak Michell could reach a conclusion after nearly 100 minutes of grappling. That match was momentarily put on pause and moved to another mat while Ryan and Marinho grappled.

WNO: Who’s Next Finale results and highlights:

Main card

Preliminary card

  • Mike Rakshan def. Spencer Fossier via camel crush

  • Max Hanson def. Fabian Ramirez via split decision

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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