What To Expect When Kaynan & Meregali Face Off: A Takedown Breakdown
What To Expect When Kaynan & Meregali Face Off: A Takedown Breakdown
When Kaynan Duarte and Nicholas Meregali face off in the main event Tezos WNO 19, who holds the edge on the feet? A breakdown of their standing skills.
Kaynan Duarte and Nicholas Meregali are set to square off in the main event of Tezos WNO 19: Meregali vs Duarte presented by Fat Tire, in a fifteen minute no-gi contest to settle their rivalry. The two world champions are 2-2 against each other in four bouts at black belt, tho all coming in the gi, and both sit atop the jiu-jitsu world as some of the most recognizable and accomplished athletes in the modern game. While both have incredible skill on the mat, who will have the edge on the feet? Who will be able to move the match from feet to floor on THEIR terms in a contest that will probably be razor-tight? Let's take a look at their no-gi takedown strategies and skills to preview this upcoming super fight.
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Duarte's Punishing Wrestling Game
Kaynan, a two-time ADCC World Champion at +99kg in 2019 and -99kg in 2022, has developed a simple but incredibly effective system for wrestling against talented grapplers without some of the common risks associated (for example, the guillotine). His strategy against the elite is centered around his blast double, an Atos staple, that he is setting up with a slide-by and a de ashi harai/foot sweep that all work together for maximum success.
Kaynan's no-gi matches will start with him reading his opponent and working off the collar tie, using his brute strength to move them around the mat. If they move too much and get into a bent, unbalanced stance, he begins to chop at the legs with his de ashi. Sometimes this is a success, like against Elder Rafagiev first round of 2019 ADCC or against Matheus Diniz on the WNO stage, but often he is just using this to force a reaction: making them stand up straighter like a judoka, presenting more of their center mass to him.
The slide-by, which he will go to from his own collar tie or from an over tie, is also a setup in disguise. This mis-directing attack works best against an opponent pressuring in, and gives Kaynan a direct path to the back - best shown in his match against Rodolfo Vieira in WNO when he became one of the few men to submit Rodolfo after finding the dominant position early. This forces his opponents to be careful moving forward and giving too much pressure, unless they want to risk having an athlete like Kaynan behind them.
By combining these two moves, Kaynan forces people to stop moving so much. Every movement forward becomes a risk of a slide by and every step around becomes a chance for the foot sweep, all while standing straighter. This presents their center mass, a perfect target for Kaynan's ideal weapon = the blast double.
Just like his coach Andre Galvão, Kaynan has found success on championship stages with the blast double because of how well suited to grappling it is. The traditional wrestling shot usually has someone shoot, drop a knee to the mat, and get their head to one hip or the other - which brings significant risk of the guillotine or more front headlock attacks when submissions are factored in. Rather, Kaynan never drops to a knee, instead he shoots with his head in the chest and drives through like a tackle - without ever losing momentum by dropping to a knee.
Sounds simple, right? It is. It's just well set up, well executed, and well suited for Kaynan's physical gifts. Kaynan marries this wrestling shot with a lot of feinting from the outside, making opponents guess when he will actually commit to his attack and making his eventual entries easier. Recent ADCC matches against globally elite grapplers like Rafael Lovato Jr, Elder Cruz, and more all show this system in action.
Meregali's Evolving No-Gi Judo
Nicholas is a recent no-gi convert after spending the vast majority of his jiu-jitsu career as a gi specialist. Since that commitment, he has switched teams to train under Professor John Danaher and has been developing a much more nuanced and effective standing game. Rather than focusing on wrestling attacks to the legs, Nicholas has chosen to invest more in trips and throws for a more judo-centric approach.
Because he doesn't have the traditional gi grips of a judoka, this often means Nicholas is working between collar ties, gripping the hands to prevent protracted hand fighting exchanges, and hunting stronger control ties (particularly the overhook). We've also seen him go to pinch headlocks, body locks, and other grip configurations just to gain more connection to his opponents that he then can turn to his advantage.
Nicholas's go-to takedown is the uchi mata, hip tossing opponents after getting close enough and gaining that dominant front hip position. It's a diverse throw that he hits out of a variety of control ties, for example the body lock he had against Rafael Lovato Jr at WNO or against Tye Ruotolo at ADCC. We've even seen this strategy in play when he returned to the gi at the 2023 Pans when he fought Erich Munis. It's an impressively strong technique (the uchi mata has a reputation as 'the king of throws' for its relative power), and certainly one that could come to bear in any match.
Another technique Nicholas has come to favor is the de ashi foot sweep. Kaynan uses this same move, but with a slightly different expectation, as he is aiming primarily to get people's balance so threatened that they begin to post hands on the mat to catch themselves. Any time their hand is on the mat, there is a clear, unobstructed path to the back for Nicholas, and we saw this exact exchange in his ADCC matches against Henrique Ceconi. Another advantage is how well this pairs with Nicholas's commitment to the collar tie, which has an enervating effect over time while giving people something to worry about both at the foot and at the head - the two furthest points of the body - and draws out their gas tanks faster than they otherwise would.
There are a few factors to consider when handicapping the takedown advantage in his matchup. Nicholas was willing to sit and play guard in a few matches at ADCC, but recently Team New Wave representatives have shown less willingness to play on bottom for extended periods of time - especially in higher weight classes where they'd be carrying heavy weight for long stretches. Kaynan will pull and play guard but typically that only comes in matches where he is either very confident in his victory or at a distinct wrestling disadvantage (which is increasingly rare).
Kaynan's path to the takedown seems clear, establish himself at distance and use his system to set up his blast double (hopefully without running anyone off the elevated WNO stage...). If he can get on top, Nicholas's no-gi guard is still relatively unproven. He hasn't shown the kind of elite leg entanglements or wrestle up skills that could give Kaynan serious issues, instead relying more on creating scrambles that he tends to win for top position or back position. Still, given Kaynan's ability to shut down leg lockers like Craig Jones, a guard strategy will be a tough path for the Team New Wave grappler.
For Nicholas, the best path to takedown victory is most likely not trying to get a top pin but in creating an off-balance with a trip or throw. By using one of his go-to moves to get Kaynan scrambling for balance and posting hands on the mat, or forcing a bad shot after wearing down Kaynan, Meregali gives himself an opportunity at the back, where he is notoriously dangerous. He also has a game that will gain momentum over time, as his aggressive forward pressure, foot sweeps, and collar ties draw energy out of the strategically sound Duarte.
What will end up happening when these two titans lock up on August 10th? All of the action, along with nine other grappling superfights, will be going down live in Austin, TX and streamed exclusively on FloGrappling.
Full Card For Tezos WNO 19: Meregali vs Duarte Presented by Fat Tire
- Main Event: Nicholas Meregali vs Kaynan Duarte | Heavyweight bout
- Co-Main Event: Ffion Davies (c) vs Jasmine Rocha | Flyweight title bout
Main Card:
- Dante Leon vs Ethan Crelinsten | Lightweight title bout
- Felipe Pena vs Haisam Rida | Heavyweight bout
- Nicky Ryan vs Rene Sousa | Welterweight bout
- Andrew Tackett vs Troy Russell | Welterweight Bout
Undercard:
- Sebastian Rodriguez vs Hunter Colvin | Middleweight bout
- Ben Eddy vs Carlos Henrique | Featherweight bout
- Helena Crevar vs Healy Dayan | Featherweight bout
- Achilles Rocha vs JB Bechtloff | Middleweight bout