Tezos WNO 20: Night of Champions Cheat Sheet: Match-Ups, Odds, & More
Tezos WNO 20: Night of Champions Cheat Sheet: Match-Ups, Odds, & More
Get up to speed with every matchup on the upcoming Tezos WNO 20: Night of Champions, headlined by Gordon Ryan vs Patrick Gaudio
Tezos WNO 20: Night of Champions presented by Fat Tire will take place in Houston, TX on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 6pm CST. Tickets are on sale now to watch it live in person at the Bayou Music Center. In total, five belts are on the line, including the heavyweight strap, up for grabs in the main event bout between Gordon Ryan and Patrick Gaudio.
Tickets are on sale now for Tezos WNO 20: Night Of Champions in Houston, TX on Oct. 1
Men's Heavyweight Championship - Gordon Ryan vs Patrick Gaudio
This is a rematch of a bout from 2018 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds. In a tightly contested match, Gaudio was leading late but Ryan stormed back to earn the winning advantage criteria as time expired. This is the closest Gordon has come to losing since, and now he aims to return to this matchup to prove that he has improved more than the field. Gaudio aims to end Gordon's winning streak and shake up the no-gi world with a title victory. This 30-minute matchup will headline the card. This also marks Gordon's first action in 290 days, his longest break in years, after recovering from infections and small corrective medical procedures.
Odds
- Gordon Ryan -1800 vs Patrick Gaudio +900
- Over 20min +175
- Under 20min -250
Past Matchups
Gordon leads the series 1-0
Women's Featherweight Championship - Brianna Ste-Marie vs Elisabeth Clay
Two of the most talented submission hunters in modern grappling are meeting to determine who will win the vacant featherweight championship. Both are extremely impressive, sitting at 2 and 4 in our pound for pound rankings, and a win here could push them over the top to number one overall. Clay, typically a leg locker, has recently won double gold at No-Gi Worlds and a stacked Polaris Grand Prix, while BSM, more of an armbar expert, has medaled at ADCC & IBJJF Worlds. It's worth noting that Ste-Marie usually competes at a lower weight but will bump up for this matchup.
Odds
- Elisabeth Clay -200 vs Brianna Ste-Marie +165
- Over 10min -350
- Under 10min +250
Past Matchups
While they have never faced off at black belt, they did fight at No-Gi Pans at purple belt, with Ste-Marie winning by armbar.
Women's Heavyweight Championship - Rafaela Guedes vs Nathiely de Jesus
Rafaela Guedes returns to WNO to defend her championship for the first time, and she will be doing so against one of the best women's competitors ever in Nathiely. Natheily de Jesus is a multiple-time IBJJF Worlds open class champion who stepped away for a few years to have a child. Now, she has returned and had great success in 2023, including medaling again at Worlds. Now, Nathiely returns to WNO aiming to add another prestigious championship to her legacy with a victory over Rafaela. Rafaela has been focusing on her promising MMA career after making the ADCC World Championship finals.
Odds
- Rafaela Guedes -225 vs Nathiely de Jesus +185
- Over 10min -400
- Under 10min +300
Past Matchups
They will be competing for the first time
Men's Welterweight & Featherweight Championship Brackets
The men's welterweight WNO Championship is vacant and will be filled with a championship bracket between 4 of the best on Earth. The matchups will be:
The winners of each first round matchup will meet later that same night to determine the WNO Champion. All matches will be contested under standard 15-minute rules.
Odds
- Diogo Reis -500 vs Keith Krikorian +325
- Ashley Williams +245 vs Gabriel Sousa -330
- PJ Barch -300 vs Andrew Tackett +220
- Mica Galvao -550 vs Jay Rodriguez +360
Rafael Lovato Jr. vs Ricardo Evangelista
Rafael Lovato Jr. was originally slated to compete against Pedro Marinho for the WNO Light Heavyweight Championship, but after Marinho was forced to withdraw with an injury Evangelista stepped in to replace. This is a rematch of a historically significant fight. They met in the open class finals of Brazilian Nationals in 2013. Lovato won by kimura, and became the only non-Brazilian to ever win gold in the absolute at Brazilian Nationals. Now, a decade later, they rematch.
Odds
- Rafael Lovato -280 vs Ricardo Evangelista +220
- Over 10min -275
- Under 10min +200
Past Matchups
Lovato leads this series 1-0
Preliminary Card
The prelims will feature some of Houston's best local talent, including Steffen Banta vs Thomas Bracher and Tiffany Butler vs Thaynara Victoria. All four athletes will be making their WNO debuts.
Odds
- Steffen Banta -400 vs Thomas Bracher +300
- Over 10min +200
- Under 10min -275
- Tiffany Butler -130 vs Thaynara Victoria +100
- Over 10min -450
- Under 10min +325
Past Matchups
- This is a first time matchup for all prelim matches