From Gary Abbott - USA Grappling

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - Five-time World champion and eight-time World medalist Lisa Ellis of Olympia, Wash. has a shot at another Grappling World title, after winning all three of her bouts on Sunday morning at 53 kg at the Grappling World Championships.

Ellis will battle Svitlana Skrypnyk of Ukraine in Monday’s finals after powering through her half-bracket by scoring three submissions.

She opened with a cowboy choke submission over Anzhelika Pekh of Russia in 1:52. She won her next two matches with a kimura, stopping Ana Nair Marques Dias of Portugal in 2:49 and Anastasia Tanelli of Italy in 3:24.

In past UWW Grappling World Championships, Ellis has won four No-Gi golds (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011) and a Gi gold medal in 2008.

Carlos Soto of West Lafayette, Ind. battled to the finals at 92 kg, winning two tough battles. He has drawn Gadzhimurad Abdulaev of Russia in the Monday’s finals.

This will be the second year in a row that Soto has reached the World finals, after winning a World silver medal in Gi Grappling in 2018.

Soto got off to a roll against Remazi Kventenadz of Georgia. After a 1-1 tie early in the bout, Soto scored consistently from the mat to take a 10-1 lead, then secured a head and arm choke for the submission.

His semifinal win was against local hero Bekir Bariyev of Kazakhstan, 4-2. Soto broke a 2-2 tie with a takedown late in the match and controlled Bariyev the rest of the bout on the mat.

Two other U.S. Grapplers reached the semifinals, Jonathan Becerra, Santa Ana, Calif. at 84 kg and Koffi Adzitso, Logan, Utah at 100 kg, but were defeated by submission by opponents from Russia.

Becerra opened with a 12-6 decision over Dymitro Liashenko (Ukraine. In the semifinals, he lost by submission to Magomed Abdulkadirov of Russia. He will draw Riccardo Berti of Italy in the bronze bout.

Adzitzo opened with a strong 8-4 victory over Eduardo Riego Gonzalez of Spain, before losing by submission to Abdurakhman Bilarov of Russia. His bronze-medal opponent will be Nurbek Ismailov of Kyrgyzstan.

Becerra and Adzitso will be joined in the bronze medal round by three other U.S. teammates: Daniel Rodriguez of LaSalle, Ill. at 71 kg, - John Hansen of Omaha, Neb. at +100 kg and Diana Betanzo of Hillsborough, Calif. at 71 kg.

The USA will have a chance to come home with seven medals on Monday morning, when the gold and bronze medal round will be held at the Barys Arena. The entire Gi Grappling competition will also be held on Monday, and the U.S. will have a team entered.

All of the action from the Grappling World  Championships are live on FloGrappling.

GRAPPING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 22

Men's No-Gi Grappling performances on Sunday

62 kg - Juan Carlos Cholula, Lafayette, Ind.

LOSS Bauyrzhan Alymbayev (Kazakshtan), 7-6

66 kg - Luis Quinones, Los Angeles, Calif

LOSS Gairbeg Ibragimov (Russia), submission 1:59

LOSS Yurii Cherkaliuk (Ukraine), 2-2

71 kg - Daniel Rodriguez, LaSalle, Ill.

WIN Farid Hadiyev (Azerbaijan), forfeit, no show

LOSS Francisco Alcade Torreblanca (Spain), submission

Bronze-medal bout – Jakub Witkowski (Poland)

77 kg – Steven Ramos, Nyack, N.Y.

LOSS Azamat Bakytov (Kazakshtan), tech. fall 15-0

LOSS Aurel Pirtea (Romania), 12-5

84 kg - Jonathan Becerra, Santa Ana, Calif.

WIN Dymitro Liashenko (Ukraine), 12-6

LOSS Magomed Abdulkadirov (Russia), submission

Bronze-medal bout – Riccardo Berti (Italy)

92 kg - Carlos Soto, West Lafayette, Ind.

WIN Ramazi Kvetenadze (Georgia), submission, head and arm choke

WIN Bekir Bariyev (Kazakhstan), 4-2

Gold-Medal bout - Gadzhimurad Abdulaev (Russia)

100 kg - Koffi Adzitso, Logan, Utah

WIN Eduardo Riego Gonzalez (Spain), 8-4

LOSS Abdurakhman Bilarov (Russia), submission

Bronze medal bout – Nurbek Ismailov (Kyrgyzstan)

+100 kg - John Hansen, Omaha, Neb.

WIN Shakhmaral Jetpissov (Kazakhstan), 12-2

LOSS Ruslan Abdulaev (Russia), 7-3

Bronze-medal bout – Sebastian Maciejewski (Poland)

Women’s No-Gi Grappling performances on Sunday

53 kg – Lisa Ellis, Olympia, Wash.

WIN Anzhelika Pekh (Russia), submission, cowboy choke, 1:52

WIN Ana Nair Marques Dias (Portugal), submission, kimura 2:49

WIN Anastasia Tanelli (Italy), submission, kimura, 3:24

Gold Medal finals – Svitlana Skrypnyk (Ukraine)

71 kg – Diana Betanzo, Hillsborough, Calif. 

WIN Radhika Kumari (India), forfeit, no show

LOSS Magdelena Loska (Poland)

Bronze-medal bout – Daiana Zkhap Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan)

Watch the replays from the opening day of the UWW Grappling World Championships here