Prodigies Collide! Nicky Ryan vs Roberto Jimenez At WNO On February 26th!
Prodigies Collide! Nicky Ryan vs Roberto Jimenez At WNO On February 26th!
Two of the best young talents in the game will throw down at WNO when Nicky Ryan takes on Roberto Jimenez!
Who's Number One (WNO) returns on February 26th for it's first event of 2020, with WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior! We've already announced the main event, and the co main event might be a match I'm even more excited about. Nicky Ryan will take on Roberto Jimenez in a clash of two of the best from the next generation.
Official FloGrappling No-Gi Rankings
This event will go down yet again in Austin, Texas with no spectators. This match, and all others on the card, will take place under WNO rules and be 15 minutes in length. Nicky typically competes at welterweight with Roberto a middleweight, they have agreed to meet at a catchweight of 175 pounds for this event. Just like at previous events, there will be a press conference and weigh ins streamed free on our social media platforms the day before the event, on Thursday, February 25th.
This is Roberto's fourth appearance on WNO and Nicky's third. Roberto defeated Keenan Cornelius in the gi at the inaugural WNO event, which was also Roberto's black belt debut. Since then he has gone 1-1 in no-gi matches with a loss to Craig Jones and a win against Dante Leon. Nicky is 1-1 so far, with a submission win over Tony Ramos and decision loss to Tye Ruotolo.
We only want the most exciting competitors on WNO, and this is another match that shouldn't disappoint. Two submission oriented fighters that aren't happy with a decision win, this match is a real treat for the fans.
Nicky Ryan
Perhaps the most hyped prospect of all-time in jiu-jitsu, fan's have had their eyes on Nicky Ryan as the next big thing since his early teens. In 2017 he became the youngest ADCC competitor in history at 16 years old, and is still only 19 years old with several years of top flight competition under his belt.
Watch: 35 Minutes Of Nicky Ryan Submissions
Nicky has relocated to Puerto Rico along with his coach John Danaher, older brother Gordon Ryan and the rest of the Danaher Death Squad. Coming off a super quick heel hook finish over NCAA champion wrestler Tony Ramos at our October event, now he is facing off with the top ranked 185 pound grappler in the world.
Don't let the different weight classes fool you here. Nicky appears to have begun to pack on muscle even before the move to Puerto Rico, and Roberto weighed in at 174 pounds with his clothes on for his last match at 185. It's not ridiculous to think the size difference here will be negligible, with Nicky possibly even coming in stronger than the 185 pounder Roberto.
At 19, big things are expected from Nicky in the coming years. With Garry Tonon focused primarily on MMA, the door is open for Nicky to step in as the top competitor at 170 going forward.
"Roberto has been on fire lately and I believe he is currently ranked number one at 185 pounds. I think I have a good style to beat him and claim that number one spot. So make sure you tune in on February 26th on FloGrappling and see what happens."
Roberto Jimenez
While it's surprising that Nicky is only 19 years old after all the elite competitions he has taken part in over the years, it's equally mind boggling that Roberto Jimenez is only 20. Roberto has been competing at black belt for less than a year and has already racked up 40 matches during that period.
Roberto's no-gi wins in his career include his WNO match with Dante Leon, plus wins over both Ruotolo brothers, Nicky Rod and Vagner Rocha. Roberto looked better than ever in that Dante match, out-scrambling the scrambler to end up on Dante's back.
Roberto's weakness has no doubt been heel hooks so far, which just happens to be Nicky's strength. When Roberto gets on a roll he can submit anyone though, his back takes in transition and closed guard are both top notch. So far in his career, Roberto has an exceptional 73% submission rate in his wins.
"The fight will be a mix of styles, a display of unique art."
Two of the most promising under 21 athletes in the game today will collide in the co main event at WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior, when Nicky Ryan takes on Roberto Jimenez. More match announcements are coming on our social media in the next couple of weeks, and make sure to tune in on February 26th to watch all the action!
Watch WNO: Craig Jones vs Ronaldo Junior Live On Demand On FloGrappling