Fight to Win Pro 51

Gianni Grippo and Justin Rader Put On Thriller At Fight To Win Pro 51

Gianni Grippo and Justin Rader Put On Thriller At Fight To Win Pro 51

Fight To Win Pro rolled into NYC tonight with one of the most stacked cards the promotion has ever put on.

Oct 21, 2017 by Chase Smith
Gianni Grippo and Justin Rader Put On Thriller At Fight To Win Pro 51
Fight To Win Pro rolled into NYC tonight with one of the most stacked cards the promotion has ever put on. Though the original main event between JT Torres and Benson Henderson was called off at the last minute due to injury, there was still plenty of action to be had as the best teams on the East Coast vied for bragging rights.

Grippo & Rader Deliver Epic Match

Undaunted by the prospect of becoming the headline bout, Gianni Grippo and Justin Rader put on an absolute thriller of a match. Grippo hit a slick sweep from Reverse DLR and entered into his patented leg drag passing system. Rader stayed collected and managed to bring the fight back to a neutral position on the feet. From there, it became a battle of toeholds, each man slamming on submission attempts for the remaining minutes of the round.

When the dust settled, the judges awarded Gianni Grippo the split-decision victory and he became the Fight To Win Pro Lightweight No-Gi champion.

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​Shields vs Santana. Photo: Mike Calimbas

Murilo & Shields Go The Distance

The co-main event saw Jake Shields and Unity leader Murilo Santana go head-to-head. Measured from the beginning, Jake Shields spent a majority of the match attempting to pressure pass Murilo's guard. The judges awarded Shields the split decision victory.

Honorable Mentions

With the middleweight title on the line, Marcos Tinoco and Thomas Keenan had an absolute brawl of a match. Toehold and ankle lock attempts were featured heavily, and there were several VERY close submission attempts achieved from both players. Ultimately, Tinoco's positional dominance and submission attempts won him the split decision victory.

Mansher Khera put on a dominant performance against the rising star Dom Hoskins tonight, passing the guard with relative ease and looking very comfortable on the feet. He ended the match via heel hook.