At 22 years old, Nicky Ryan has already established himself as a veteran grappler, and a rising star in the sport. He returns to the WNO stage to face another young black belt, Rene Sousa, on Aug. 10 in Austin, Texas the Palmer Center. 

Ryan is part of the Tezos WNO 19: Meregali vs. Duarte main card in a much-anticipated night of jiu-jitsu action. The undercard is loaded with young, up-and-coming athletes while the co-main event features some of the biggest names in the sport. 

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Tezos WNO 19: Meregali vs Duarte Betting Lines: See Who's Favored

Meet Carlos Henrique: The Dream Art Star Ready To Shine At WNO 19

The co-main events include Nicholas Meregali and Kaynan Duarte in a heavyweight bout as well as WNO flyweight champion Ffion Davies in a title bout with Jasmine Rocha.  

Meregali made quick work of Pedro Marinho in the last WNO event in May, but now faces Duarte, the 2022 ADCC World Champion in the -99kg division. Duarte won gold in the super-heavyweight division at the 2023 IBJJF European Championships.

Ryan, who is based in Austin and competes for B-Team, is no stranger to WNO competition. And his brother, Gordon Ryan, has headline WNOs more than anyone. Nicky Ryan fought in two WNO events in 2021, and two in 2020. 

Here's what to know about Nicky Ryan.

What Is Nicky Ryan's BJJ Ranking? 

Ryan finished 2022 as the No.11-ranked Welterweight (170 pounds) in the FloGrappling No-Gi rankings. 

Nicky Ryan Has Fastest Submission In WNO History

Ryan's submission of Tony Ramos on Oct. 2, 2020 in the Welterweight division is the fastest submission in WNO history. 

The heel hook happened 23 seconds into the match. The match came as his brother, Gordon Ryan took on Matheus Diniz at WNO: Gordon Ryan vs. Matheus Diniz. 

Overall, Nicky Ryan is 3-1 at WNO. 

Watch Nicky Ryan Submit Tony Ramos in WNO Record Time

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What BJJ Belt is Nicky Ryan?

Ryan is a black belt. John Danaher, who he trained with at the time, gave him his Black Belt in 2020.

Nicky Ryan Was Youngest To Compete At ADCC World Championships

In 2016, at just 16, he became the youngest male athlete to compete in the ADCC World Championships.

In 2019, Ryan won the 66kg division at ADCC West Coast Trials and went on to beat World Champion Jamil Hill-Taylor in the opening round. He lost to bronze medalist Paulo Miyao. 

Nicky Ryan Is The Younger Brother Of Gordon Ryan

Gordon Ryan, who has missed much of 2023 with an illness, was the No.1-ranked pound-for-pound grappler in the FloGrappling No-Gi Rankings at the end of 2022. 

Gordon Ryan has headlined the most WNO events and is 7-0 at WNO. 

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WNO: Meregali vs. Duarte Full Card

• 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  Oliver Taza | Middleweight bout
• Ben Eddy vs Carlos Henrique | Featherweight bout
• Helena Crevar vs Healy Dayan | Featherweight bout
• Achilles Rocha vs JB Bechtloff | Middleweight bout

How To Watch WNO: Nicholas Meregali vs. Kanyan Durate On FloGrappling

The next Tezos WNO event is Aug. 10 in Austin, Texas at the Palmer Events Center. 

The co-main event of Nicholas Meregali vs. Kanan Durate is a no-gi match. The card also includes Felipe Pena, Nicky Ryan and more. Tezos WNO: Meregali vs. Duarte will stream on FloGrappling and the FloSports app. 

Replays of the matches will be available on both platforms.