A series of professional jiu-jitsu superfights have been announced by Fight To Win Pro, featuring ADCC and World champions taking on prominent challengers in Scottsdale, Arizona, on February 4. 

Watch Fight To Win Pro 25 LIVE on FloGrappling on Feb. 4, 2017

Headlining the event is a submission-only gi match between 2016 Female Black Belt of the Year Mackenzie Dern and Checkmat's Pati Fontes. 

Dern, who enjoyed one of her most successful career years to date in 2016 by winning Europeans, Pans, World Pro, and Worlds, is a Fight To Win champion and will defend her title in front of a hometown crowd in Scottsdale. 

Patricia Fontes is a Brazilian black belt from Checkmat team who is living in California. This marks the first major superfight in a pro jiu-jitsu event for Fontes, an IBJJF No-Gi World champion in 2015 and 2016. 


Jeff Glover attacks Justin Rader with an omoplata attack en route to winning the Fight To Win No-Gi Title. Photo: Mike Calimbas

'Tanquinho' Mendes To Challenge Jeff Glover For No-Gi Title

Fight To Win lightweight no-gi champion Jeff Glover will defend his belt against challenger Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes. 

Glover is well-known to Fight To Win fans following his dynamic and entertaining title fight victory against Justin Rader at Fight To Win Pro 11 in September. 

This will be Tanquinho's Fight To Win debut. A World gi and no-gi champion, World Pro champion, and ADCC silver medalist, his grappling resume makes him one of the most accomplished grapplers to take to the Fight To Win stage. 

Glover and Tanquinho's match will be held under Fight To Win black belt no-gi rules, which allows for heel hooks. 


Samir Chantre hits a big double leg takedown. Photo: Mike Calimbas 

Samir Chantre vs Gianni Grippo

Two top featherweights round out the top of the main event card, with Gianni Grippo and Samir Chantre going head to head. 

Chantre is a three-time no-gi World champion and a two-time Pan no-gi champion, although he has also experienced plenty of success in the gi. 

Grippo has the stronger credentials in the gi, having won World Pro in 2015 and twice becoming Pan black belt champion (2014 and 2015). 

The two technicians will compete in a submission-only match in the gi. 

About Fight To Win Pro Submission Only Rules

Fight To Win matches do not use points, and all matches are submission-only. Black belt matches are 10 minutes long and use federation-style permitted techniques in the gi and heel hooks and other leg-lock attacks in no-gi. 

If no winner is determined by submission then three judges will render an immediate decision at the end of the match using a flag system, in which they independently raise colored flags corresponding to the athlete they feel won the match. 

Judging criteria is based on a number of factors, with priority given to submission attacks and backed up by control of the match and so on.

Head Ref Robert Wunderlich Details What The Judges Are Looking For At Fight to Win Pro

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How to Watch Fight To Win Pro 25 

ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today.
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LIVE: Tickets for the live event can be bought here. 

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