Kaynan Wins IBJJF Absolute No-Gi GP, Kade Ruotolo Wins In Return To Gi

Kaynan Duarte won the IBJJF Absolute No-Gi GP in a night that saw Atos & AOJ go undefeated - including Kade Ruotolo's successful black belt gi debut

Mar 1, 2024 by Joe Gilpin

Kaynan Wins IBJJF Absolute No-Gi GP, Kade Ruotolo Wins In Return To Gi

Kaynan Duarte ran the gauntlet to win the IBJJF Absolute No-Gi Grand Prix, defeating Giancarlo Bodoni in the final by points in a great performance for the Atos champion. Duarte defeated Haisam Rida and Dante Leon on his way to the final in a night where Atos and AOJ went undefeated. With the victory, he is the first to win an IBJJF absolute GP in both gi and no-gi. After the match, Kaynan called out Nicholas Meregali for a rematch from their 2023 WNO bout.

In the gi main event, Tainan Dalpra scored the fastest victory of the night, defeating Mauricio Oliveira in a little under 3 minutes. Dalpra showed off a greater focus on takedowns, snapping and wrestling his way to the back before scoring the rear naked choke win in a sprinting performance. The match marked Tainan's first gi match of the year after an increased focus on no-gi.

Kade Ruotolo made his black belt gi debut in style, securing a victory over Natan Cheung by points using his wrestling to dictate position. He scored early with a big double leg and added another takedown later in the match to get his hand raised. Kade made it known he intends to compete more in the gi, including potentially at the IBJJF Worlds later this year.

Andy Murasaki was dominant in victory, navigating to mount and finishing the fight against Mathias Luna with an armbar. Murasaki was aggressive and calculated throughout the match and it paid off with one of the night's most impressive victories.

In a back-and-forth contest, young black belt Zach Kaina was able to secure one of the biggest wins of his career so far when he defeated former IBJJF black belt world champion Jamil Hill-Taylor by an advantage. Kaina trailed the majority of the match due to an early penalty, but scored the winning advantage late off of a sweep attempt.

Other black belt super fight action saw Jackson Nagai defeating rookie black belt Sandry Silva with strong judo and submission-oriented offense. After the match, he spoke of his struggles through training and competing and shared lessons learned with the audience.

On the undercard, the stars of tomorrow shined bright in six matches featuring colored belt champions. Atos's Sarah Galvao, daughter of Andre & Angelica Galvao, won in a dominant 11-0 showing, Mia Funegra put on a great display of control in a 10-2 victory where she was constantly looking for submissions, and Nata Tenca beat Caleb Nascimento in a close match by an advantage off of a foot lock attempt. This event served as valuable experience for the athletes, who many expect to feature heavily into black belt competitions in the near-future.

Full Results For IBJJF No-Gi Absolute Grand Prix

Tournament Final - Kaynan Duarte def. Giancarlo Bodoni by points (2-0)
Tainan Dalpra def. Mauricio Oliveira by submission (rear naked choke)
Kade Ruotolo def. Natan Cheung by points (4-0)
Andy Murasaki def. Mathias Luna by submission (armbar)
Tournament Semifinal - Giancarlo Bodoni def. Pedro Rocha by points (4-0)
Tournament Semifinal - Kaynan Duarte def. Dante Leon by points (2-0)
Jackson Nagai def. Sandry Silva by advantages (0-0, 3-0)
Zach Kaina Jamil Hill-Taylor by advantages (4-4, 1-0)
Tournament Quarterfinal - Pedro Rocha def. Roosevelt Sousa by advantages (0-0, 2-1)
Tournament Quarterfinal - Giancarlo Bodoni def. Patrick Gaudio by advantages (0-0, 4-1)
Tournament Quarterfinal - Dante Leon def. Elder Cruz by advantages (0-0, 1-0)
Tournament Quarterfinal - Kaynan Duarte def. Haisam Rida by submission (kata gatame)
Sarah Galvao def. Sabrina Lourenco by points (11-0)
Nata Tenca def. Caleb Nascimento by advantages (4-4, 1-0)
Mia Funegra def. Isabella Agdeppa by points (10-2)
Steven Gomez def. Lucas Oliveira by points (2-0)
Felipe Goulart def. Graham Nascimento by points (5-0)
Max Schwartz def. Jonathan Anderson by judge's decision