WNO 30 is shaping up to be an epic night of grappling, and we now know the first four athletes who will be a part of our 8-man open weight grand prix tournament. They will be Dante Leon, Declan Moody, Achilles Rocha, and Michael Sainz. This is half of the bracket that will throwing down on October 24th, 2025 at the Sunny Days Arena.

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Each of these black belts is well known to the WNO audience, all having turned in big wins with the promotion. Dante Leon stands out as one to watch in this tournament. Even though he regularly competes at 155lbs, Dante has earned a reputation for taking on and defeating much larger opponents - including a bronze medal run in the 2024 ADCC absolute that saw him beat the -77kg and -88kg champions. He is one of the top pound-for-pound grapplers in the world and a favorite in any bracket he's in.

Declan Moody is the biggest, most imposing man in the bracket (at least so far), with the 205lb contender having a big year with great performances on WNO, CJI, and a gold medal at ADCC trials (with all submissions). He has become known as one of the best guard passers on the planet with an incredible ability to mix his loose and tight passes. If he's able to get on top of anyone in this bracket it might just be a wrap.

Achilles Rocha is a human highlight reel with big match experience. The son of Vagner Rocha, he made his ADCC debut last year and made WNO history with the fastest submission ever. Now as he continues to mature and sharpen up, he's bringing his high octane style back to WNO.

Michael Sainz is undefeated on WNO and carries a lot of momentum into this bracket. The ranked welterweight prospect is a standout athlete and wrestler who can keep the pace up and attack takedowns on anyone. A win here would be the breakout moment for the Miami-based black belt.