IBJJF 2017 World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships

Submissions Set Up An All-American Female Final At No-Gi Worlds

A pair of stunning upsets set the stage for an all-American final Sunday in the women’s black belt lightweight division at No-Gi Worlds.

Dec 17, 2017 by FloGrappling

Submissions Set Up An All-American Female Final At No-Gi Worlds

Article and photos by Michael Sears | A pair of stunning upsets set the stage for an all-American final Sunday in the women’s black belt lightweight division at No-Gi Worlds.

First up was Heather Raftery (Atos) in her semifinal match with multiple time World and ADCC champion Michelle Nicolini (Checkmat). Raftery won by submission, finishing the legend with a kneebar to secure her spot in the finals.

About the victory Raftery said:

"When the brackets came out I couldn’t be happier, I’ve been watching Michelle’s matches since I was a white belt. I mean she’s been racking up World championships, ADCC Championships since before I was training. So it was really quite an honor to be on the same mat with her, let alone fight her.”

Up next was Jena Bishop (Gracie Humaita) in her semifinal with 2015 World No-Gi champion Karen Antunes (Checkmat). Bishop controlled the action from the start, taking Antunes back to go up 4-0. After Antunes escaped the back control, Bishop would jump guard and finish Antunes with an armlock.

On her performance today, she said:

“Today was my first no-gi match since blue belt, so I was really happy to get the finish today against Karen who is a tough opponent. I have a lot of respect for her. Now my focus is on finishing what I started in the finals tomorrow.”

Neither Raftery or Bishop has won a world title at adult black belt – that will change for one of them after tomorrow in Anaheim.

The women’s black belt final adult lightweight final is scheduled to take place at 9:44 am on Sunday morning.

WATCH: Heather Raftery vs Michelle Nicolini