Nicky Ryan will return to the Tezos WNO mats after an eight month break to take on rising star Jacob Couch on March 25 in Frisco, TX on the main card of Tezos Who’s Number One: Musumeci vs Martinez presented by Fat Tire

Before he injured his knee on FloGrappling’s Road to ADCC against Dante Leon, Nicky Ryan had been giving the best performance of his career. Often lauded as the toughest person in the training room, and recognized for his superstar potential as a teenager, Ryan had controlled every element of his match against Leon.

Throughout 2021, Nicky Ryan reshaped his image as a leglocker into that of a truly well-rounded grappler. In various matches, he demonstrated his back-taking skills, his pressure passing, and his wrestling from both the ground and the feet.

As Nicky Ryan was polishing his game — and rehabbing his injury — Jacob Couch was transitioning from a prelim-match athlete to a main event level competitor. He was the most active WNO athlete in all of 2021, amassing 3 wins and 3 losses with two submission victories. Many of those matches came during the WNO Championship, where he competed in the middleweight division and took third place with a heel hook victory over division favorite Roberto Jimenez, and a decision win over talented leg locker William Tackett.

Couch has picked up steam since. Since the WNO Championship, he’s 2-0 with two submission victories. Like Ryan, Couch has started to break from the chains of the “leg locker tag;” he’s started to show off his wrestling and his upper body attacks.

Still, Nicky Ryan may be Couch’s toughest challenge to date. He’s a two-time ADCC veteran who has only lost to top-tier talent. He’s the no.2-ranked grappler at 170 lbs, and has outworked his opponents in each of his matches at 185 lbs. Couch, who has been successful at 205 lbs, will be moving down to 185, where he broke out at the WNO Championship. If he is again successful here against Ryan, he may prove that this is the weight category where he belongs.

About Tezos WNO: Mikey vs Geo Presented By Fat Tire

Tezos Who’s Number One: Mikey Musumeci vs Geo Martinez, presented by Fat Tire, will take place in Dallas, TX on Friday, March 25. Tickets are one sale now to watch the event live in person. Or, watch it live on FloGrappling and the FloSports App. the event will begin at 8 p.m. ET. Three prelims will begin the card, and will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook. Followed by the main card. The undercard will be announced throughout this week.

The press conference will be streamed live on YouTube, Facebook and FloGrappling at 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 20. Also on Thursday, FloGrappling will host a seminar featuring Heath Pedigo and te Pedigo Submission Fighting team in Dallas. Tickets to the seminar are available here.