Kieran Kichuk, The Breakout Star of Emerald City Invitational

Kieran Kichuk emerged the winner in the stacked 155-lbs eight-man bracket. The Canadian, who represents team Lloyd Irvin, took out Josh Cisneros, Gianni Grippo and Adam Benayoun to be crowned champion. Kieran entered the tournament as one of the underdogs– not that this is a reflection of his skill level or capability– but because he was put into the bracket by virtue of winning the Finishers Only qualifier. Anybody who has seen Kichuk complete will tell you what a skillful grappler he is, and he was able to put this on display against three tough opponents in succession. There’s no denying he made good use of the EBI-rules OT although he finished all of his opponents by submission and didn’t win via riding time. Currently Kieron is ranked #9 at 155 lbs but I expect to see him vault into the rankings based off this performance.