Grappling roundup: Tonon wins no-gi grappler of the year, Ryan beefs with ex-UFC fighter

While it has been a quiet week in the world of mixed martial arts, the grappling world has had some interesting happenings. In this article, we will round up all the big stories from the world of grappling, including some big wins for UFC vets and a developing rivalry between a former UFC fighter and one of the grappling world’s rising talents.

Jiu Jitsu Founders Award Winners

The Jiu Jitsu Founders Awards, an annual award ceremony celebrating the best in grappling, took place last week in California. The winners were selected by a team of noted BJJ media members and there weren’t too many surprises in who took home the big prizes. Davi Ramos took home gold for his memorable jumping-armbar at ADCC 2015 and Garry Tonon was named the best no-gi grappler in the world after his highly-successful past 12 months.

Check out the full results below:

Team Award for Kids:

ATOS team

Team Masters award:

Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu

Team Adult Men award

ATOS

Event Award (invitational no gi):

Eddie Bravo Invitational

Event Award (invitational gi):

Copa Podio

Event (Open No GI):

ADCC

Event (Open GI):

IBJJF WORLDS

Submission (Black Belt No Gi)

Davi Ramos (ATOS) – armbar vs Lucas Lepri

Submission (Black Belt Gi)

Bernardo Faria (Alliance) – Clock Choke > Leandro Lo

Athlete (Master No Gi) :

Rubens Charles (Alliance)

Athlete (Male No Gi) :

Garry Tonon (Renzo Gracie)

Athlete (Female No Gi):

Mackenzie Dern (Gracie Humaita)

Athlete (Master Gi):

Wellington Megaton (Gracie Humaita)

Athlete (Female Gi):

Mackenzie Dern (Gracie Humaita)

Athlete (Male Gi):

Bernardo Faria (Alliance)

Ricardo Almeida and Tom DeBlass Impress at ADCC Nationals

Professor and student were both in action at the ADCC nationals as two of New Jersey’s grappling royalty impressed in West Virginia. UFC veteran Ricardo Almeida took home a dominant victory against Michael Mihas and Almeida’s student, Tom DeBlass, also had a busy day, after drawing in a super fight. DeBlass elected to enter the absolute division and managed to win all four matches en route to taking home gold.

Gordon Ryan draws with Vagner Rocha at the Sapateiro Invitational

Gordon Ryan is the scariest young talent in the world of grappling right now, with that being said, many expected him to finish Vagner Rocha in their match at the Sapateiro Invitational, but that wasn’t to be the case. Over the course of 20 minutes, Rocha and Ryan engaged in a fun match, but what happened after the match was even more interesting. In a post-match Instagram post, Vagner Rocha went on to put Ryan, his coach Garry Tonon, and his teammate Eddie Cummings on blast. It will be interesting to see what happens next, but you can rest assured that this won’t be the last time we talk of Rocha and the Danaher Death Squad.