Subversiv is a team tournament put on by Fight 2 Win. This event featured eight of grappling’s most well known, no-gi grappling teams. Included on the roster were Atos, Checkmat, Danaher Death Squad, 10th Planet, and more.
The bracket looks like a normal 8-person bracket. Instead of individuals in each spot it’s a team made up of three competitors. Each team is composed of two men (+180 pounds and -180 pounds), and one woman (open weight). The first team to earn two victories moves on to the next round of the bracket. However, in the first round all three athletes compete. This guarantees each competitor a match at the event.
Round 1: Atos versus American Top Team
The +180 pound men kicked off the first round. Kaynan Duarte took on former UFC fighter, Christ Dempsey. Chris is known for his wrestling, but was unable to make anything happen with Kaynan. Instead, Kaynan remained stoic and composed, taking his time setting up his attacks. Kaynan began attacking the back off a variation of the flower sweep from closed guard. After that, the momentum just kept building. Kaynan was on the hunt and eventually finished the match with an inside heel hook.
The women took the stage next. Rafaela Guedes faced Juliana Fortuna. Rafaela displayed dominant jiu-jitsu from all positions. She remained in control of the match whether she was playing on top or bottom. She was able to get the tap by anaconda choke putting Atos in the lead with two submission victories.
For the final fight of the opening round Lucas Barbosa faced Mauricio Gomez. The match went the distance, but not without lack of effort. Barbosa was hunting the submission the entire time, and even though he wasn’t able to secure the finish he earned a unanimous decision victory taking Atos 3-0 for the first round.
Round 2: Atos versus Fight Sports
In the second round Atos took on Miami’s hometown team, Fight Sports. Atos made quick work of their opponents. They won two matches with back to back submissions. Atos moved on to the final round with a total fight time of only six minutes.
In a rematch, Rafaela took on Fight Sport’s “first lady”, Maggie Grindatti. As usual, Rafaela was on the prowl for the entirety of the match. She was able to lock in an armbar from closed guard, with both arms trapped. When her opponent defended, Rafaela was able to cut the angle, switch the arm she was attacking and finish.
In the second match of round two Kaynan took on Joao Costa Araújo. It only took the defending champ three minutes to secure a match-ending heel hook. Atos advanced to the finals with an impressive 5-0 record and 4 submissions.
Round 3: Atos versus Checkmat
Atos took on Checkmat in the championship round of Subversiv. Alongside Atos, Checkmat arguably brought some of the most competitive players. Their team was composed of ADCC Sao Paulo trials gold medalist Gabriel Almeida, 2020 No-Gi World Champ Nathalie Ribeiro, and purple belt rising star, Elder Cruz.
Lucas Barbosa kicked off the first match of the final round against Gabriel Almeida. This was a stand off between two guys who wanted to stay on top. After three minutes of wrestling and hand fighting Lucas landed a smooth double leg. Almeida tried to slow him down by keeping him in closed guard, but he was unable to do so. Barbosa maintained his pressure and was able to open up the guard and continue his attacks. After eight minutes Lucas Barbosa earned another unanimous decision victory.
With one win on the board, Atos just needed one more to secure the Subversiv team title. The unstoppable, Rafaela Guedes, could secure the title with a win over Nathalie Ribeiro. Rafaela opted to play on top against the supple guard of Ribeiro. Just as in her previous matches, Rafaela was intelligently breaking down the guard of her opponent and eagerlyl head hunting for the submission. After two submission victories, Rafaela solidified Atos as the Subversiv champions with a unanimous decision victory. Rafaela ended the night 3-0.
Pillage, Plunder, Reign
With a 7-0 record for this Subversiv event Atos lived up to the hype. They came in the -5000 favorites, an unheard statistic for betting odds. They retained the team title, with no points scored against them and four submission victories proving why they deserve that reputation.