This month’s biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) event is upon us, with WNO 27 happening on Friday (April 18, 2025), in Round Rock, Texas. Several world champions are on the docket, with the event being headlined by ADCC 2024 double gold medalist Kaynan Duarte vs. Craig Jones Invitational (CJI 1) millionaire Nick Rodriguez.
The event will be streamed live on FloGrappling, and an in-depth preview of the WNO 27 card is below.
ADCC 2024 double gold medalist Kaynan Duarte Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The real openweight king? – Kaynan Duarte vs. Nick Rodriguez preview
The CJI 1 vs. ADCC 2024 rivalry was a huge moment for jiu-jitsu last year, and WNO 27 will be headlined by (literally) the two biggest winners from that weekend.
Kaynan Duarte already had two ADCC world titles to his name from 2019 and 2022, but last year was his most impressive run yet. Duarte not only won his division again, he also ruled the openweight division and took home double ADCC gold medals.
Just a few minutes away from where Duarte ruled ADCC, Nick Rodriguez dominated and submitted all comers in the 16-man tournament at the inaugural CJI event. This got Rodriguez the highest prize ever in jiu-jitsu, with the B-Team star taking home $1 million.
While Nicky Rod’s impressive streak of dominance was recently halted at UFC FPI 10 by Victor Hugo, the WNO 27 headliner still provides an intriguing clash between the two high profile openweight champions.
Both men are known for having excellent wrestle-ups and vastly different pressure passing styles, but it’ll be interesting to see who can apply their vaunted top game better.
The pair met twice in the past, with Duarte winning the ADCC 2019 final by points, and again by heel hook soon after. Watch a breakdown of their first meeting here:
Those matches were six years ago though, are both have drastically improved since. Nicky Rod especially, was still a blue belt and very early in his professional grappling career then. He was a wrestler known as “The Black Belt slayer” in the past, but Rodriguez has since grown into a legitimate top level black belt himself.
At WNO 27, it’ll be interesting to see not only which of these vastly improved grapplers will shine through six years later, but also who is the better openweight champion from that iconic ADCC vs. CJI weekend.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Hugo vs. Griffith, Crevar vs. Clay and three other grapplers to watch at WNO 27
While Duarte and Rodriguez will naturally be in the limelight at WNO 27, the two people who handed them their most recent losses are in the co-main event. Nicky Rod’s most recent loss came against Victor Hugo, while Duarte’s lost to Luke Griffith at UFC FPI 7 prior to his incredible ADCC run. The pair will face each other in a promising match up that is more than worthy of headlining other BJJ cards.
Also on the card is a WNO featherweight title bout, where four-time IBJJF no gi world champ Elisabeth Clay takes on teenage BJJ phenom and ADCC silver medalist Helena Crevar.
Outside of these competitive and top level matches, it’s also worth tuning into two fan favorite grapplers like Andrew Tackett and Owen Jones, who are known for non-stop action. The CJI standout in Tackett faces Fabyury Khrysthyan, while Jones faces the equally entertaining Julian Espinosa.
Rounding out the main card is BJJ legend Xande Ribeiro, who returns at age 44. The two-time ADCC champ and nine-time IBJJF world champ will be facing longtime 10th Planet veteran Richie Martinez.
WNO 27: Duarte vs. Rodriguez full fight card
Main Card
- Kaynan Duarte vs Nick Rodriguez
- Luke Griffith vs Victor Hugo
- Elisabeth Clay vs Helena Crevar [FW title]
- Andrew Tackett vs Fabyury Khrysthyan
- Owen Jones vs Julian Espinosa
- Xande Ribeiro vs Richie Martinez
Undercard
- Chris Wojcik vs Michael Esquivel II
- Sebastian Attard vs Colin Carr
- Taylor Hishaw vs Trinity Pun
- Ben Eddy vs Josh Wyland
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