Michelle Nicolini is a level above most submission grapplers.
She is a seven-time world champion and an ADCC champion with such an impressive resume. Therefore, it should have come as no surprise that when she was announced to compete against Gezary Matuda at Polaris Pro 2, she was the resounding favorite to win.
Gezary Matuda is by no means a slouch. In fact Matuda too is a former world champion, but even given her grappling acumen, no one could have predicted what would happen when she stepped onto the mat with Michelle Nicolini in Cardiff, Wales.
The match started with a non-committal exchange of hand fighting, Nicolini got a light grip of Matuda and took a risk by pulling guard, which did not pay off. Like Davi Ramos, just weeks before at ADCC, Matuda unleashed a precise flying armbar to dispatch her more experienced foe in just 15 seconds.
With Nicolini’s scalp, Matuda’s stock has risen substantially and she now will be able to garner a lot more high profile professional matches. As for Nicolini, she seems set to take an MMA fight in November and will no doubt be more cautious when attempting guard pulls in the future.