A fight festival featuring a loaded card of Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters from Tucson and Phoenix is coming to the Rialto Theatre on Sunday.
It’s been more than eight years since Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts Daniel Grippaudo and Gerson Atoigue have rolled competitively against one another. Both men were brown belts the last time they squared off; Atoigue won on points.
This time around, Grippaudo and Atoigue are fighting in a submission-only match for the BJJ lightweight title during Rise of the Prospects 11. Grippaudo said he is ready to even the score.
“(Atoigue) is a very exciting competitor and that’s going to keep me on my toes. He goes to get submissions and he’s very hard to submit,” Grippaudo said. “I’m going to be doing my best to submit him and he’ll be doing his best to submit me.”
The 35-year-old fighter holds Rise of the Prospects BJJ welterweight title, which he won during in 2019 while fighting at 170 pounds. Since then, Grippaudo has dropped more than 20 pounds. He’ll be meeting Atoigue at 150 pounds — a weight class he’s never fought at before.
“I’m feeling more fit. But at the same time, I don’t know what to expect because I’ve never competed against anyone at 150,” Grippaudo said. “I do feel more athletic than I’ve ever felt.”
Grippaudo trains under Chris Cariaso, a former UFC flyweight contender and owner of Rise Combat Sports. Since the match is submission only, Cariaso has the fighter focused on an array of submissions from any position. The two have also been working Grippaudo’s stamina using cardio and calisthenics.
“I’m trying to get the idea of points out of my head. In a points match, you’re going to try to secure a position, maintain it and a referee awards you points. In this style of match-up, that approach is not always beneficial,” Grippaudo said. “Leg-locks are a big fear in a match like this. They come quickly and they can be very damaging. If there is no incentive to get points, you’re just going to dive on a submission attack of your own and avoid the leg-lock in the process.”
The amateur event is set to host 13 BJJ match-ups and 18 Muay Thai fights, including two Muay Thai title bouts in addition to Grippaudo and Atoigue’s war for the BJJ welterweight strap. United States Muay Thai Open champ Calie Patrick, a Surprise resident, will face Phoenix’s Kelli Wiechmann for Rise of the Prospects female women’s bantamweight title. Tucson’s Gabe Brown is fighting Phoenix’s Jorge Figueroa for the event’s Muay Thai men’s interim bantamweight title.
Brown said he approached the event’s promoter about fighting Figueroa after watching his performance during Rise of the Prospects 10. The 24-year-old has not fought in two years due to pandemic restrictions, time constrictions and limited regional Muay Thai events, he said. However, he views this bout to be a solid tune-up for other future Muay Thai fights.
“I had seen his fight for the last Rise of the Prospects on YouTube and said, “That guy is good. He’s got good technique and it would be a good fight,’” Brown said. “Obviously, I don’t say that without thinking I could beat him.”
While Figueroa has been the more active competitive fighter in recent months, Brown believes his previous years of experience with the sport will help him prevail. To get ready for his return, Brown is splitting his time training at Tucson’s Boxing Inc. under local MMA legend and coach Ed “Wild” West and at Rise Combat Sports with Cariaso.
“I do my research. From what I’ve seen, he’s only started fighting a little bit before the pandemic,” Brown said. “This is going to be a fight between someone who is experienced but inactive versus someone just starting out but has had four or five fights in the last few months. It should be a cool matchup.”
The Rialto requires all ticket holders to have either their vaccination card or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours to enter. The Rialto is offering free on-site rapid testing outside the theater starting at noon.
Tickets for Rise of the Prospects 11 start at $40 and can be purchased at riseoftheprospects.com, ticketmaster.com, the Rialto Theatre’s box office, or from participating fighters.
