The bout is a submission only bout with no holds being determined off limits. The wrestler vs. jiu-jitsu matchups have happened in the past where leg locks were determined to be off limits due to the potential for long term injury, but Ramos accepted an agreement that allowed all ADCC allowable attacks.
Wrestlers who have migrated from wrestling to jiu-jitsu will attest that leg locks are a scary place to be with anyone who has passing knowledge of the "dark arts." The instincts from wrestling don't translate well in leg lock defense and given the number of traps that can be set there is no way someone can crib sheet an exit plan from each position. The consequences come quick and with Nicky Ryan being out muscled I'd expect the attacks to come quick and often.
I doubt Ramos is coming into the match with high expectations for a submission, but I'm desperate to find out his game plan.
Extreme forward pressure will work to get Nicky to the ground, but once there Ramos will need to keep his shoulders low and elbows tight to avoid arm bars and Nicky trying capture Ramos' free leg from a deep half guard. Once that split happens, Ramos would need to keep a crossface with the inside of his elbow turning Nicky's chin upward to cut off the leverage. If he takes the pressure off he'll enter into the leg attacks and a likely submission.
From his butt, Nicky will look to trap an ankle (De La Riva) and try to force Ramos to fight that off, and therefore stabilize him long enough for another entry into the leg locking game. He wants leg entries from a false X-guard and will also try to invert. For new eyes it can be confusing and lock your legs in place.
The simplest defense is the one Marcelo most utilizes when he wants to clear out -- jump forward towards your opponent's head and rip your leg out at full force -- almost like clearing a low single by jumping over an opponent's back and kicking the back of their shoulder to clear your ankle. The move won't progress the action, but it'll clear the position and give Ramos a chance to find another entry point with his legs behind him.
My secret hope is that Ramos has a super-secret submission preceded by a fairly elaborate setup. For most submissions to work it's the threat of something else (distraction) that gives most attackers the perfect position. Nicky will be expecting an arm-in guillotine and won't present his head so any attacks will need to be new and come from a position where Nicky allows the match to take place. That could be from standing, but in a perfect world Ramos would find and secure the back. Again, that's highly unlikely, but it would present offensive options for Ramos.
In the main event it will be Marcelo Garcia black belt (and good friend) Matheus Diniz facing Nicky's brother Gordon Ryan. Both are ADCC champions, but Gordon has a much longer list of no-gi accomplishments and is widely regarded as the best no-gi grappler in the world. Gordon will be the heavy favorite, but I hope that wrestling fans will choose to root for Matheus who spends a tremendous amount of time learning to wrestle and does everything right in his life to ensure he's ready for match day. He doesn't dope. He is kind to everyone around him. And is an absolute savage when he turns it on.
No matter who wins I think it will be a fun night of grappling.
To your questions …
Manny Rivera (Photo/CSU Bakersfield Athletics)Q: Manny Rivera resigned as head wrestling coach at CSU Bakersfield to "pursue opportunities outside of coaching." Luke Smith was named interim coach. Do you think Smith will get the job? Or will they do a national search and look to replace Rivera with someone outside the program?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The wrestling community focuses a lot of attention on wining programs and teams that are improving each year. For coverage of the college wrestling community, I'd estimate there is chatter about Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State consuming about half of all media. Either their current rosters, who they are recruiting, or how their alumni are doing at the next level. They also have coaches who attract more attention and the resources to ensure they are constantly getting the attention they need to drive interest.
Another 35 percent of the attention goes to the next tier of teams (Cornell, Rutgers, Michigan, etc.) who do the same, but not to the same extent. We see contract extension news, salary information, and inside info on all the dramas, just not to the extent we do with the top tier.
With 85 percent of our discussions focused on the top programs we often forget that the vast majority of our programs are barely hanging on, operating on shoestring budgets, and with coaches working 80-hour weeks for $60,000 a year.
I don't know Manny's personal life, but I do know there are many, many other ways to make more money and spend more time with your family than coaching a Division I wrestling team. The payoff comes in victories and the growth of your program, but if that is being outweighed by the enormous sacrifices of travel, recruiting, and financial hardship then there should be an adjustment.
Every time we have a coach leave for new opportunities it should be a reminder that there is not a lot of financial upside in these jobs. Most are steady employment and a good life, but with a pandemic raging, salary cuts, and limited opportunity to compete there just isn't much to be gained for some individuals. While I can't say these are Manny's reasons, I've spoken with plenty of coaches who feel this strain all the time. As a final note, I started coaching in 2005 and my first-year salary was $20,000 and a housing stipend. That's it. No insurance or benefits. While coaches are definitely making more than that, it should serve as a reminder to those who can donate to their programs to still do so.
And yes, I think Coach Smith will do a fantastic job. I'm excited to see the Roadrunners back on the mat in good time.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
The world's best MMA photographer has retired after too many trolls and too many personal attacks over too many years. Sad to see a sport lose talent due to a fan base that is horrific to its media.
Esther Lin: "Reading all this stuff just makes me so incredibly sad."
On a very special episode of #TheASide, @allelbows (ðŸ) announced that today is her last day here at MMA Fighting. We will miss working with her immensely and wish her all the best moving forward! pic.twitter.com/GkX96zeaRf
�" MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) September 30, 2020
Nicky Ryan in action
More Nicky
Q: Who are you taking in Flo's 8-man 195-pound bracket?
-- Mike C.
Foley: In order …
1. Myles Martin
2. Sammy Brooks
3. Shakur Rasheed
4. Taylor Lujan
5. Gabe Dean
6. Drew Foster
7. Nate Jackson
8. Keith Gavin
But I wonder why we aren't seeing David Taylor our there collecting the easy money?
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