Keys to Victory in Gordon Ryan vs. Matheus Diniz at Kasai 4

This weekend, Kasai Pro 4 is going down in New York City, and one of the feature bouts on the card is ADCC Champ Gordon Ryan taking on Kasai 185-pound champion Matheus Diniz. Gordon and Matheus revive the long-standing competitive rivalry between New York BJJ gyms, Renzo Gracie Academy and Marcelo Garcia Academy respectively. Both competitors are world-class black belts who are expected to put on a great no-gi fight, so let's look at some potential keys to victory for the match.

Go From Position to Submission With Marcelo Garcia Black Belt Matheus Diniz

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Attack Early And Often

Both fighters are similar in how they use their physical power to supplement a very technical game. Whoever is best able to start early and build momentum will see their chances of victory go way up, especially if they can make their opponent exert a lot of energy working through a bad position. Gordon is notoriously hard to take down, but Matheus is very strong too, so expect some heavy hand fighting early from both men.

Top Position Matters

Both fighters have a good guard (both tend to favor the butterfly guard but are capable from a lot of different positions), but whoever is on top consistently will be at a big advantage in this fight. Matheus's top style involves a lot of passing attempts chained together, blitzing the guard until he finds his way through to the pass, where his pressure is incredible. Gordon from top, however, usually is looking aggressively for the back, or will drop into a saddle if it opens up. Both guys attack very differently, but they both are very dangerous and whoever can impose their top control on the other, especially if it goes to the referee, will be at a big advantage.

Have An Answer For The Ashi

This key is really just for Matheus, but we've seen Gordon fight many times and anytime he is able to impose the Danaher leg lock system onto his opponent, he wins (and usually fairly dominantly). It's expected that Diniz will be tested there at least once, and if he wants to win, he'll need a good answer. The Marcelo Garcia team is full of world-class instructors, so it will be really interesting to see what answers Diniz has from the ashi garami.

There will be a lot to watch and appreciate from this superfight, and whoever wins I am expecting a really entertaining bout. Will King Gordon get his hand raised again? Will Matheus defend his Kasai throne? We'll find out Saturday, but get ready for everything by checking out this great 4-volume video set from Kasai Champ Matheus Diniz, Position to Submission!

See all the sweeps, passes, and submissions that Matheus Diniz uses to keep winning at the world level.

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