Felipe ‘Preguiça’ took the win in his highly anticipated matchup against Nicholas Meregali at Spaten Fight Night 3, held in São Paulo on Saturday, the 29th.
In the first fight on the card, Pena imposed the better strategy in a bout of three five-minute rounds. With most of the time spent on the feet and calculated movement from both men, ‘Preguiça’ secured 10-9 scores in the first two rounds. Meregali’s best moment came in the final round, when he was more effective with his takedown entries. With the win declared on the scorecards, the two-time ADCC champion left with his hand raised in the trilogy of their rivalry.
At the 2018 IBJJF gi Worlds, ‘Alemão’ beat ‘Preguiça’ by submitting him in the open class quarterfinals. The rematch came a few years later, in 2023, but without the gi. The two met in a superfight at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5. That time, Meregali won by submission, with a rear-naked choke.
REDEMPTION: FELIPE ‘PREGUIÇA’ REFLECTS ON HIS SPATEN FIGHT NIGHT WIN
The winner of the Jiu-Jitsu bout at Spaten Fight Night 3 posted a video on social media about what the victory means to him. Heading toward a third ADCC title later this year, with nothing left to prove about his quality as an athlete, ‘Preguiça’ said beating Meregali was a promise he had made to himself.
The winner also discussed how the fight unfolded, mostly contested on the feet and extremely strategic. Felipe said that winning the first two rounds led him to take a more cautious approach in the final round, because exposing himself could have cost him everything.
FULL SPATEN FIGHT NIGHT 3 RESULTS:
- Boxing: Glover Teixeira def. Maurício Shogun by unanimous decision (79-72, 79-72 and 80-71);
- Boxing: Luan Medeiros def. Juan Cruz by unanimous decision;
- Judo: Raz Hershko def. Beatriz Souza by yuko
- Judo: Rafaela Silva def. Prisca Awiti by waza-ari;
- Jiu-Jitsu: Felipe Preguiça def. Nicholas Meregali by unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9 and 9-10).
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
