The crowd went crazy when Raphael Abi-Rihan stretched out Tarsis's arm in the medium heavyweight final of the 2009 Brazilian National Championship. Photo: Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG.
Rio de Janeiro native Raphael Abi-Rihan (Carlson Gracie) is now slated to face Guto Campos in the supermatch at the July Copa Pódio Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Rio de Janeiro. Having tallied up the votes on from followers of the event’s Facebook page, the organizers have officially announced Guto’s opponent for the December supermatch.
Causing a major stir among fans, the difference in votes between Abi and second-placed Wancler Oliveira (GFTeam) was greater than 10%. Being such, no eliminator match will be needed to determine who will be opposite Campos in the match area.
Sergipe State native Wancler Oliveira’s public appeal will be compensated by the event, however, as the he and third-placed André Bastos of Nova União are being matched against each other. The winner of the match will be the challenger in the next event, facing the winner of the Campos-Abi-Rihan showdown. Wancler’s match will be held in June at the official launch ceremony where the Middleweight GP brackets draw will take place.
Guto Campos’s challenger now determined, the organizers now turn their attention to writing up the GP card that already has Lightweight GP winner Leandro Lo among the participants.
Check out the final result from the Facebook poll with around 10,000 votes:
Raphael Abi-Rihan (Carlson Gracie): 40.3%
Wancler Oliveira (GFTeam): 35.3%
André Bastos (Nova União): 9.0%
Rômulo Barral (Gracie Barra BH): 7.3%
Lucas Leite (Checkmat): 3.4%
Rafael Formiga (Soul Fighters): 3.2%
Murilo Santana (Barbosa JJ/Cícero Costha) 1.5%
