Leandro Lo and Luiza Monteiro join Couples Showdown. Photo by Pedro Felcio.
Davi Ramos and Marina Ribeiro alleged to have had some personal issues and pulled out from the January 13 Copa Pódio event at Rio de Janeiro’s Ginásio Hebraica arena.
But the organizers acted swiftly, and now the couple Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes and Mackenzie Dern will be taking on lovers Leandro Lo and Luiza Monteiro.
“As soon as I heard the news, Leandro and Luiza came to mind. There was the problem of weight, since Lo was set to face Felipe Preguiça in the under-84 kg division on the same card and the Couples Showdown is at under-76 kg. I waited for the IBJJ Pro League to finish and got in touch with Leandro, who promptly accepted the sacrifice of competing alongside his loved one. He’ll likely give up an eight-kilo weight disadvantage to Preguiça for their match… Ain’t love sweet?” quipped Jeferson Maycá, the promoter of the event.
The two matches in the Couples Showdown will be of six-minute match durations. The first will be between the men, and next the ladies will take to the mats to pick up the score where the boys left off. Should the men’s match end in a submission, the best the disadvantaged couple will be able to hope for is a draw, by responding with a submission in the female match.
