Thug Trials 3 hit Miami with a stacked card, a ridiculous finish rate, and a main event that reminded everyone that legends are only “old” until they start choking people again.
Thug Trials 3 went down on May 9, 2026 in Florida, and by the end of the night the promotion had delivered exactly the kind of card grappling fans keep pretending they don’t want: big names, weird violence, surprise submissions, rising stars, old-school killers, and enough leg locks to make half the room start nervously checking their knee health.
The headline belonged to Rafael Lovato Jr., who submitted Vagner Rocha by rear-naked choke in the main event. On paper, it was a matchup between two living legends. In practice, it was a reminder that when two guys have been doing this at the highest level forever, “veteran savvy” is just a polite way of saying “this man has forgotten more ways to ruin your evening than you will ever learn.”
Lovato and Rocha finally sharing the mat had the feel of a match that should have happened in multiple different eras. Both men have spent years building reputations as elite competitors, coaches, and professional problem-solvers. Rocha brought the grit, pressure, and veteran nastiness that has made him a staple of the no-gi scene. Lovato brought the composure and technical finishing ability that has made him one of the most respected American grapplers ever.
After a long battle, Lovato found the back and closed the show with a rear-naked choke. It was not some ceremonial legends’ exhibition. It was a real match, with real tension, and it ended the way the best main events should: with one legend forcing another to tap.
The co-main event kept the submission theme alive, as Gabriel Sousa defeated Corey Brown by heel hook. Brown was thrown into deep water against one of the sport’s most dangerous lighter-weight competitors, and while he made a fight of it, Sousa’s ability to attack quickly and punish even small openings was the difference. One moment there was a match. The next moment there was a heel hook, which is basically modern no-gi’s version of a jump scare.
Jacob Couch also picked up one of the biggest results of the night, defeating Eric Litke by decision to win the Thug Trials middleweight title. Couch has long been one of grappling’s most watchable chaos agents: part elite competitor, part Appalachian submission goblin, part man who looks like he was created in a lab to make commentators say “he’s comfortable from weird positions.” Litke tested him, but Couch did enough to take the judges’ decision and leave with the belt.
The women’s matches delivered some of the cleanest finishing work on the card. Helena Crevar submitted Jessica Bochenek with a triangle armbar, adding another strong win to her already absurdly impressive résumé. Crevar’s rise has felt less like a prospect developing and more like a hostile takeover conducted by someone who still looks like she should be asking for permission to stay out past curfew.
Adele Fornarino also got the finish, submitting Shye Lilly by arm-triangle choke. Fornarino continues to be one of the most reliable elite finishers in women’s grappling, and at Thug Trials 3 she did what elite grapplers are supposed to do against dangerous opposition: stay composed, find the pathway, and slowly remove the other person’s hope.
Danielle Kelly added another notable name to the winner’s column, defeating Jessica Crane by decision. Kelly’s match did not end in a submission, but it helped round out a main card that mixed established stars, elite young talent, and enough stylistic variety to keep the event from becoming twelve versions of the same leg-lock exchange.
And speaking of leg locks, Thug Trials 3 leaned heavily into the finishing column. Digitsu lists 12 total matches and a 66.7% submission rate, while the public Instagram preview from Thug Trials also highlighted that same finish rate and noted that leg locks emerged in a big way at this event. For a promotion trying to carve out its own identity in the increasingly crowded superfight market, that matters. Fans will forgive a lot when two-thirds of the card ends with someone physically requesting mercy.
The preliminary card helped set the tone before the bigger names even hit the mat. Joseph Myers and Vincent Barber both won by rear-naked choke, Jacob Maidens finished Kelvin Cuadra with a heel hook, Christiano Troisi submitted Alex Rogers with a kneebar, and Abraham La Montagne defeated João Costa by decision. That undercard finish rate gave the show momentum early, which is important because nothing kills a grappling broadcast faster than eight consecutive cautious decisions and one commentator saying “he’s working to improve position” for the 900th time.
Thug Trials 3 may not have had the corporate polish of some of the bigger grappling shows, but that might be part of the appeal. The event felt like a Florida grappling card in the best possible way: talented, aggressive, slightly unhinged, and full of people who looked like they had no interest in doing anything the boring way.
Lovato left with the main event submission. Sousa reminded everyone that a heel hook can arrive without warning. Couch became middleweight champion. Crevar and Fornarino continued doing terrifying things to other elite grapplers. And Thug Trials walked away with another card that suggests the promotion is becoming more than just another regional superfight show.
It is becoming a place where big names show up, prospects get tested, and the mat regularly turns into a crime scene with rashguards.
Thug Trials 3 Results
Rafael Lovato Jr. def. Vagner Rocha via rear-naked choke
Gabriel Sousa def. Corey Brown via heel hook
Jacob Couch def. Eric Litke via decision
Helena Crevar def. Jessica Bochenek via triangle armbar
Adele Fornarino def. Shye Lilly via arm-triangle choke
Danielle Kelly def. Jessica Crane via decision
João Assonitis def. Matthew Ferraiolo via decision
Preliminary Card Results
Joseph Myers def. Alex Hynes via rear-naked choke
Vincent Barber def. Matt Yost via rear-naked choke
Jacob Maidens def. Kelvin Cuadra via heel hook
Christiano Troisi def. Alex Rogers via kneebar
Abraham La Montagne def. João Costa via decision
