Rivalry · 2 recorded meetings

Felipe Pena vs Josh Saunders

Head-to-head record

Felipe

Josh

Did you know?

Pena leads the head-to-head 2-0, with 2 total meetings and no draws.
Both of their meetings happened at the ADCC World Championship, in 2022 in the Round of 16 and in 2024 in the semi-finals.
Both matches went to points. Neither man submitted the other.
Pena carries 146 wins across 176 recorded matches, while Saunders has 4 wins across 7 recorded matches.
They share a common opponent in Gordon Ryan, against whom Pena is 2-2 and Saunders is 0-1.

The rivalry

Felipe Pena holds a clean 2-0 record over Josh Saunders on record, and both meetings came on the same stage under the same conditions. They met at the 2022 ADCC World Championship in the Round of 16 and again at the 2024 ADCC World Championship in the semi-finals, both times in the +99kg bracket and both times no-gi. Neither match ended in a submission. Pena took both by points.

The gap in experience is wide. Pena has 176 recorded matches with a win rate of 83%, and 46% of his wins come by submission, with his most frequent finish being the Gi Choke From Back at 24 wins. Saunders has 7 recorded matches with a 57% win rate, a shorter body of work built largely around his 2024 run, and when he does finish it tends to be a leg attack, with his favorite being the Heel Hook.

What decided these meetings was Pena's ability to control the scoreboard against a younger competitor. Saunders reached the final four of ADCC in his debut appearance, but both times Pena stood between him and going further, and both times Pena controlled the exchanges enough to win on points rather than get drawn into a finish.