Finishers x We Defy Foundation: Battleship Card Preview

Finishers x We Defy Foundation: Battleship Card Preview

Saturday, June 20, 2026
Doors at 11 AM EDT | Card Begins at 12 PM EDT Sharp
Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial — 100 Clinton St, Camden, NJ 08103

Thirty matches. Four title fights. Twelve veterans and currently-serving competitors on the roster. Tickets are required for all spectators and limited so grab yours here: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/websitemain/event/wdfwarshipsussnewjersey/

*LOW TICKET WARNING!*

OR watch live for FREE on Flo Grappling's Youtube channel.

Finishers has put on a lot of cards. None of them have happened on a battleship.

On June 20th, Finishers and the We Defy Foundation take over the Battleship New Jersey,  often cited as the most decorated battleship in U.S. Navy history, for thirty matches spread across five hours on a ship that's seen more history than most arenas ever will. It's a fitting stage, because while this card has four title fights and a deep roster, the real headline is the dozen competitors who'd already served, or are still serving, long before they ever stepped onto a mat this size.

Let's get into it.

The Format

The Undercard opens the day with fifteen matches at six minutes apiece, submission-only, with three rounds of EBI overtime if regulation ends in a draw. From there it's the Featured Undercard with five matches, same EBI overtime structure, clock moves up to eight minutes. A ten-minute intermission splits the card before the Main Card closes things out: ten matches under CJI rules, three five-minute rounds, with open scoring meaning judges' tallies get revealed between rounds, so everyone in the building knows exactly what's needed heading into the third. Four of those ten Main Card matches are for championship gold.

Doors at 11, first match at noon sharp. Get there early.

Twelve Stories Before the First Match

Of everyone stepping onto the mats aboard the New Jersey, twelve are veterans or currently serving with representatives from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. 

Start with Omar Feliciano, because his story closes a loop that doesn't close very often. Feliciano is a Marine Corps veteran and a We Defy Foundation Ambassador but between those two, he was a We Defy scholarship recipient himself. The scholarship is what put him on the mats in the first place. He stuck with it long enough to be the guy other veterans look to now, and long enough to be competing on this card himself, opening the Undercard's heavyweight slot against Matthew Castillo.

Then there's Pisey Tan, whose story puts everything else on the card in perspective. Tan did two combat deployments to Iraq with the Army. On the second one, his Bradley Fighting Vehicle hit an IED, and he lost both legs. He's told the full story on the Jits and Giggles podcast, and on June 20th he's matched up at 190lbs against James Mevoglioni, a Navy veteran.

Pisey Tan (right) with fellow Finishers Battleship competitor Steve Eisner (center)

The Navy shows up again at 155lbs, where AJ Rivera and Ralphy Pacheco square off with their service timelines pulling in opposite directions. Rivera served as an Intelligence Specialist and is now a veteran; Pacheco is currently active duty as a Machinist's Mate. 

Sandy Chheng is serving right now in the Army National Guard and recently took second at an Army combatives tournament. She opens the Featured Undercard against Kelly Chan. Dan Sala, a former Navy diver, fights at 210lbs against Nate Brodhead. Shelby Straughn, an Air Force veteran who served as a Health Services Administrator, closes out the Undercard at 125lbs against Skyler Munson.

The Main Card keeps the theme going. Kyle Hughes and Mike Accardo, both Army combat veterans, meet at 215lbs. Both saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Global War on Terror. Hughes has supported We Defy in past events. Kyle Myers, who served in both the Army and the Air Force, competes at 205lbs against Alex Hudic. And at 200lbs, Matt Wallace, a Marine Corps veteran with multiple deployments during the Global War on Terror, runs it back against Steve Joachim in a rematch of a fight Joachim won last year.

The We Defy Foundation

This whole event exists because of We Defy. The foundation funds one-year BJJ scholarships for combat veterans coping with military-connected disabilities, covering the cost at vetted training facilities around the country. Since it started, We Defy has handed out more than 2,100 scholarships at roughly $2,500 each, with $0.82 of every donated dollar going directly into programming. The network now includes 1,200-plus approved facilities and 400-plus volunteer Ambassadors, people like Omar Feliciano, and the foundation is currently onboarding more than 40 new veteran athletes a month, with a goal of hitting 50 a month by the end of 2026.

Every match on this card happens under that umbrella.

The Title Fights

Four belts are on the line in the Main Card, and each one comes with its own story.

145lbs Title — Kate Egan (Gracie Philly) vs. Maggy Meir (Homa BJJ)
These two were already booked once this year. It fell apart at the last minute and the fight just sat there unfinished. Now it's back with a belt attached. Egan defends, Meir finally gets her shot at it.

125lbs Title — Efrain Garcia (New Asgard Martial Arts) vs. Mustafa Sadiq (Frazatto Academy)
Garcia comes in as champion, Sadiq comes in looking to take the belt off him. If you've ever watched either of these two before you know to expect fireworks here.

Vacant 155lbs Title — Lucas Jones (Mat Factory) vs. Travis Szalay (Code Black BJJ)
Vacant title fights carry a different kind of pressure than defenses. Like I said about the last one, expect fireworks. These are two of the most entertaining competitors currently on the regional scene. 

Heavyweight Title — Connor Dixon (The Cave) vs. Cody Gamble (Mat Factory)
Dixon defends the Heavyweight strap against Gamble to close out the card. This is another match that was rescheduled but now we're finally getting to witness it. Heavyweight action to close out the card.

The Full Card

This isn't one of those cards where we warm the audience up with a few throw away matches. We're starting this one off with a match that legitamately has match of the night potential. Blaise Arnold vs Ahmed Gebril.

The Undercard (6-Minute Rounds, EBI Overtime)

  1. 185lbs — Blaise Arnold (Balance Studios/Illuminati Grappling Club) vs. Ahmed Gebril (CT Submission Grappling)
  2. 145lbs — Ben Lakatos (Balance Studios) vs. Billy McMann (Notorious MMA)
  3. 135lbs — Sameet Rizwan (Revel Jiu Jitsu) vs. Adam Krinic (Stafford MMA)
  4. 155lbs — Elden Hernandez (Finishers North) vs. Stephen Leek (Mchugh BJJ)
  5. Heavyweight — Omar Feliciano (Renzo Gracie NYC) vs. Matthew Castillo (Prodigy BJJ)
  6. 185lbs — Josh Newhart (10P Bethlehem) vs. Ethan Wanner (Tried and True Jiu Jitsu)
  7. 190lbs — Pisey Tan (The Vault BJJ) vs. James Mevoglioni (Bataille BJJ)
  8. 170lbs — Stephen Eisner (Titan BJJ) vs. John Romero (UFC Gym Riverdale)
  9. 155lbs — AJ Rivera (One Way Martial Arts/10P Btown) vs. Ralphy Pacheco (10P Fredricksburg)
  10. 185lbs — James Neeley (Stout PGH) vs. Jose Ayala (Finishers North/10P Btown)
  11. 210lbs — Nate Brodhead (10P Allentown) vs. Danny Sala (Real Thing Jiu Jitsu)
  12. 115lbs — Joey Gaffin (Webb MMA) vs. Hana Sumita (Finishers North/Pridelands MMA)
  13. 155lbs — Mike Reina (Precision Boxing and MMA) vs. Jack Sudduth (Calvert MMA)
  14. 135lbs — Dylan Brown (10P Bethlehem) vs. Dallas Ragusa (Velez Jiu Jitsu)
  15. 125lbs — Shelby Straughn (Kaizen BJJ) vs. Skyler Munson (Essential BJJ)

The Featured Undercard (8-Minute Rounds, EBI Overtime)

  1. 115lbs — Kelly Chan (Una BJJ) vs. Sandy Chheng (Saga Jiu-Jitsu)
  2. 175lbs — Antonio Bompartito (Precision Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Jack Cornwell (Shell Shock BJJ)
  3. 185lbs — Nick Willey (Sharp Shooters BJJ) vs. Jesse Proctor (Movement Art/Masterskya)
  4. 145lbs — Aaron Smith (Mat Factory) vs. John Vena (Silver Fox BJJ)
  5. 160lbs — Derin Yusufi (Kingsway) vs. Daniel Cohen (True Believer Jiu-Jitsu)

The Main Card (CJI Rules, 3x5-Minute Rounds, Open Scoring)

  1. 145lbs — Molli Zborowski (Daniel Gracie) vs. Aaremey Cathey (Behring Jiu Jitsu/Shinobi MMA)
  2. 145lbs — Nick DiGiacomo (Webb MMA) vs. James VanOsdol (10th Planet Bethlehem)
  3. 215lbs — Kyle Hughes (Balance Studios) vs. Mike Accardo (Strive BJJ)
  4. 200lbs — Steve Joachim (Webb MMA) vs. Matt Wallace (Movement Art Jiu-Jitsu)
  5. 180lbs — Dietrich Trumbauer (Tap House Jiu Jitsu) vs. Anthony Gojani (Rigoro Gym)
  6. 205lbs — Kyle Myers (Saga Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Alex Hudic (Stout PGH)
  7. 155lbs Title — Lucas Jones (Mat Factory) vs. Travis Szalay (Code Black BJJ)
  8. 125lbs Title — Efrain Garcia (New Asgard Martial Arts) vs. Mustafa Sadiq (Frazatto Academy)
  9. 145lbs Title — Kate Egan (Gracie Philly) vs. Maggy Meir (Homa BJJ)
  10. Heavyweight Title — Connor Dixon (The Cave) vs. Cody Gamble (Mat Factory)

Final Thoughts

Thirty matches is a lot of card for one day. But look at what we're bringing. Twelve competitors who'd already done the hardest thing this sport will ever ask of them before they ever laced up for this one. Add four title fights, a vacant belt up for grabs, a rematch nobody thought they'd get, and a venue that's basically a floating museum, and June 20th has a real shot at being the best thing Finishers has put together yet.

Doors open at 11. First match at noon EDT, sharp. Tickets are limited: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/websitemain/event/wdfwarshipsussnewjersey/

Watch live for FREE on Flo Grappling's Youtube

Follow @finishers_subonly , @peopledoingmartialarts and @wedefyfoundation for updates, results, and highlights from the ship.

What's Next

Finishers isn't slowing down after this one. The next card is the Zach Edwards Memorial Card on July 19th, back home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

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