Possible Rematch with Adam Wardzinski

The two met have only met one time at black belt in the Semi-finals of the 94kg bracket for Euros 2018. This match saw Keenan win via armbar against the Polish Black Belt. Adam was in the semi finals of the 2019 Euros against Gustavo Batista who is not registered for the division this year. This matchup might see the butterfly guard work of Wardzinski or could see Keenan implementing his worm and lapel guard depending on which player ends up on bottom position. Both players have shown extreme dynamism of game, and both have added new tools and names to their resume in recent years. The two were both scheduled to participate in ADCC 2019 but Keenan had to pull out due to an eye infection. If these two meet it will be in the finals of the Heavy division.

Possible Quarter Finals Match with Jackson Sousa or Pedro Henrique, and Final Thoughts

By the numbers 4th and 5th ranked grapplers and Jackson Sousa or Pedro Henrique are most likely to meet Keenan in the quarter finals. Keenan has four wins over Jackson Sousa to Sousa zero victories over Keenan, but two of these wins came in 2013 and 2 in 2014 with more than 5 years between their last matchup it is possible that much has changed. Both grapplers will likely approach the matchup differently than in 2014. Neither Jackson or Keenan has faced Pedro Henrique at the time of this event.

The finals Matchup could also see Keenan face Dimitrius Soares Souza, or possibly Wardzinski as discussed above. This matchup based on the rankings will see these two meet in the semi finals of the right side of the bracket. Dimitrius currently holds a 6 to 4 points win over Wardzinski from the Quarter finals of the 2017 IBJJF World Championships, this is the only time that these two grapplers have faced each other. With how close the match was in 2017 and the changes Wardzinski has made to his game since then this is a possibly a very interesting semi-finals matchup.

Although Keenan is the top seed and the favorite to take the 2020 IBJJF Euros Heavy Division he has significant opposition also looking to take gold at the event. At the time of this article it is unknown if Keenan will register for the Absolute division, (edit: Keenan has now registered for the open class) where he could possibly face Mikey Musumeci at Light Feather is the lightest current registration in the open class.

Check out our video show where we discuss the 2020 IBJJF European Championship Brackets below. Preview starts at 28:30.

Written By: Maine Miller