ONE Championship to host $50,000 grappling event

ONE Championship will be conducting a grappling tournament, ONE GRAPPLING CHALLENGE MACAO, on Saturday, 13 August in Macao, China. The tournament will be held between 10am to 4pm in conjunction with the live pay-per-view event ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD, which takes place that evening at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena.

The tournament will follow IBJJF no gi rules.

In line with our vision to build local martial arts heroes in Asia, ONE Championship continues to develop new ways to promote the sport of MMA and other martial arts,” said founder Victor Cui. “This tournament is a step in the right direction and brings together the biggest names in grappling including ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee, and eight-time BJJ world champion Michelle Nicolini – the most decorated women’s BJJ practitioner in the world today. The tournament gives fans the chance to witness high-level technical grappling at its finest, and we are excited at the possibilities.

ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki grew to international stardom as a ground specialist with a massive 25 submission wins against elite competition, while ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee sports several submission victories including a spectacular Twister. Besides her many accolades, new ONE Championship signing Michelle Nicolini is a member of the prestigious IBJJF Hall of Fame.

The tournament will feature a collective prize pot of US $50,000 up for grabs, making it the biggest prize purse in the history of Asian grappling. There will be a USD$125 registration fee for each competitor, which includes a one night stay at The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel or the Holiday Inn Hotel Macao, six complimentary tickets to ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD, a 30% discount on additional tickets to the event, and a tournament t-shirt.

According to experience and belt color, competitors will be divided into three categories: Beginner (BJJ white/blue belts and those with less than two years of experience), Advanced (BJJ purple/brown belts and those with between two to five years of experience), and Elite (BJJ black belts and grapplers with more than five years of experience).

The tournament is also divided between male and female competitors, with two weight classes to choose from. Men are split at the 75kg (165 lbs) mark, while for women the cut off is at 65kg (143 lbs). Cash prizes range from USD$300 to USD$5,000, with the latter reserved for winners in the elite division.

To sign up, visit the official website at https://onegrappling.splashthat.com/

Participants must be 18 years or older to compete

Beginner Division weigh-in will begin at 9am on 13 August
Full schedule & brackets will be released on 11 August

TOURNAMENT PRIZES

Beginner Division:
USD$800 – (1st Place)
USD$500 – (2nd Place)
USD$300 – (3rd Place)

Advanced Division:
USD$1,500 – (1st Place)
USD$800 – (2nd Place)
USD$500 – (3rd Place)

Elite Division:
USD$5,000 – (1st Place)
USD$1,500 – (2nd Place)
USD$800 – (3rd Place)

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship.