Once upon a time, submission grappling found itself in the shadow of MMA on the global scene. But with the help of ONE Championship, that is no longer the case.

At “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III,” two huge submission grappling showdowns will take center stage as the promotion makes its U.S. on-ground debut on May 5.

Right before the feature bouts at the sold out 1STBANK Center in Colorado, ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci will put his belt on the line against Yemeni IBJJF world champion Osamah Almarwai.

And just before the fight card on Amazon Prime Video begins, American superstar Tye Ruotolo will take on ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder.

Wind the clock back 10 years, and it would seem almost inconceivable that submission grappling would be showcased at a massive global event such as ONE Fight Night 10, but the sport has skyrocketed since its initial introduction by ONE in 2017.

Here, we look at how submission grappling has captured the imagination of fans across the planet.

A historic debut

ONE teased the introduction of grappling-only matches as far back as May 2017, when Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki faced Brazilian jiu-jitsu superstar Garry Tonon at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes.

The original iteration of the sport included a 15-minute time limit, but Tonon needed just 7:47 to secure a leg lock and force “Tobikan Judan” to tap out.

The promotion tested the waters once again in 2018, when it pitted Aoki against former four-time ONE featherweight world champion Marat Gafurov. After a back-and-forth battle between the two MMA stars, it was Aoki who secured the tap with just 2:38 left on the clock.

However, it wasn’t until 2022 when ONE introduced submission grappling with specialists on the roster, as Danielle Kelly squared off against Mei Yamaguchi and ONE middleweight world champion de Ridder faced off with Brazil’s Andre Galvao at ONE X.

Both fights went the distance and were declared draws, prompting ONE to reduce the time limit to 10 minutes and introduce judges in order to award victory for the most legitimate submission attempts.

Submission grappling stars are born

With submission grappling quickly catching on and the roster growing so quickly, it was time to start introducing those shiny, 26-pound gold belts.

The first-ever grappling belt was claimed by American sensation Mikey Musumeci, who became the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion with a victory over Cleber Sousa in their trilogy at ONE Fight Night 2 in September 2022.

The inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world title was awarded at ONE Fight Night 3 a month later, as Kade Ruotolo made short work of former four-time sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev. The 20-year-old American needed just 4:26 to secure a heel hook on his Russian foe, forcing the tap.

Ruotolo, alongside his twin brother Tye, are two of the most recognizable faces in the grappling world and their aggressive style is perfect for endearing the sport to the masses. Tye has made a huge impact of his own so far, finishing both Tonon and Gafurov during his promotional run.

Also bursting on the scene with a similar submission-hunting style is another American grappler, Danielle Kelly. She has pushed on from a draw in her debut to score an ultra-quick submission win over sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova at ONE Fight Night 4 in November. And then, she outpointed former MMA world title challenger Ayaka Miura in February.

Just like that, ONE has a new wave of young grappling stars leading the charge.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu dominates the early going

ONE’s submission grapplers have come from a variety of different disciplines, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, sambo and judo.

But the one that has stood tall thus far is BJJ, and the rivalry between its practitioners and that of sambo has created an interesting ripple in the sport’s rise.

The rivalry has created a new level of interest in the grappling arts, although the scoreline makes for unpleasant reading for those of the sambo persuasion.

Convincing wins to Rodrigo Marello, Kade Ruotolo, Kelly, and Musumeci over Ruslan Bagdasarian, Kurzhev, Molchanova, and Gantumur Bayanduuren, respectively, sees BJJ hold a 4-0 lead thus far.

Potential future growth

With ONE adding to its roster of submission grappling athletes, the weight classes will begin to take shape and the sport will continue to grow on the global stage.

Rivalries are forming, such as Kade Ruotolo and Tommy Langaker, as well as Kelly and Jessa Khan.

ONE Fight Night 10 will be another big night for submission grappling enthusiasts and with a whole new level of outreach that comes with an event in the U.S., the fan base will surely grow further.

Submission grappling has risen to become a defining feature of the ONE offering, and this is only the beginning.