One Championship Unveils Huge Grappling Tournament; Shinya Aoki to Compete

One Championship, the largest mixed martial arts promotion in Asia, is getting into the grappling business. One officials announced on Friday that One Grappling Challenge Macao will precede One: Heroes of the World, which takes place Aug. 13 from inside the Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena.

The tournament will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time and will follow IBJJF rules. The event boasts a collective of $50K in prize money and will feature three divisional brackets, depending on experience and belt color: beginner, advanced and elite. The tournament will be divided between male and female competitors, with two weight classes to choose from: men will be split at the 75 kg mark while the women will be divided at 65 kg.

“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,” stated One CEO Victor Cui. “This tournament is a step in the right direction and brings together the biggest names in grappling including One lightweight champion Shinya Aoki, One women’s atomweight 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.”

There is no official word on who Aoki, Lee and Nicolini will be competing against.

One Grappling Challenge Macao details:

Ruleset:
Competition will follow IBJJF NO-GI rules

Age:
Participants must be 18 years or older to compete

Divisions:
- Beginner (BJJ white/blue belts or < 2 years grappling experience)
- Advanced (BJJ purple/brown belts or 2-5 years grappling experience)
- Elite (BJJ black belts or > 5 years grappling experience)

Weight Classes (including grappling attire):
- Male (Light Open -75 kg, Heavy Open +75.1 kg)
- Female (Light Open -65kg, Heavy Open +65.1 kg)

Weigh-In Schedule: - Beginner Division weigh-in will begin at 9 a.m. on 13 August
- Full schedule & brackets will be released on 11 August

Tournament Prizes:

Division/Prize Purse:

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

Advanced Division:
USD$1500 - (1st Place)
USD$800 - (2nd Place)
USD$500 - (3rd Place)

Elite Division:
USD$5000 - (1st Place)
USD$1500 - (2nd Place)
USD$800 - (3rd Place)