ONE FC SIGNS BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU WORLD CHAMPION ROGER GRACIE
21 August 2014 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™, Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, has bolstered its ranks with the signing of seven of the best mixed martial artists in the world. Grappling superstar Roger Gracie has joined ONE FC on a multi-fight contract, while six other mixed martial artists with impressive records have also been signed to exclusive contracts.
ONE FC VP of Operations Matt Hume stated, “I am proud to add 7 very talented international athletes to our world class ONE FC roster. These recent additions include undefeated fighters, Rafael Atilho of Brazil, Warren De Reuck of South Africa, and Michal Pasternack of Poland. Also world class champions Timofey Nastyukhin of the famed Russian Top Team, Igor Svirid of Kazakhstan, and the exciting up and comer from Thailand, Anatpong Bunrad. I’m also very excited to add one of the greatest grapplers in the game, from MMA’s royal family, Roger Gracie. I anticipate major excitement in the ONE FC cage as these fresh international stars and seasoned veterans mix it up in the shark infested waters of the ONE FC cage!”
Roger Gracie is one of the greatest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners of all time with multiple world championships in various competitions all across the world. He is the grandson of Carlos Gracie, the creator of BJJ and is a BJJ 2nd degree black belt. He is one of the greatest grapplers to transition to mixed martial arts and is looking to showcase his world-class skills when he competes in Asia for the first time.
Michal Pasternak is a Polish mixed martial artist with an unblemished professional record of ten wins and no losses. Pasternak embraces the diversity of the sport, and his balanced record of knockouts and submissions reflect that. Pasternak will have his hands full with the world-class talent in the light heavyweight division, populated with stars like the aforementioned Gracie, Brandon Vera, James McSweeney and Jake Butler.
Rafael Atilho is an undefeated mixed martial artist who have won six of his seven victories by knocking out his opponent. Atilho is a middleweight who possess devastating power in both his punches and kicks. He has emerged unscathed from the Brazilian mixed martial arts circuit and will now test his skills against the best mixed martial artists in ONE FC.
Warren de Reuck is a South African mixed martial artist who is now based in London, England. He has six victories and no losses. He is trained in Shorin-Ryu Karate and boasts a series of unorthodox strikes in his mixed martial arts arsenal. The South African will now test himself against the likes of Ben Askren and Nobutatsu Suzuki in ONE FC’s stacked welterweight division.
Igor Svirid is a mixed martial artist from Kazakhstan who has competed predominantly in Russia. He has competed nine times in the past fifteen months, winning all of the bouts and racking up an impressive winning streak. The middleweight has both impressive striking and grappling, which he has promised to showcase when he makes his ONE FC debut.
Timofey Nastyukhin is a Russian lightweight with a professional mixed martial arts record of seven wins and one loss. Nastyukhin is an aggressive mixed martial artist who has won all seven of his bouts by first-round finishes. Nastyukhin has developed a reputation as a deadly finisher and will look to continue his string of finishes in ONE FC.
Anatpong Bunrad is a Thai bantamweight currently residing in Belgium. Bunrad’s family moved to Belgium as a child but he maintained his heritage by picking up Muay Thai. He is also a black belt in Shihaishinkai Karate. Bunrad has set his sights on becoming the first MMA world champion of Thai descent and wants to achieve that goal in ONE FC.
ONE FC’s next event, titled ONE FC: REIGN OF CHAMPIONS, will be held on 29 August at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. An unprecedented three ONE FC World Championships will be on the line. Shinya Aoki will defend his ONE FC Lightweight World Championship against Kamal Shalorus, Koji Oishi and Narantungalag Jadambaa will clash for the ONE FC Featherweight World Championship and Ben Askren will challenge current champion Nobutatsu Suzuki for the ONE FC Welterweight World Championship.
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