The path to ONE Championship will be paved in the United States in 2021 as the promotion announced a partnership with Arizona mixed martial arts organization Ringside United Fighting (RUF Nation).
RUF will host a “Road To ONE” heavyweight tournament that kicks off at RUF 39 this 13 March.
The competition features 16 heavyweight athletes from the U.S., and the winner of the tournament gets a US$100,000+ contract to compete in The Home Of Martial Arts and join the growing heavyweight division, comprised of ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera and challengers “Singh” Arjan Bhullar, Amir Aliakbari, and Anatoly “Spartak” Malykhin among others.
“One of our most important goals at ONE Championship has been to give athletes the biggest global platform to showcase their skills,” said ONE Championship Vice President Rich Franklin.
“We’re more than excited for this tournament to commence, and to discover the world’s next heavyweight superstar.”
This is only the beginning of what looks like a stellar partnership between ONE and RUF Nation.
Already in line after the heavyweight tournament are more “Road To ONE” events in different weight classes. The winner of those tournaments, which will take place later this year, will receive the same contract.
“I'm ecstatic for the opportunity ONE Championship has given us at RUF Nation to partner on a ‘Road To ONE’ tournament,” said President of the RUF Nation Dr. Joel Lopez.
“RUF is poised with the ideal stage for recruitment, and the response from applicants has been overwhelming so far. I believe this tournament will produce some of the best-undiscovered talent in the U.S. to add to ONE's roster.”
Having RUF on board to scout talent out West is just one of the continuous efforts the promotion has been undertaking to unearth new stars.
Catch all the ONE Championship action for free by downloading the ONE Super App.
Also, catch your local entrepreneurs competing in a high-stakes reality TV show in the upcoming “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” this March.
