ONE Championship appoints BJJ legend Leo Vieira as VP of grappling, and signs three new black belts
- New executive ‘committed to building the world’s most exciting submission grappling promotion’
- ONE bolsters grappling roster with decorated champions Renato Canuto, Tainan Dalpra, and Jessa Khan
ONE Championship has strengthened its commitment to submission grappling by bringing on a new executive and signing a trio of decorated athletes.
On Tuesday, the Asian martial arts promotion revealed the appointment of Brazilian jiu jitsu legend Leo Vieira as its new vice-president of grappling.
And on Wednesday, it officially added three new grapplers to its roster – Brazil’s Renato Canuto and Tainan Dalpra, and Jessa Khan of the United States.
ONE has been promoting mixed martial arts since its inception in 2011, and Muay Thai and kick-boxing fights since the introduction of ONE Super Series in 2018.
The Asian organisation has promoted several submission grappling bouts over the years, but has been making a more committed push into the sport in the last few months.
Vieira, a multiple-time BJJ world champion and one of the co-founders of the legendary Checkmat grappling team, has been tasked with leading that push.
ONE Championship’s submission grappling ‘changing lives’ says Buchecha
“I am thrilled to join ONE as vice-president of grappling,” Vieira said in a Tuesday press release. “I appreciate the trust and opportunity that [ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong] and the ONE team have given me to shape ONE’s submission grappling divisions.
“As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt for over 25 years, I have been able to positively impact lives as a competitor, professor, and team leader, and I will continue to do so at ONE.
“It is a dream come true to work alongside people who share similar values and beliefs about martial arts as I do. I am committed to building the world’s most exciting submission grappling promotion with ONE’s amazingly talented roster.”
ONE has signed a parade of top grapplers in recent months, most notably Brazilian legend Andre Galvao, and rising Americans Danielle Kelly and Mikey Musumeci, all of whom have already made their debuts.
Fans can now look forward to seeing Canuto, Dalpra, and Khan grapple in the ONE Circle too.
The 25-year-old Canuto has a host of championships to his name and is also a professor at Checkmat Las Vegas.
His 21-year-old countryman Dalpra has also collected a host of major accomplishments, including multiple International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) world championships.
At just 20 years old, the American Khan has already collected several IBJJF championships.
The particulars for the trio’s debuts have not yet been revealed by the promotion.
