Inaugural ONE Championship Submission Grappling Title Up For Grabs On September 30

ONE Championship has always prided itself on promoting not just mixed martial arts (MMA) matches on its cards as the Singapore-based combat sports outfit has also put Muay Thai and kickboxing multiple times in the spotlight.

In recent months, there has been a massive push for submission grappling bouts as the promotion has been giving fans a taste of the mat wizardry that can only be produced by the best the sport has to offer.

To that end, ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently revealed that the organization will be crowning the first-ever flyweight submission grappling champion on September 30 as part of ONE on Prime Video 2.

Flyweight grapplers Mikey Musumeci and Cleber Sousa will have a massive opportunity to etch their names in history by winning the title while also concluding their rivalry.

Musumeci and Sousa first met in 2017 during the United Arab Emirates Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF) in the 62-kilogram bracket, with the former defeating the latter by points and eventually going on to win the entire thing.

However, "Clandestino" would exact revenge on his American counterpart in short order when the pair met in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan-American Championship, defeating Musumeci by referee decision.

Musumeci's name is no stranger to ONE Championship fans after seeing him pull off the upset victory in his promotional debut against the innovator of the "Imanari Roll" in Masakazu Imanari at ONE 156.

ONE Championship took a shot at bringing submission grappling to the mainstream again when the company booked grappling wizards Garry Tonon and Shinya Aoki in 2017, with the American taking the victory via an inside heel hook.

Aoki again stepped in the cage against Marat Gafurov in 2018 for another grappling showcase which he won by rear-naked choke.

It would take another four years before the sport would make an appearance on a ONE Championship card as Danielle Kelly faced Mei Yamaguchi at ONE X in March, while two-division MMA champion Reinier de Ridder welcomed decorated grappling champion Andre Galvao on the same card.

Most recently the highly-touted Ruotolo twins who trained under Galvao also made their maiden appearances this year with a duo of impressive performances as Tye defeated Tonon by D'arce Choke at ONE 157 in May, while Kade pushed Aoki to his absolute limit on the same night.

As the sport starts to become an even bigger attraction to ONE Championship fans, the creation of a belt will likely ensure that more grappling matches are going to be seen more frequently.

Musumeci and Sousa's trilogy for the inaugural flyweight submission title will be joining heavy hitters atop the marquee.

Superbon Singha Mawyn defends his featherweight kickboxing title against Grand Prix winner Chingiz Allazov in the co-main event.

The headlining fight of ONE on Prime Video 2 will be ONE atomweight queen Angela Lee again challenging Xiong Jing Nan for her strawweight championship to close out their own trilogy.