RUF Nation To Host ‘Road To ONE’ Heavyweight Tournament
ONE Championship’s heavyweight division is bustling with world-class talent, and next month, an American promotion will begin its search for the country’s next great heavyweight superstar.
Arizona-based mixed martial arts organization Ringside Unified Fighting, better known as RUF Nation, will host its first event of the year on Saturday, 13 March.
The event, called RUF 39, will be broadcast on the company’s official website, RUFMMA.net, and feature the beginning of the “Road To ONE” heavyweight tournament.
Sixteen heavyweight mixed martial artists will participate in the tournament, with the champion receiving a US$100,000+ contract to compete in ONE Championship.
“One of our most important goals at ONE Championship has been to give athletes the biggest global platform to showcase their skills,” said Rich Franklin, Vice President of ONE Championship.
“We’re more than excited for this tournament to commence, and to discover the world’s next heavyweight superstar.”
Dr. Joel Lopez, President of RUF Nation, is just as excited about the partnership and unearthing a top American heavyweight star.
“I’m ecstatic for the opportunity ONE Championship has given us at RUF Nation to partner on a ‘Road To ONE’ tournament,” said 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.”
Whoever emerges from this American tournament will join ONE’s heavyweight roster, which is becoming more and more stacked every month.
The division currently features some of the world’s toughest competitors, including Indian sensation Arjan “Singh” Bhullar, Iranian dynamo Amir Aliakbari, undefeated Russian star Anatoly “Spartak” Malykhin, Italian hard-hitter Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli, and, of course, ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera.
RUF Nation will also hold more “Road To ONE” mixed martial arts tournaments in different weight classes later this year, and each of those tournament champions will also receive a US$100,000+ contract to compete in ONE Championship.
Stay tuned to ONEFC.com for more details about RUF 39 and the “Road To ONE” heavyweight tournament.
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