A closer look at the 3 most dangerous grapplers in ONE Championship

ONE Championship has changed the world of submission grappling as of late. Not only are they paying high-profile jiu-jitsu athletes more, they are also giving them a great platform to reach a global audience.

The Singapore-based organization is giving the same attention, hype and prestige to grapplers as they would MMA fighters and kickboxers. It's about time the world treats them as such. Submission grappling bouts can be just as exciting as an epic MMA or kickboxing brawl.

Just check out this out-of-this-world backtake by Kade Ruotolo:

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A modern pillar of the sport, Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida recently spoke to the South China Morning Post and explained what ONE is doing to the sport of submission grappling:

"That's the best, I think, ONE Championship and [ONE CEO] Chatri [Sityodtong] is doing right now. They are doing a really amazing job with that. It's making the whole world see grapplers like kickboxers, Muay Thai fighters. People that sometimes didn't have the big stage to show their work and ONE Championship is giving them great opportunities."

Catch the interview below:

Indeed, grappling specialists are getting a lot more attention now than ever before, thanks to organizations like ONE Championship. To think that one of the most beloved icons of MMA is Royce Gracie, a jiu-jitsu master, is crazy that this much-needed spotlight took so long to happen.

Today, we give a closer look at three of the highest-profile grapplers recently signed to ONE Championship.

#3. ONE Championship's resident jiu-jitsu nerd, Mikey Musumeci

If you happen to see Mikey Musumeci on the street, you'd probably assume that he's an IT guy or a dude who has books for friends. Not that there's anything wrong with being an IT guy or a bookworm, but you'd probably never assume that he's a world-class grappling savant.

This man is a high-level jiu-jitsu black belt that's representative of the modern iteration of the sport, being an expert on weird berimbolo and crab ride positions. The 26-year-old grappling assassin made a name for himself in the lower weight classes of the sport.

Musumeci is also just the 4th American to win gold in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) world championship as a black belt. He is also the first American to do so more than twice. He did it four times.

In his ONE Championship debut, Musumeci pretty much steamrolled a grappling legend in Mazakazu 'Ashikan Judan' Imanari. The young lion made the old-school icon look like he didn't belong on the mats with him.

Watch their full bout here:

#2. The dashing and dangerous Danielle Kelly

Like Musumeci, you wouldn't assume that jiu-jitsu sensation Danielle Kelly could strangle the life out of you in ten seconds' flat. This absolutely stunning 26-year old grappler can totally pull off successful careers as a jiu-jitsu competitor and an Instagram model. She's already done the first one as of this writing.

Kelly blasted her way through the world of jiu-jitsu by beating IBJJF world champion Sofia Amarante at Fury Pro Grappling 1. She did so by masterfully defending a knee bar attempt, then passing to Amarente's back to secure a rear-naked choke with mere seconds left in the bout.

Kelly also has notable wins over UFC greats like Roxanne Modafferi, Cynthia Calvillo and current UC strawweight champion Carla Esparza. She also made waves when she scored the fastest submission in Who’s Number One (WNO), catching Jessica Crane in an excruciating kneebar in under three minutes.

In her ONE Championship debut, Kelly pretty much wiped the floor with MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi in their 12-minute submission grappling match. Although the bout ended in a draw as no one scored a submission and there was no points system, we all knew who shined the brightest that night at ONE X.

Kelly was even awarded a nice $50K performance bonus afterwards. Look to see more great things from this grappling star in the future.

#1. jiu-jitsu legend Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida

In jiu-jitsu, not all black belts are the same. There's the hobbyist black belt, the competition black belt, and there's the world champion competition black belt. And then there's 'Buchecha'. This man is a cut above the rest.

Considered by many as the most accomplished submission grappler in history, Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is a 13-time jiu-jitsu world champion who has beaten the who's who of the sport. This man has 128 wins with 67 submission under his belt.

Almeida's greatness in grappling was so transcendent that he earned the distinction of being called by just one name: 'Buchecha'. You know, like Madonna and Adele.

If we list down all the accomplishments and notable wins 'Buchecha' had in submission grappling, this article will be ten pages long. After winning virtually every major world championship an athlete could possibly win in jiu-jitsu, the Brazilian icon transitioned to MMA.

Currently signed as a ONE Championship heavyweight, 'Buchecha' has run roughshod in the division, compiling a three-fight winning streak that all ended via stoppage. He brought with him his trademark blast double leg and unbelievably heavy top pressure.

After his three dominant wins inside the cage, we're already talking about perhaps granting this legend his first MMA title shot. Something tells us that he might just pull it off.

Watch his latest performance inside the cage here: