Photo via @ONEChampionship on Twitter
ONE Atomweight Grand Prix re-booked for September
The ONE Atomweight Grand Prix train is back on the proverbial tracks.
ONE: Empower initially was scheduled for May 28th. But the COVID-19 landscape in Singapore forced the promotion’s hand in postponing the card.
Question marks had been popping up from fans and pundits alike. As to if this tournament would ever even end up taking place at all.
The all-women combat sports extravaganza goes down on September 3rd.
ONE Atomweight Grand Prix
The brackets have been revealed and there has been yet another shift in terms of the quarterfinal matchups.
ONE Championship made this announcement during their ONE: Battleground card that transpired earlier today.
ONE: EMPOWER is back on! 🙌 Don't miss Xiong Jing Nan vs. Michelle Nicolini, Anissa Meksen's debut, and the start of the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix on 3 September! @AnissaMeksen @_itsuki_h_ #ONEEmpower #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/ydXspbF1oZ
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 30, 2021
Meng Bo will be experiencing yet another opponent switch for this Grand Prix quarterfinal contest.
Bo was initially supposed to fight Ritu Phogat until they pulled her from the GP for a Bi Nguyen bout. After Phogat’s controversial decision loss against Nguyen, Phogat was ousted from the Grand Prix and was replaced by ONE debutant Julie Mezabarba.
With the Mezabarba bout evidently dissolving, Bo will now test skills with Grace Cleveland inside the ONE Circle.
Thai Kitten is riding an eight-fight win streak dating back to her amateur days and is 5-0 as a pro overall. The product out of Elevation Fight Team has carved out her name on the KOTC circuit and Cleveland makes her ONE Championship debut here.
The other quarterfinal bouts include Denice Zamboanga vs Seo Hee Ham, Alyona Rassohyna vs Stamp Fairtex II, and Itsuki Hirata vs Alyse Anderson remain unchanged.
Beyond the hotly discussed tournament action, championship gold is also on the line in the ONE: Empower main event.
Xiong Jing Nan defends her strawweight crown against a truly elite contender and jiu-jitsu savant in Michelle Nicolini.
Plus, Anissa Meksen will make her long-awaited atomweight kickboxing debut in the ONE Circle against Cristina Morales.
Which bout on ONE: Empower are you most stoked for heading into September?
