BJJ world champion signs with ONE

The transition between pure Brazilian jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts has proven to be difficult in recent years. As mixed martial artists have become more well-rounded, elite jiu jitsu fighters have began to struggle when they make the switch to MMA. This hasn’t put off Michelle Nicolini, who has decided to focus solely on MMA after signing with ONE Championship.

Michelle Nicolini is one of the greatest grapplers alive. Nicolini is an 10-time world champion, an ADCC silver and gold medalist, who has continuously beaten the best over the past decade. After retiring from BJJ after the 2016 World Championships, many believed Nicolini would look to build upon her 2 -1 MMA record, but few expected the grappler to sign with ONE.

In an interview with Yahoo, Nicolini explained what led to her move to ONE:

“My last contract with Legacy, they had a hard time finding fights for me. I was getting ready for fights, and they cancelled two or three times. After that, I just lost focus.”

Nicolini went on to announce that she has moved to Singapore full-time and will train at Evolve MMA:

“I just moved to Singapore to train full-time at Evolve MMA and I already signed with ONE Championship,” said Nicolini. “I am super excited to have my first fight, and I think we really have the best team at Evolve MMA.

While it is unknown when Nicolini will debut with One, her long-time rival, Mackenzie Dern made her MMA debut on Friday, picking up a decision victory at Legacy FC 58.