In a bold public move on social media, ONE Championship Vice President Leo Vieira has openly courted Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Mica Galvao, making a case for the young star to join the promotion’s growing roster.
Responding to Galvao’s recent social media post about his career negotiations, Vieira detailed ONE Championship’s unique offerings that align with Galvao’s expressed interests and future aspirations.
“The only platform that will allow you everything you demanded will be @onechampionship,” Vieira stated. He outlined several key benefits, including ONE’s submission-focused scoring system and flexibility for athletes to compete in major grappling events like ADCC, BJJ Stars, and IBJJF competitions.
Vieira’s pitch comes at a time when ONE Championship is actively expanding its grappling division, having recently secured the signing of Giancarlo Bodoni and maintaining a roster that includes prominent names like Marcelo Garcia and Dante Leon.
The timing of Vieira’s outreach appears strategic, following Galvao’s public statement about receiving exclusive contract offers from various platforms. Galvao had mentioned receiving “amounts that I’ve always dreamed of receiving and that could take me to the next level.”
Notably, Vieira addressed Galvao’s expressed interest in transitioning to MMA, highlighting ONE’s track record: “In addition to grappling, we can build your career in MMA as we have done with Kade Ruotolo.”
“We are willing to match any offer and have you in our category joining the most disputed division with athletes Kade Ruotolos, Marcelo Garcia, Dante Leon and others to be announced in the future,” Vieira added.
This public recruitment effort comes during a period of significant development for ONE Championship, which recently secured a $50 million investment from the Qatar Investment Authority while maintaining its $1.35 billion valuation.
Many question ONE FC’s capability to offer matches due to how they’ve been treating their MMA roster in the last couple of years. Buchecha recently became a free agent after a prolonged period in which ONE FC wasn’t offering him anything. It’s believed this has also happened to Garry Tonon. A number of high-profile athletes are concerned with ONE FC sticking to their contract terms due to Karate Combat president outing them for shady business practices and revealing their backwoods strategies.
