Chael Sonnen has just announced that he’s officially going to return to his role as a professional grappling promoter, as Submission Underground is making a comeback. For a couple of years, Submission Underground was one of the biggest shows in the US and it featured some of the biggest names in both BJJ and MMA. They hit the ground running right from the start in 2016; featuring Vinny Magalhaes, Jake Shields, and Nathan Orchard in their very first event. They went from strength to strength from that point onward, putting together 29 exciting events over the course of the next 5 years.
They finished off 2021 with Submission Underground 29 and it included both a tag-team title-fight and a main event battle between chaotic grappler Andy Varela and MMA veteran Sean Strickland. That was when it all went quiet though, as the promotion never announced any plans for a 30th event and any momentum they had simply ran out. It wasn’t until about 16 months later that Sonnen explained why Submission Underground stopped operating. Although he was a little vague on the exact details; it was primarily down to a breakdown in the relationship with their streaming platform, UFC Fight Pass, and an inability to work out a deal with a new partner.
Sonnen did express a desire to return to Submission Underground eventually, and it looks as though he’ll finally get his wish. More than 4 years after they last produced an event, Sonnen and his team will be travelling all the way to Florianapolis, Brazil for their 30th SUG 30. He announced an official date of May 17th, 2026 but other than that, the detaild are pretty thin on the ground. He did confirm it would be a no gi tournament and given that their reigning absolute champion, Mason Fowler, now has an exclusive contract with UFC BJJ, there’s a decent chance that it’s an absolute tournament to crown a new champion.
Chael Sonnen announced the news that Submission Underground would be making a return in a recent post to his official Instagram account, full transcript below:
“Florianapolis, Brazil… Submission Underground is coming back! May 17th, this is gonna be no gi grappling, tournament style. More details to follow…”
