Justin Michael just earned the biggest opportunity of his career so far by winning an 8-man qualifier tournament to secure a place in the absolute grand prix at Who’s Number One (WNO) 30 on October 24th, 2025. He had to make it through a tough bracket in order to do so but the hardest part now lies ahead of him, as the absolute grand prix is full of some of the best grapplers in the world. Michael is a veteran competitor in his own right though, and he’s made appearances on several smaller promotions around the US like Fight 2 Win and Finishers Sub-Only.
Michael has delivered good results too, even challenging for the light-heavyweight title recently at Finishers: Heatwave. He was always one of the favorites coming into the qualifier for WNO 30 but it was clear that it was going to be a challenge right from the start, when every opening round match ended in a submission. In his match, Michael pulled guard and got to work attacking the legs; eventually catching Jeric Fry with an ankle-lock for the finish. Then in the semi-final he employed a similar tactic against Tanner Hall, inverting to lock up a tight kneebar that forced him to tap.
Michael met Gerry Rayburn in the final, after Rayburn had also submitted both his opponents to get there. It was the closest match of the tournament and the only one that didn’t end in submission, as both men had moments of success but couldn’t find the finish. Rayburn was attacking early but Michael maintained a steady flow of pressure to control the match and win the decision. Now Michael finds himself against some of the best in the world in just a few days’ time; as the WNO 30 absolute grand prix is stacked with 5 ADCC veterans with 3 medals between them.
The full WNO 30 live event, including qualifier winner Justin Michael, is available to watch on October 24th, 2025 on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
