Who’s Number One has historically been a promotion that focuses exclusively on superfight events, but they’ve revealed now that they will be hosting the first edition of their championships. The event will take place over two days on September 25th and 26th and will feature five different weightclasses, under 155lbs, under 185lbs, and over 185lbs for men, alongside under and over 115lbs for women. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the sheer amount of prize money up for grabs at the event as it will total over $250,000!
The five athletes who make it to the top of the mountain and are crowned the WNO champions will go home with a whopping $30,000 while the runner-up will receive $15,000. The event will also feature a double-elimination process that will allow the defeated athletes to still make it home with a consolation prize of $7,500 if they manage to make it to third-place. There’s no doubt that this much money being up for grabs will attract some truly elite grapplers, especially in the women’s divisions where many promotions still offer less money than they do for male competitors.
It remains to be seen just who will be competing at the special event and how Who’s Number One will be finding their competitors, whether it will be invitation-only or if they will hold some kind of trials event similar to ADCC. Given that we’re only a matter of months away, a trials event seems unlikely. It may just be the case that Who’s Number One use their regular events as a way of determining which competitors are most worthy of an invite to the exciting new format.
The full Who’s Number One Championships event will available to watch live on September 25th and 26th on FloGrappling, click here to subscribe and watch.
