Recent signings Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson will both be introduced to ONE Championship through an eight man tournament. The former is booked for the lightweight Grand Prix while the latter will be going up against seven of the top flyweights on the roster.
The lineup for the flyweight Grand Prix is confirmed and it will feature Johnson (27-3-1), Geje Eustaquio (11-6), Adriano Moraes (17-3), Kairat Akhmetov (22-2), Danny Kingad (8-1), Yuya Wakamatsu (10-3), Reece McLaren (12-5) and Gianni Subba (9-3).
Meanwhile, reports suggest that the lineup for the lightweight Grand Prix will consist of Alvarez (29-6-0-1), Shinya Aoki (42-8-0-1), Eduard Folayang (20-6), Amir Khan (11-3), Timofey Nastyukhin (12-4), Ariel Sexton (12-4-0-1), Ev Ting (16-5) and Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev (6-1).
Folayang and Eustaquio are the reigning champions at lightweight and flyweight respectively. The former is already booked to defend his title against Khan in Manila next month in a match which could well turn out to be the first quarter final.
Promotional insiders suggested that the champions would enter the eight man tournament and put their belts on the line in every round. This means the titles could change hands twice between now and the Grand Prix finals.
Also in attendance at the press conference today was Sage Northcutt. The former UFC fighter looks set to sign for ONE Championship where he will compete in the welterweight division.
