The new grappling promotion Quintet hosts it’s inaugural event this Wednesday at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Recent years have seen the rise in popularity of submission grappling through events such as Polaris and EBI. However, the Japanese event has a fresh take on the formula, employing a team-based, winner stays on format. With a nod to Pride-era JMMA, pro-wrestling, as well as amateur wrestling and judo tournaments, the structure has been developed to create a fan friendly, entertaining event. Rules such as the prohibition of the closed guard look to deter athletes from stalling and encourage them to press the action.
Kazushi Sakuraba’s Haleo Dream Team lead the event, featuring Marcos Souza, Daisuke Nakamura, Hideo Tokoro and Josh Barnett. In addition to his MMA and pro-wrestling careers, Barnett’s most recent submission grappling matches have seen him destroy the likes of Ryron Gracie and Dean Lister, making him a huge task for anyone in the event.
Despite this, the probable favourites for the competition will be the Polaris Team. In Craig Jones, spectators have an opportunity to see one of the hottest talents in grappling, who took ADCC by storm last year, and recently needed only one minute to submit Jake Shields. In addition to Jones, the team includes Caol Uno, Gregor Gracie, Marcin Held and the Raspberry Ape, Dan Strauss. In Strauss, the Polaris team has a world class grappler with a flair for showmanship to match that of Barnett and Sakuraba.
Despite the obvious strength of these teams, it’s best not to overlook the Judo team, featuring Michihiro Omigawa and Satoshi Ishii, or the Sambo team, which includes Marius Zaromskis and Rizin’s Teodoras Aukstuolis.
It’s hard to know exactly what to expect yet, but it’s likely to be fun, interesting and unique. Tune in to UFC Fight Pass to watch the event live.
Full teams:
Haleo Dream Team:
- Kazushi Sakuraba
- Josh Barnett
- Daisuke Nakamura
- Hideo Tokoro
- Marcos Souza
Polaris Dream Team:
- Gregor Gracie
- Marcin Held
- Craig Jones
- Dan Strauss
- Caol Uno
Sambo Dream Team
- Teodoras Aukstuolis
- Marius Zaromskis
- Sergej Grecicho
- Mindaugas Verzbickas
- Viktor Tomasevic
Judo Dream Team
- Satoshi Ishii
- Dong Sik Yoon
- Michihiro Omigawa
- Hyung Ju Kim
- Shutaro Debana
