Leo Vieira named Vice President of Grappling for ONE Championship

Legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor and Checkmat co-founder Leo Vieira has been appointed to a leadership role within ONE Championship. According to a press release from the promotion, ONE has appointed Vieira as the Vice President of Grappling.

The addition of Vieira goes hand-in-hand with ONE’s recent moves to grow its stable of elite submission grapplers that includes Andre Galvao, Tye and Kade Ruotolo, and Mikey Musumeci, among others.

In his role, Vieira will add a great deal of expertise and knowledge. He is a two-time ADCC champion and an IBJJF world champion. He founded Checkmat alongside his brother Ricardo; today, the team is widely considered one of the best competition affiliations in the world.

Here’s what Vieira had to say about his new position at ONE Championship:

I am thrilled to join ONE as Vice President of Grappling. I appreciate the trust and opportunity that Chatri and the ONE team have given me to shape ONE’s submission grappling divisions. As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt for over 25 years, I have been able to positively impact lives as a competitor, professor, and team leader, and I will continue to do so at ONE. It is a dream come true to work alongside people who share similar values and beliefs about martial arts as I do. I am committed to building the world’s most exciting submission grappling promotion with ONE’s amazingly talented roster.