Second Emerald City Invitational $10,000 Taking Shape

On August 7th, Atlantic City will play host to the second Emerald City Invitational submission-only tournament with $10,000 on the line. The promotion held its first tournament in April of this year and featured top 170-pound grapplers; this event will showcase 145-pounders. A handful of competitors have already been announced for the tournament: Josh Cisneros, Jon Calestine, and Richard Alarcon.

Josh Cisneros is one of the best competitors in the world at this weight class. A 2020 Pans champion and 2021 no-gi Pans silver medalist, he is an exciting grappler with wins over Paulo Miyao, Lucas Pinheiro, and Isaac Doederlein. Jon Calestine is a leg lock specialist and EBI champion who excels in submission-only rulesets like the Emerald City Invitational. Finally, Richard Alarcon, a former Division 1 wrestler, holds a win over Calestine, as well as other top competitors Gianni Grippo, Junny Ocasio, and Ashley Williams.

In the previous Emerald City invitational, 10th Planet standout PJ Barch put on an incredible performance as he submitted four competitors, including ADCC veteran John Combs.

How to watch: The Emerald City Invitational takes place on Saturday, August 7 and will air live on FloGrappling (subscription required).

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and currently holds the rank of brown belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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