TULSA, OK (May 7, 2014) – BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) announced today that it has signed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and seasoned contender Roan “Jucao” Carneiro (16-9) of Atlanta, Ga. to compete in O.N.E., the promotion’s highly-anticipated, one-night, eight-man tournament that will award it’s winner a $50,000 grand prize at the first-ever Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. on Friday, June 27.
The addition of Carneiro brings the total number of confirmed tournament fighters to seven. Carneiro joins in the tournament field, submission aces Dennis “Superman” Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) of Yelm, Wash. and Cody “AK Kid” McKenzie (15-4) of Spokane, Wash.; undefeated upstart and former NCAA National Wrestling Championship runner-up Chris Honeycutt (4-0) of Fresno, Calif.; Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti (24-11) of St. Louis, Mo.; Urijah Faber protégé David “Bulletproof” Mitchell (14-4) of Lower Lake, Calif. and Josh “The Beast” Bryant (14-4) of Broken Arrow, Okla.
“We are excited to welcome Roan Carneiro to our roster of highly-accomplished and well-versed mixed martial artists,” said BattleGrounds MMA President and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday. “Roan has been fighting all over the world, at the highest level of the sport, so we felt he was a perfect fit for BattleGrounds MMA’s high stakes tournament.”
The eighth tournament competitor as well as several Superfights and a preliminary bout card will be announced soon. All tournament fights, including the championship matchup, will be comprised of three, five-minute rounds.
A rough and tough battler, the 5-foot-9, 35-year-old Carneiro has dealt with the physically and mentally taxing format of the one-night tournament in the past. On March 18, 2006, he defeated Gregory Bouchelaghem and Matt Horwich – each by split decision – in the quarterfinal and semifinal round, respectively, of an eight-man playoff in Manchester, England.
The back-to-back victories pitted Carneiro against Leonardo Nascimento Lucio in the championship matchup. Carneiro broke his foot in the first round of action, forcing him to retire during the break before the second frame, resulting in a second place finish.
Carneiro took up Capoeira at the age of five before receiving a brutal introduction one day to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from his younger brother, who quickly took Carneiro’s back and applied a choke hold that Carneiro was unable to escape from. Carneiro immediately became fascinated with the submission art, eventually earning his black belt under legend Carlson Gracie.
Eight years ago, Carneiro left his native Brazil for Paris, France and, two years after that, re-located to Atlanta, where he started a family and opened a training center. He will prepare for the upcoming challenge with local, world-class talent, including Brian Stann, Ovince St. Preux and Raphael Assuncao, and plans to spend another portion of his training camp at American Top Team in South Florida.
Carneiro made his debut on the silver screen in 2011, playing fictional MMA fighter Marco Santos in the LionsGate theatrical release Warrior, starring Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte.
Tickets for the BattleGrounds MMA event, priced from $65, can be purchased online at www.bokcenter.com as well as at Arby’s Box Office at the BOK Center, all ticket outlets, or by calling 1-800-7-BOKCTR.
Doors at BOK Center open at 6 p.m. CST on June 27. The first preliminary bout will begin at 7:15 p.m.
About BattleGrounds MMA
BattleGrounds MMA (www.battlegroundsone.com) is a world championship professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion designed to place combative sports athletes on a major stage in the most challenging and exciting format possible: one-night, single-elimination tournaments that reveal the toughest competitors in their respective weight divisions. Launched by Olympic wrestling legend Kenny Monday and Bryan O’Rourke in 2012 as a regional organization in Tulsa, OK to unearth promising new talent in one of MMA’s biggest hotbeds, the promotion is quickly capturing the hearts of fans nationwide as it brings about an exciting new era in the world’s fastest growing sport.
About the BOK Center:
The BOK Center is Tulsa’s state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue that opened in fall 2008. The 19,199-seat arena is home to the WNBA Tulsa Shock and the CHL Tulsa Oilers. The BOK Center was designed to host major concerts, family shows, ice shows, and other world class entertainment. Owned by the City Of Tulsa, the BOK Center is part of Vision 2025, a project to grow economic and community infrastructure for future generations. In 2011, the BOK Center won the prestigious International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Venue Excellence Award.
About SMG
Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 230 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theatres, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 14.4 million square feet of exhibition space and over 1.75 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s Reliant Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions, catering and special events division, SAVOR, currently servicing more than 100 accounts worldwide. For more information visit www.smgworld.com.
