The lineups are set for Thursday’s Quintet Ultra team grappling event, and the opening matchups include a few intriguing contests.
Weigh-ins for the event took place Wednesday at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas, with each five-member team expected to weigh-in under 950 pounds combined. That didn’t prove an issue, with Team WEC registering 947.2 pounds, Team Strikeforce just behind at 946.6 pounds, Team UFC at 942.2 pounds and Team PRIDE the smallest at 936.6 pounds.
Featuring a unique 5-on-5 team grappling concept where the winning grappler of each match stays on the mat, Quintet Ultra takes place Thursday at the same venue and streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
In the opening round of the tournament, Team UFC takes on Team PRIDE, while Team WEC vs. Team Strikeforce.
Team UFC will send out fast-rising bantamweight prospect Sean O'Malley as their first representative, while Team PRIDE counters with former PRIDE lightweight champ Takanori Gomi.
On the other side of the bracket, Team WEC is starting with three-time UFC title challenger Chad Mendes, while Team Strikeforce opens with two-time K-1 HERO’s middleweight grand prix champion and former Titan FC lightweight champ Gesias Cavalcante, the man best known as “JZ.”
In each match, the winning grappler stays on to take on the next representative from the opposing team. In case of a draw, both fighters are eliminated.
The two winning teams from the opening round matchups meet in the finals to close out the night.
Full team orders include:
TEAM UFC
1. Sean O’Malley
2. Anthony Johnson
3. Clay Guida
4. Anthony Smith (captain)
5. Gilbert Burns
vs.
TEAM PRIDE
1. Takanori Gomi
2. Hector Lombard
3. Gregor Gracie
4. Yves Edwards
5. Kazushi Sakuraba (captain)
TEAM WEC
1. Chad Mendes (captain)
2. Mark Munoz
3. Cub Swanson
4. Glover Teixeira
5. James Krause
vs.
TEAM STRIKEFORCE
1. Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante
2. Jake Shields
3. Muhammed Lawal
4. Gilbert Melendez (captain)
5. Renato Sobral
