GRAND PRIX REWIND

New York — What a ride it's been.through the stretch of 77 days, Union Grand Prix put on five Championship Grand Prix tournaments, and the aftermath has chiseled an entirely new landscape.

Only one fighter carried their championship throughout the entirety of their respective tournament and that's none other than the headhunter Robert Guilliman. Seemingly no matter who the opponent standing across the octagon was, The Primarch showed time and again his devastating striking power and continuing to add onto his hall of fame legacy.

We finally witnessed the absolute underdog, Donnie Calabrese, capture the Heavyweight crown and score a successful defense. However, the soaring 9th World prospect Kennard Rozier would play spoiler in the finals by capping off his fifth straight first round KO win over Calabrese and become the sixth Heavyweight Champion.

The Cruiserweight Tournament almost seemed predictable to some, even though a good portion of the field were newly signed competitors. The Shooter defended his title all the way to the finals, where we finally had the long awaited rematch of Roscoe Robinson and Daniel Fisk. It would be hard to find someone who would have predicted the outcome we all witnessed, where .44 reclaimed the title inside the first round. Fans are already clamoring for the trilogy fight, and I'm right there with them salivating at the thought of it.

The Lightweight tournament was not only the largest bracket with sixteen fighters, but in my opinion, it was by far the most exciting and compelling.

On one side of the bracket, we saw everything from the stunning opening round exit of Hanako Takeuchi to Jordan Parker-Kane for a second time, to JPK going to war against an exuberant rookie with a ton of potential in August Pope, to Natalie King’s path of absolute destruction and taking that belt away from JPK in the semifinals.

Developing on the other side, the spotlight was drawn on Delaney Donovan. The ScrapYard product from Belfast cashed in on a big payday after beating a much bigger Jeremiah Ford, then turned a bitter beef with Lexi Sheckler into a masterful clinic, after that he survived a grueling three round thriller against a totally revamped Xabier Belazco before finally going five rounds and besting Natalie King in a split decision victory to capture the Lightweight Title in the process.

The newest division to Union Grand Prix had sensational suspense all throughout. Many were wondering how the likes of Zari Aliyah, Lauren Moore, and Saffron Harris would hold up in a weight class more comfortable to their stature. Just like the Heavyweight and Lightweight tournaments, the Bantamweight tournament saw the top seed fall in the opening round, as Zari Aliyah got caught in a guillotine by newcomer Dallas Meechan. The Scottish striker would continue to impress and take down another big name in Saffron Harris and make it to the finals. However, on the other half of the bracket, Lauren Moore fought tooth and nail, grinding her opponents down with relentless takedowns and brutal ground and pound. Moore would meet the ScrapYard prospect to determine the inaugural Bantamweight Champion in the finals, and it was the Real Killa from Irvine, California that would make history and be the first to hoist the newly minted Bantamweight Championship.

The 2019 Championship Grand Prix was the first in Union GP’s short history, but it doesn't signify the end, but the beginning of a new chapter in MMA.