Why FloGrappling's Flagship Grappling Show Has Gone Quiet

Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-29

A Show That Just Stopped

Who's Number One launched in 2020 as FloGrappling's answer to a simple question fans kept asking: who actually beats who, in a real submission-only match, when styles that never normally cross paths get put in the same cage. Over more than 30 events, it became the closest thing submission grappling had to a regular pay-per-view style series outside of ADCC.

Then it just stopped. No formal cancellation, no farewell event, just silence since March 2026, long enough that fans started noticing and asking why on social media and Reddit threads dedicated to the sport.

It's Not the ONE Championship Deal

The obvious assumption, given FloGrappling's recent partnership announcement with ONE Championship, was that WNO had simply been deprioritized in favor of the new relationship. Kovacs shot that theory down directly when he responded on Reddit, saying the two things aren't connected the way people assumed.

Instead, he laid out a more structural explanation, one that has less to do with any single business decision and more to do with the state of the entire grappling scene in an ADCC year.

Too Many Promotions, Too Few Stars

Kovacs' core point was about supply and demand among a relatively small pool of athletes who can actually move tickets and views. In his words, today's biggest names have "found new ways to make a living" outside a single grappling promotion, and between Polaris, BJJ Stars, CJI, and ADCC itself in a championship year, there simply aren't enough available dates on enough available calendars to stack a card the way FloGrappling used to.

He specifically recalled being able to book Gordon Ryan, the Ruotolo brothers, Mica Galvao, and Jozef Chen onto a single show in years past, something he said isn't realistic anymore without an extraordinary financial commitment that doesn't currently make sense for the promotion.

Where the Athletes Actually Went

Beyond the general scheduling squeeze, Kovacs pointed to specific situations. Tainan Dalpra, he said, now prioritizes income from his own gym and chasing IBJJF grand slam results over accepting frequent superfights. Jozef Chen has been publicly cooler on competing as often as he once did.

He also mentioned Levi Leipheimer avoiding competition in the United States, an exclusive contractual situation involving Baby Shark, and Mica Galvao stepping back to handle personal matters. None of it, in Kovacs' telling, is a single crisis, it's several smaller shifts stacking up at the same time.

What It Means If You Train, Not Just Watch

It's easy to read a story like this as bad news for the sport, but the actual heartbeat of jiu-jitsu was never a single super-show. Local tournaments, gym-level competition classes, and everyday training keep running regardless of what happens to any one promotion's calendar.

If anything, a quiet stretch at the top level is a good reminder that the sport lives on the mats you can actually walk into. Find a gym near you and try a class, whether it's a traditional academy or a no-gi focused program like a 10th Planet affiliate, the version of jiu-jitsu that matters most day to day isn't the one on a livestream.

Five Reasons Kovacs Gave for WNO Going Dark

Here's the breakdown of what the FloGrappling GM actually said, rather than the assumptions fans made on their own.

1. The ADCC year effect: 2026 is a World Championship year, and top competitors are prioritizing that over one-off super-fights.
2. Competing promotions: Kovacs named Polaris and BJJ Stars specifically as rivals now booking from the same pool of stars.
3. Tainan Dalpra's shift: Kovacs says Dalpra now prioritizes his own gym's income and IBJJF grand slam runs over frequent grappling superfights.
4. Jozef Chen's cooling interest: Chen has said publicly he's less motivated to compete as often as before.
5. Contract and personal situations: Kovacs cited Baby Shark's exclusive deal elsewhere and Mica Galvao stepping back for personal matters as further reasons the card doesn't come together easily anymore.

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