Japanese martial arts promotion QUINTET has announced its official entry into the Middle East market, with its inaugural regional event, QUINTET 5, set to take place in Dubai on October 23, 2025.

The announcement came during a press conference held this week at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, as part of Fight Week — a major sporting initiative featuring international MMA events hosted in the UAE capital. The event was led by Kazushi Sakuraba, QUINTET’s legendary founder and one of the most iconic figures in Japanese MMA history, alongside Tarek Suleiman, QUINTET’s regional partner and veteran martial artist. Mr. Yanagisawa, General Manager of QUINTET Japan, also attended the announcement.

The event drew wide regional and international media coverage and was attended by prominent figures from the MMA community, including Ali Al Qaisi, one of the Arab world’s most accomplished featherweights, and internationally renowned referee Marc Goddard.

Known for its distinctive five-on-five team grappling format, QUINTET eliminates points and judges entirely — matches end in submission or draw. The format blends tactical team strategy with traditional martial arts spirit and has already gained significant traction in Japan and the United States.

“For Japanese martial artists, Abu Dhabi is a name we’ve always held in high regard,” said Sakuraba, who was met with applause as he addressed the crowd. “We watched from afar how the UAE embraced Jiu-Jitsu and elevated it into something bigger than just a sport — a cultural and national movement. To launch QUINTET here is not only symbolic, but meaningful. The people understand the art. The government supports it. And the athletes here live it.”

Suleiman, a former QUINTET competitor himself, emphasized the vision behind this move. “This isn’t just a one-off. We’re here to build something lasting,” he said. “The UAE has become a global destination for combat sports, and now it will be the home for team-based grappling in the region. Through QUINTET, we aim to provide athletes with a new platform — one that prioritizes cooperation, strategy, and team pride.”

QUINTET 5 in Dubai marks the start of a broader roadmap to establish a sustainable grappling ecosystem in the Middle East. Teams from across the MENA region are expected to participate in the October event, as organizers work toward building a long-term league and talent pipeline that aligns with the region’s growing combat sports ambitions.

Dan Strauss, Marcin Held, Gregor Gracie, Craig Jones e Caol Uno com o ouro do Quintet Grappling. Foto: Reprodução

Famoso atleta do Pride e membro do Hall da Fama do UFC, Kazushi Sakuraba inovou no conceito de torneio de Jiu-Jitsu. Juntamente com o veterano do UFC Josh Barnett, Saku criou o Quintet Grappling, evento de Jiu-Jitsu sem kimono realizado nesta quarta-feira, dia 11 de abril, em Tóquio, no Japão.

As regras do evento são bem peculiares. Quatro times de cinco atletas se enfrentam no estilo “rei da mesa”, quem vence seu duelo continua no tatame e aguarda o próximo adversário do time oponente. As equipes foram nomeadas como Polaris, Sambo, Judo e Haleo. Os duelos eram apenas valendo a finalização, sem pontos ou vantagens com tempo de 10 min.

Nas semifinais, o time Haleo enfrentou e venceu o time Judo, enquanto o time Polaris superou o time Sambo. As equipes favoritas então se encontraram na final, e o título foi definido nos detalhes.

Primeiro, Josh Barnett (Haleo) e Gregor Gracie (Polaris) empataram sem finalização ao fim do tempo. Assim, entraram para lutar Daisuke Nakamura (Haleo) e Dan Strauss (Polaris). Strauss superou Nakamura e, em seguida, bateu também Hideo Tokoro (Haleo). Na luta seguinte, Strauss acabou empatando com Sakuraba (Haleo). Com a saída dos dois, o faixa-preta brasileiro Marcos Souza (Haleo) entrou para encarar e superar Caol Uno (Polaris). Parecia ser o momento da virada para o time Haleo, mas o embalado Craig Jones (Polaris) tratou de finalizar o brasileiro e garantir o título para o time Polaris.

Confira abaixo os times completos e os resultados do Quintet 1!

Quintet 1
Tóquio, Japão
11 de abril de 2018

Equipes

(POLARIS)
Gregor Gracie
Craig Jones
Dan Strauss
Caol Uno
Marcin Held (Substituto de Charles Negromonte)

(HALEO DREAM TEAM)
Kazushi Sakuraba
Josh Barnett
Marcos Sousa
Hideo Tokoro
Daisuke Nakamura

(SAMBO DREAM TEAM)
Mindaugas Verzbickas
Sergej Grecicho
Viktor Tomasevic
Teodoras Aukstuolis
Marius Zaromski

(JUDO DREAM TEAM)
Michihiro Omigawa
Shutaro Debana
Hyung Ju Kim
Dong Sik Yoon
Satoshi Ishii

Semifinais

(HALEO x JUDO)

Daisuke Nakamura empatou com Michihiro Omigawa
Kazushi Sakuraba empatou com Shutaro Debana
Hideo Tokoro venceu Hyung Ju Kim
Dong Sik Yoon venceu Hideo Tokoro
Marcos Souza venceu Dong Sik Yoon
Marcos Souza empatou com Satoshi Ishii

(POLARIS x SAMBO)

Craig Jones venceu Mindaugas Verzbickas
Craig Jones empatou com Sergej Grecicho
Marcin Held venceu Viktor Tomasevic
Marcin Held venceuTeodoras Aukstuolis
Marcin Held empatou com Marius Zaromskis

Final

(POLARIS x HALEO)

Gregor Gracie empatou com Josh Barnett
Dan Strauss venceu Daisuke Nakamura
Dan Strauss venceu Hideo Tokoro
Dan Strauss empatou com Kazushi Sakuraba
Marcos Souza venceu Caol Uno
Craig Jones venceu Marcos Souza