‘New challenges, new organization’ – ‘Baby Shark’ Diogo Reis predicts submission win in ONE Championship debut

Two-time ADCC champion “Baby Shark” Diogo Reis spoke about his upcoming ONE Championship debut against Shoya Ishiguro.

“Baby Shark” Diogo Reis represents one of the recent slew of high-profile signings to ONE Championship’s submission grappling division, and this Friday, March 7, at ONE Fight Night 29, he’ll make his highly anticipated promotional debut when he takes on Japanese black belt Shoya Ishiguro.

As the reigning two-time ADCC world champion at 66kg, Reis is recognized by many as the planet’s best no-gi grappler in that division and among the top pound-for-pound competitors in the entire sport. Given his accomplishments, he was a massive signing for the Singapore-based martial arts organization.

According to “Baby Shark,” he was drawn to ONE because it represents something new in the submission grappling world.

“ONE is a really cool event,” Reis said in an interview with ONE Championship. “I used to watch [former ONE world champion Mikey] Musumeci, who was the first to fight at the event. Then I realized that grappling was changing, and that’s really good for our sport. New challenges, new organization, and now in Asia. It’s a different field from what we used to see. I want to be part of it and help this format grow even more.”

Indeed, ONE is presenting submission grappling in unique ways, putting grappling matches alongside MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai bouts. Back in 2022, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong told Grappling Insider that he believes ONE will bring about  “the biggest revolution in grappling history.”

For his first appearance in ONE, Reis will be facing an opponent who lacks his on-paper accolades and name recognition but nonetheless poses a serious challenge. What’s more, this won’t be the first time “Baby Shark” and Ishiguro have squared off.

In January, the pair collided in the final of the IBJJF Euros, with Reis scoring a narrow, one-advantage victory. Given their high-paced and closely contested match in the gi, the Brazilian envisions another exciting encounter at ONE Fight Night 29.

He spoke about what fans can expect to see when they lock horns on March 7:

“I fought in the European finals in the kimono against Shoya Ishiguro, and I had already seen that he likes to fight without the kimono. This fight now in ONE will be interesting for the audience. My style is aggressive, I’m always trying to pass the guard and looking for the submission. He likes to play from the bottom, more strategic and intelligent. It will be a great opportunity. We put on a show in the European, and I believe we will put on a show in ONE, too.

“I think his strong point is that he has a very flexible guard. He’s a tough guy. His weak point is that his top game isn’t as strong as his bottom game. I see limitations in that regard.”

For his part, Ishiguro is undefeated across a trio of submission grappling matches in ONE, although he’s yet to face an opponent of “Baby Shark’s” caliber in the organization.

Ultimately, though, Reis is confident that he won’t have another close match with the Japanese athlete. Quite the opposite, he’s predicting a finish around the five-minute mark of the 10-minute submission-only affair.

“It will end halfway through the fight with a submission from me. I will make my debut winning by submission,” he said.

How to watch: “Baby Shark” Diogo Reis vs. Shoya Ishiguro takes place on Friday, March 7, 2025, at ONE Fight Night 29, and will air live on Prime Video (free with Amazon Plus subscription) beginning at 8:00 PM ET.