Report: NRG in advanced talks to acquire Grim from Passion UA

Dust2.us has learned from multiple sources that NRG are in late-stage negotiations to acquire Michael "Grim" Wince from Passion UA, seeing the NA star return to North America after six months under the Ukrainian organization.

NRG's negotiations with Passion UA to acquire Grim follow the Ukrainian organization announcing a number of blockbuster moves over the past 24 hours, acquiring Argentinian AWPer Santino "try" Rigal and Mongolian rifler Azbayar "Senzu" Munkhbold while sending Håkon "hallzerk" Fjærli to the bench.

Grim's expected departure from Passion UA puts to bed speculation on whom Senzu will replace within the starting five while also confirming that Nicholas "nicx" Lee has retained his place within the international lineup. Many in the community had speculated that nicx would be the rifler exiting Passion UA after a shaky start to 2026 and a relative lack of star power compared to his peers.

The acquisition of Grim is a major coup for NRG and will see one of NA's top stars join a roster that has made a rapid climb in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) in recent months due to a focus on local LANs. NRG now sits at 14th in the world per HLTV's unofficial standings and are set to attend a number of high-profile events in the coming months including BLAST Open Spring 2026 and IEM Atlanta 2026.

Dust2.us has been unable to confirm who Grim will be replacing within NRG, however it is expected NRG will announce their plans for Grim in short order as the team are set to compete in the online portion of ESL Pro League Season 23 on February 27th.

NRG did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.