Achievement: God of the Arena (Alternative Route)

And came to the conclusion: YES it is possible!
So I highly suggest to give it a watch and try it yourself.
(Only Warning: the achievement didn't unlock in my case, perhaps because of mods or since I haven't reached #1 by actually winning tournaments. So if you got the same issue, try getting to #2 and winning the first place the fair way.)

Good Luck My Friends!