ONE Championship News

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

ONE flyweight Muay Thai titleholder Rodtang Jitmuangnon, widely regarded as one of the most exciting fighters in combat sports, is interested in trying his hand at MMA in the future. The 22-year-old Thai, who has also captured the Max Muay Thai 126-pound title and the Omnoi Stadium 130-pound title, is drawing inspiration from his girlfriend, Stamp Fairtex.

Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020

If Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje collide in the Octagon, Eddie Alvarez believes McGregor will come out on top. Gaethje, who captured the interim lightweight title with a win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, has been called out by McGregor several times since, renewing discussions about a potential fight between them.

Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020

The ONE Championship heavyweight division has produced some incredible knockouts over the years, and you can relive the very best of those knockouts right here (via ONE Championship on YouTube).

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 18, 2020

Asia’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship, without a doubt, has the largest collection of Asian martial arts World Champions who are currently employed on its roster of talent. The list of respected figures is long and consists of some of the most iconic names in combat sports.  The roster includes Japanese MMA stars Shinya Aoki and Yoshihiro Akiyama, as well as Muay Thai legends Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, and Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex. The organization even once held a title defense for former boxing World Champion and pound-for-pound great, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

Tom Taylor - April 30, 2020

Alain Ngalani has been given the momentous task of welcoming former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort to ONE Championship, and he relishes that challenge. In fact, it’s providing him with new motivation after a prolonged period of listlessness. Ngalani, who hails from Cameroon and now lives in Hong Kong, says the bout will most likely occur in the ONE light heavyweight division under a modified rule set—though the pertinent details are still being hashed out. The date of this showdown is also a moving target amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 28, 2020

Vitor Belfort says he has an opponent for his ONE Championship debut. Belfort, who signed with ONE Championship in early 2019, recently told AsianMMA.com he has accepted a fight with hulking Hong Kong-based heavyweight Alain Ngalani.

Tom Taylor - April 27, 2020

ONE Championship has launched its first-ever, official athlete rankings. “It is with great excitement that I announce the inaugural ONE Championship Official Rankings,” said ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Adam Martin - April 23, 2020

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is already thinking about retirement and says he has “four of five more years” left of fighting in MMA. Johnson is universally regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters to ever compete in mixed martial arts. The ONE Championship Flyweight Grand Prix champion is next set to take on the promotion’s flyweight champ Adriano Moraes at a ONE event on May 29 in Manila, though that event is doubtful due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 20, 2020

Vitor Belfort says his ONE Championship debut was in the works before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Belfort revealed that his debut was nearly finalized in an interview with MMA Junkie.

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

Rich Franklin wears many hats. He’s a former UFC champ. He’s a ONE Championship executive. He’s the President of ONE Warrior Series and the host of the web series of the same name. And now, he’s a podcast host. Last week, the former UFC middleweight champion announced the launch of his new podcast, Franklin Speaking, which is co-hosted by his ONE Warrior Series co-star Jonathan Fong.

Harry Kettle - April 14, 2020

Former UFC star Rich Franklin has admitted that the process of moving on from being a professional fighter is a “difficult adjustment”. Franklin was once considered to be one of the best middleweights in the world, and heading into his fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 77, many believed he was the favorite to once again win the Middleweight Championship.

Tom Taylor - April 6, 2020

ONE Championship has been forced to postpone two April events due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These ONE Championship events were most recently scheduled to occur behind closed doors in Singapore, but were originally targeted for other territories in Asia. Unfortunately, the promotion has been forced to delay them outright, citing new restrictions from the Singaporean government, and increasing travel restrictions, which of course makes it difficult to move fighters around.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2020

Demetrious Johnson is gearing up for a May 29 fight with ONE flyweight champ Adriano Moraes: a deadly Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with power to boot. Needless to say, this would be an opportune time for Johnson call on his long-time friend and training partner, ONE bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes, who bears many stylistic similarities to Moraes. Unfortunately, Johnson and Fernandes will probably be unable to reach one another anytime soon. Living in Bellevue, Washington and Vancouver, B.C respectively, they’re only about 120 miles apart as the crow flies. Yet they’re also separated by the US-Canada border, which has become an almost insurmountable hurdle in the time of the coronavirus.

Tom Taylor - March 27, 2020

Got a hankering for some combat sports action? Looking to kill twenty-something minutes of your self-imposed quarantine? Either way, we’ve got you covered with this action-packed highlight of the best finishes in ONE Championship history.

Tom Taylor - March 24, 2020

ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes hasn’t fought since he settled his long-standing rivalry with Kevin Belingon back in October. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to tighten its grip on the world, it’s increasingly unclear when he will be able to fight again. Ever the picture of composure, Fernandes is keeping his cool in the face of this uncertainty.

Adam Martin - March 17, 2020

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will test free agency after his next fight and is targeting opponents in the UFC and ONE Championship. Chandler is one of the best home-grown Bellator fighters of all time and is a three-time lightweight champion in the promotion. He has one more fight left on his contract with the promotion against Benson Henderson and will become a free agent afterward.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2020

ONE Championship has responded to the growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic by converting all of its cards until May 29 to closed-door events. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced this news on Facebook on Thursday morning.

Tom Taylor - March 6, 2020

ONE Championship and ARES Fighting Championship have both elected to postpone upcoming events due to concerns about the rapidly-spreading novel coronavirus. Early on Friday morning, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced that the upcoming ONE: Heart of Heroes card, originally scheduled for March 20 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has been postponed until June 26.