ONE Championship News

Tom Taylor - December 26, 2019

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently had the opportunity to sit down for a brief meeting with President Barack Obama, the former President of the United States. Sityodtong discussed his meeting with Obama, which centered around business in Asia, in a recent post to his official Facebook page.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 24, 2019

A mature athlete and person understands and is realistic about their limitations. They also know that there are multiple definitions of greatness. Sage Northcutt is displaying such maturity and spirit of conscientiousness in his recent career decision.  After falling short in his ONE Championship debut against experienced Brazilian striker Cosmo Alexandre at welterweight, Northcutt has decided to return to his original weight class at 155 pounds.

Tom Taylor - December 19, 2019

Eddie Alvarez isn’t a big fan of way the UFC is handing out title shots these days. Specifically, the current ONE Championship lightweight contender is against potential title shots for Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. Aldo, who is the former UFC featherweight champion, made his debut in the bantamweight division at UFC 245, losing a controversial decision to Alvarez’s teammate Marlon Moraes. Despite this loss, he’s been targeted by UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo, and UFC President Dana White seems interested in booking a title fight between the two.

Tom Taylor - December 19, 2019

Eddie Alvarez is now one year and two fights into his ONE Championship career. From the sounds of it, the former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion has enjoyed his time with the Singapore-based promotion. Alvarez discussed his time with ONE Championship, and how it differs from his time with the UFC, at Wednesday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 10, 2019

Vitor Belfort is already a legend. Throughout his career, Belfort had broken barriers and reinvented himself. He’s gone from being a brawler who specialized in disposing of his opponents as quickly as possible to a more well-rounded athlete capable of submitting his foes as well as knocking them out.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2019

Who is the greatest female MMA fighter of all time? In the eyes of former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, who is one of the most accomplished female fighters ever herself, that’s “an easy pick” to make. In Tate’s eyes, there’s no question that the GOAT of women’s MMA is reigning UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 4, 2019

Ever since Ryuto Sawada stepped into the ONE Championship ring last year, he has claimed nothing but victories. Sawada won all three of his matches since his promotional debut. Now, Sawada is aiming to continue his winning streak against South African Bokang Masunyane at ONE: Mark of Greatness. The two go head-to-head at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 December.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 2, 2019

In her first two years on the ONE Championship roster, Malaysia’s Jihin Radzuan has turned in thrilling performances in all of her bouts. She owns a professional record of five wins with only one loss, including two wins by submission and one by knockout. This Friday, 6 December, at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Radzuan returns to action at ONE: Mark of Greatness opposite the Philippines’ Denice “The Fairtex Menace” Zamboanga.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 2, 2019

Muay Thai legend and former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao is no stranger to making history. In fact, he’s captured many world titles and garnered multiple accolades throughout his glorious career. Sam-A is looking to add another feather in his cap this Friday night, 6 December when he faces Wang Junguang for the inaugural ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship. The two square off in one of two headlining bouts at ONE: Mark of Greatness, to be held at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Natasha Hooper - November 28, 2019

MMA veteran Vitor Belfort appears to be in top form as he prepares to make his ONE Championship debut in the new year. In an Instagram video posted by Evolve MMA, Belfort looked every bit the killer he was in his heyday.

Tom Taylor - November 22, 2019

Weight classes work a little differently in ONE Championship, where extreme weight-cutting is not allowed. ONE’s welterweight division 185 lbs, not 170 lbs. It’s lightweight division is 170 lbs, not 155. And so on. This occasionally means fighters wind up in the cage with bigger opposition. Sage Northcutt certainly had that problem in his ONE debut. Northcutt made his ONE debut in the welterweight division — 185 pounds. In this debut, he was obliterated by destructive kickboxer Cosmo Alexandre. The loss left him with significant facial damage that required intensive surgery to repair.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 21, 2019

Whenever the Singapore-based ONE Championship heads back to its home country, the event is a huge deal. The upcoming ONE: Edge of Greatness card will continue the long tradition of high-profile ONE events in Singapore. It takes place on 22 November at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The headline bout is a battle between ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao taking on his countryman Saemapetch Fairtex. 

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019

Ben Askren announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, and he’s been receiving love from the MMA community ever since. He even got a nice tribute from ONE Championship, the organization that famously traded him to the UFC for Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in 2018. See how ONE Championship sent Ben Askren off into retirement below:

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 19, 2019

For Amir Khan, staying active and constantly preparing for ONE Championship action seemed like the right idea at the time. However, the 25-year-old Khan quickly realized that he was putting himself into the wrong situations, and the end result was three consecutive defeats.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 18, 2019

Several martial artists have used Singapore Indoor Stadium as a launchpad for their careers. On 22 November, another group of warriors will have an opportunity to take a massive step in the journey to becoming champions. ONE: Edge of Greatness could be just that for at least four athletes. Colbey Northcutt

Tom Taylor - November 14, 2019

Where in the world is Rich Franklin? Depending on when you ask that question, the answer might be Singapore, Mongolia, Australia, Myanmar, Pakistan — any far-flung corner of the planet you can imagine. As the President and host of ONE Warrior Series, the former UFC middleweight champion is almost always on the move.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 12, 2019

Joshua Pacio is establishing himself as one of the elite champions in ONE Championship with every performance. The 23-year-old successfully defended his ONE Strawweight World Championship at ONE: Masters of Fate in front of his hometown crowd of Manila, Philippines. Pacio scored an impressive second-round submission victory over Rene Catalan.  The win was Pacio’s first defense since regaining his title from Yosuke Saruta in April. He’d been upset by Saruta back in January. In all, it was a pretty strong 2019 for Pacio as he has re-established himself as the king of his division. 

Harry Kettle - November 11, 2019

ONE Championship star Sage Northcutt has given his thoughts on UFC president Dana White’s suggestion that he should consider retiring from mixed martial arts. Northcutt officially signed with ONE nearly a year ago now after parting ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. His first fight with the promotion took place at May at ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon, where he was knocked out by Cosmo Alexandre in just 29 seconds. The knockout led to the youngster sustaining eight fractures in his face, leading to a nine-hour surgery after the fight.