ONE Championship News

Tom Taylor - August 19, 2019

There has never been any doubt that the upcoming ONE: Century card, the 100th ONE Championship event, will be a big one. What does come as a surprise is that this landmark event, scheduled for October 13 in Tokyo, will actually be composed of two full-scale cards. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced this exciting news on social media on Monday morning (h/t Asian Persuasion MMA). https://www.facebook.com/yodchatri/posts/2512114135517399

Tom Taylor - August 16, 2019

On Friday, ONE Championship returned to Bangkok, Thailand, with the stacked ONE: Dreams of Gold card. The card was topped by a ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Title bout between champion Petchdam Petchyindee Academy and challenger Ilias Ennahachi, and featured the semifinals of the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix as Giorgio Petrosyan rematched Smokin’ Jo Nattawut and Samy Sana took on Dzhabar Askerov. It also included the sophomore MMA bout of ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex, who took on Indian boxing specialist Asha Roka.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 14, 2019

After capturing the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Titles, Stamp Fairtex will begin her journey for a mixed martial arts World Title when she returns to mixed martial arts competition on August 16 at the Impact Arena in Thailand.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 12, 2019

When ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchdam Petchyindee Academy steps into the ring to attempt to defend his belt for the first time, he’ll do so knowing he has the strength and solidarity of thousands of his compatriots in his corner.  ‘Baby Shark’ will receive that intangible boost at Impact Arena on August 16 at ONE: Dreams of Gold when he takes on rising Dutch-Moroccan star Ilias Ennahachi. 

Adam Martin - August 6, 2019

Former WWE superstar ‘”The Rock” interviewed ONE Championship heavyweight champion Brandon Vera before his next title fight. Check out the video below, courtesy of ONE.

Tom Taylor - August 5, 2019

Cris Cyborg has parted ways with the UFC. In the short period of time that she’s been separated from the Las Vegas-based promotion, she has already received interested from former Strikeforce boss and current Bellator president Scott Coker, who is reportedly preparing to make her an offer. And from the sounds of it, Cyborg also has the respect and admiration of ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Tom Taylor - August 2, 2019

On Friday, at ONE: Dawn of Heroes, former UFC champs Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez returned to ONE Championship — this time in a ring, not a cage. The former UFC flyweight champ Johnson met former DEEP champ Tatsumitsu Wada in the semifinals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. They advanced to this stage by beating Yuya Wakamatsu and Gustavo Balart respectively.

Tom Taylor - August 2, 2019

On Friday, ONE Championship returned to Manila, Philippines with an absolutely stacked card in ONE: Dawn of Heroes. The card was topped by a featherweight title fight between ferocious champion Martin Nguyen and surging Japanese challenger Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima. The co-headliner, meanwhile, saw ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty attempt to defend his strap against Thai tank Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Tom Taylor - August 1, 2019

In May, at UFC Ottawa, former Olympic wrestler Arjan Bhullar picked up a decision victory over Juan Adams, extending his win-streak to two-straight and his overall UFC record to 3-1. Several weeks later, the Indian-Canadian heavyweight parted ways with the UFC and signed with Singapore-based promotion ONE Championship. Bhullar, who trains alongside Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier at American Kickboxing Academy, is now set to make his ONE Championship debut against former Cage Warriors champion Mauro Cerilli at ONE: Dawn of Heroes on Friday, August 2.

Tom Taylor - July 31, 2019

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is one of the greatest fighters of all time, and one of the toughest puzzles to solve in MMA. Yet Tatsumitsu Wada believes he’s figured out the MMA legend’s weaknesses. Wada will meet Johnson in the semifinals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix at ONE: Dawn of Heroes this Friday in Manila, Philippines. He believes his research into the former UFC champ will pay off with a TKO win.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 30, 2019

The biggest event in Philippine martial arts history took off with a face-off from ONE Championship’s biggest stars at the official ONE: Dawn of Heroes kick-off press conference held at the City of Dreams Manila in Pasay City, Philippines last Tuesday afternoon.  https://youtu.be/iGcVrIX9K9s

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 30, 2019

You might have expected Jonathan Haggerty to have taken a moment to soak up the atmosphere before requesting a new opponent. The 22-year-old Englishman had just captured the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event at ONE: FOR HONOR. Haggerty defeated Thailand’s legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao via unanimous decision in a thrilling encounter. As golden confetti fell from the ceiling and Haggerty’s team celebrated his victory, it seemed only right for the London native to simply enjoy the occasion. However, there is a reason why Haggerty is as successful as he is, and that is because of his relentless drive to test his skills against the best in the world.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 26, 2019

ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen still fondly remembers the precise moment he was introduced to the sport that would eventually become a career-defining passion. Forced to abandon his ambitions of becoming a full-time rugby league player due to a string of ongoing injuries, Nguyen caught the combat bug after witnessing two of mixed martial arts’ all-time greats square off in a classic contest.

Tom Taylor - July 23, 2019

Former UFC bantamweight contender John Lineker is reportedly closing in on an opponent for his ONE Championship debut. And just like his fellow UFC veterans Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez and Sage Northcutt, it looks like he could be in for a tough welcome to the Singapore-based promotion. https://twitter.com/BigMarcel24/status/1153310832882782208

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 22, 2019

ONE: Dawn of Heroes is turning out to be one of the most stacked cards this year. ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen was a relatively late addition to what was already a fantastic card in Manilla on 2 August. The “Situ-Asian” will be defending his title against Koyomi Matsushima.  Everyone will be anticipating the Nguyen-Matsushima main event, but four bouts have the potential to steal the show.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 18, 2019

For years now, the Philippines and ONE Championship, the top martial arts organization in Asia, have put on some fantastic events. The next event to be staged in Manila is ONE: Dawn of Heroes on 2 August. The stakes are high as the card is packed with title bouts and essential matches in several weight classes. Here are five athletes with the most to lose at ONE: Dawn of Heroes.

Tom Taylor - July 15, 2019

Former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is back in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. After being eliminated from the tournament by Timofey Nastyukhin in March, Alvarez has re-entered the field as Nastyukhin has been forced to withdraw from the semifinals with an injury.

Cole Shelton - July 12, 2019

After Vitor Belfort was knocked out by Lyoto Machida at UFC 224, the former champion announced his retirement from the sport. But, after a year away from MMA it was announced in late February that the 42-year-old had signed with ONE Championship. Since then, there has been little to no talk about when Belfort will make his debut. He did ask for a fight with Roy Jones Jr. However, the veteran still awaits a fight in the Asian-based promotion. When he does indeed fight, ‘The Phenom’ wants UFC commentator, Joe Rogan in his corner.