ONE Championship News
Geje Eustaquio looks to end to rivalry with Adriano Moraes in Manila
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 4, 2019
Reigning ONE flyweight king Geje Eustaquio is preparing to end his long-standing rivalry with former champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes. Each man has a win over the other, and the two are now scheduled to face off in one of the most anticipated rubber matches in ONE Championship history. They will collide for a third time in the main event of ONE: Hero’s Ascent, to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on January 25. The bout will be for Eustaquio’s flyweight strap.
First two bouts of ONE Championship Lightweight Grand Prix set
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 4, 2019
The highly-anticipated ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix will be underway beginning January 25 at ONE Championship’s anticipated return to Manila. It was announced earlier by the promotion that Team Lakay veteran Honorio “The Rock” Banario will be taking on undefeated American Lowen Tynanes of Hawaii in the quarterfinal. Two months later, former UFC lightweight champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez takes his first swipe at the tournament against Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin at ONE’s first event in Tokyo on March 31.
The surprising bond between Aung La N Sang and Martin Nguyen
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 4, 2019
On the surface, they have little in common. One resides in tropical Florida, the other in the hustle and bustle of Sydney, Australia. But Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang and Vietnamese- Australian Martin Nguyen share much more than their passion for martial arts. They are more than just competitors in the world’s largest martial arts promotion.
5 reasons Christian Lee's career arc could resemble Max Holloway's rise
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 29, 2018
ONE Championship’s 20-year-old prodigy Christian Lee has already established himself as one of the best featherweights in the promotion, and his best days are still ahead of him. At ONE: Eternal Glory on January 19, Lee will rematch Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly. In the first meeting, Lee was disqualified after an inadvertent suplex maneuver. Lee wants to erase the sting of that defeat and to launch himself to the next level, which could ultimately lead to a title berth. In many ways, Lee’s career arc is similar to UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway’s journey toward becoming an elite performer.
Eduard Folayang recaps his 'favorite performance' in the ONE Championship cage
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 28, 2018
A veteran of the Philippine martial arts scene, reigning ONE lightweight king Eduard Folayang has been around the block. For the past decade, Folayang has provided fans with countless thrilling performances against some of the fiercest foes in the business. One performance however, stands out from the rest.
Aung La N Sang has an awesome plan to "give back" to the people of Myanmar
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 28, 2018
Aung La N Sang has declared his intent to “give back” to his country of Myanmar, unveiling plans for a martial arts academy. “That’s something I want to bring to Myanmar one day,” said Aung La, who was immortalized with a bronze statue at Kachin National Manau Park in his hometown of Myitkyina recently.
5 reasons ONE: A New Era could be one of the best cards of 2019
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 27, 2018
ONE Championship is set to debut in Tokyo, Japan on March 31 with the stacked ONE: A New Era card. Even now, when the card is still not fully booked, it looks like it could be one of the best events of 2019. Here’s why: ONE Championship Debuts in Japan
Stamp Fairtex wants to hold titles in both kickboxing and MMA
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 27, 2018
It has been a memorable year for Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex. The 21-year-old claimed the ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship in her promotional debut in October at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES and her star looks set to shine even brighter in 2019. Stamp comprehensively outpointed defending champion Kai Ting Chuang throughout their five-round contest on her way to earning a unanimous decision victory. It was the co-main event of the evening and was watched by millions worldwide.
PHOTOS | The MMA Community celebrates Christmas
Tom Taylor - December 26, 2018
Another Christmas has come and gone. Santa Clause made his yearly trip around the world, presents were opened, gut-busting mountains of food were eaten, and of course, many of the world’s top MMA fighters celebrated with their families. On Tuesday, MMA fighters from top promotions all over the world — from the UFC to Bellator to ONE Championship to Rizin — took to social media to wish their fans a Merry Christmas, and let everyone know how they were celebrating.
ONE Championship: Breakout Stars To Watch In 2019
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 22, 2018
The biggest stars in ONE Championship aren’t hard to find. Angela Lee, Aung La N Sang, Martin Nguyen and even newcomers like Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez are household names who currently carry the torch for the promotion. As great as those martial artists are, they won’t reign forever. We took a look at performers who really stood out in 2018 and came up with five young and talented martial artists ready to break out in 2019.
ONE Championship announces several big fights, including debuts of Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez
Drake Riggs - December 19, 2018
The long-awaited promotional debuts of ONE Championship’s biggest acquisitions to date in former UFC champions Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie Alvarez have been set. On March 31, ONE will host their inaugural event in Japan as they head to Tokyo for a huge show.
Sage Northcutt aims to become a three-sport titleholder in ONE Championship
Tom Taylor - December 18, 2018
Sage Northcutt has big plans for his ONE Championship career. Not only does the eight-fight UFC veteran plan on capturing a ONE Championship MMA title, but he’s also hoping to snag titles in Muay Thai and kickboxing competition as part of the ONE Super Series. “What I think is cool is, they have, not only do they have MMA, but they also have Muay Thai and they have kickboxing,” Northcutt said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour (transcript via MMA Fighting). “So, I want to be the champion in MMA, I want to be the champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing. I want to do it all. And I think that ONE Championship is going to be really cool because I believe that I’m going to display my different skills in each of those and I believe be the champ in each of those. I think it’s the perfect league.”
PHOTO | ONE Championship star Aung La N Sang honored with statue in Myanmar
Thomas Taylor - December 15, 2018
Aung La N Sang, who currently holds the ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titles, is a massive star in his native Myanmar. So massive, in fact, that he’s been honored with a pretty awesome statue in Manau Park in his hometown of Myitkyina. Aung La N Sang discussed this incredible honor in a post on his official Instagram page. Apparently, he wasn’t sure about the idea at first, but as come to see it as a way to inspire a whole generation of young people in his country.
EXCLUSIVE | ONE lightweight champ Eduard Folayang discusses possible showdown with Eddie Alvarez
Tom Taylor - December 13, 2018
Eduard Folayang is once again the ONE lightweight champion. The Team Lakay representative recaptured the title with a thrilling decision defeat of Amir Khan, which went down in front of his legions of Filipino faithful in Manila in late November. With the belt once again slung over his shoulder, Folayang is looking ahead to his first challenge as champion. That being said, it’s a little difficult to say who will provide that first challenge.
ONE Championship announces starting dates for flyweight, lightweight tournaments
Tom Taylor - December 13, 2018
In November, ONE Championship announced that it will it be promoting a flyweight and lightweight Grand Prix in the New Year. On Friday morning, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong took to Twitter to announce the kickoff dates for these two anticipated tournaments.
EXCLUSIVE | Eddie Alvarez sizes up potential ONE Championship bouts with Shinya Aoki, Eduard Folayang
Tom Taylor - December 12, 2018
Former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will be welcomed to ONE Championship in the most exciting way possible, as he’s set to compete in the promotion’s anticipated Lightweight Grand Prix in 2019. The details of this Lightweight Grand Prix are still somewhat scarce, yet Alvarez believes the first round of the tournament will occur in March 31, when ONE Championship makes its anticipated debut in Tokyo, Japan.
Joshua Pacio to defend ONE strawweight title against familiar foe in Jakarta
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 11, 2018
World champion Joshua Pacio will be out for redemption when he puts his ONE Championship belt on the line next year. Pacio (16-2-0), the undisputed ONE Strawweight World Champion, bids to avenge his only defeat in almost 500 days when he takes on Japan’s Hayato Suzuki (20-1-2) in Indonesia. The pair will square off in the main event at ONE: Eternal Glory, set for Istora Senayan in Jakarta on 19 January.
ONE Championship inks three-year United States TV deal
Tom Taylor - December 11, 2018
ONE Championship has a new home on television in the United States. On Tuesday morning, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong teased big news, and shortly thereafter, ESPN confirmed what many suspected: that the promotion has signed a long-discussed United States broadcast deal.