ONE Championship News

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 3, 2018

Luis Regis is confident he can pull off a major upset in his ONE Championship debut this Friday night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Friday morning North America). Clashing with Thailand’s Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex the main event at ONE: Destiny of Champions inside the Axiata Arena, the Australian Muay Thai champion Regis believes he is capable of stopping the multiple world champion.

Thomas Taylor - December 2, 2018

Today, Stergos Mikkios proudly calls himself a member of the ONE Championship roster. Yet if things had unfolded just a little bit differently for the Greek Muay Thai specialist, he might not have made it to the bright lights of the Singapore-based promotion. In fact, he might not be alive at all.

Thomas Taylor - December 1, 2018

After weeks of speculation, it’s finally official. Eight-time UFC veteran Sage Northcutt (11-2) is the latest high-profile free agent to join the ONE Championship roster. Because ONE Championship does not allow extreme weight cutting, Sage Northcutt is almost certain to compete in the promotion’s 185-pound welterweight division, as this is the closest division to his walk-around weight. And as luck would have it, Northcutt is joining the division at a time when it has never been better.

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2018

After weeks of speculation, it’s official. Former UFC welterweight and lightweight star Sage Northcutt is the latest high profile free agent to sign on the dotted line and join the ONE Championship roster. ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news just moments ago.

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2018

It’s a strange and worrying time for the UFC flyweight division. The former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has been traded to ONE Championship in exchange for welterweight talent Ben Askren. A procession of long-time UFC flyweights have been released from their contracts, including Justin Scoggins, Jared Brooks, Roberto Sanchez, and most recently, Ulka Sasaki. Rumors that the promotion plans to close the division have been rampant, and when pressed about these rumors, UFC President Dana White hasn’t exactly provided cause for optimism… “The flyweight division just never took off, it never caught on,” White said on a recent episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “Even with a dominant champion like Demetrious, it just never caught on. People didn’t care. I battled for a long time, I tried to keep it alive and obviously, it’s still going on now. We still have fights going on in that division, but we’ll see what the future holds for it.”

Tom Taylor - November 29, 2018

ONE Championship just got a whole lot sexier. Chatri Sityodtong, the chairman and CEO of the Singapore-based promotion, announced early Thursday morning that he’s signed UFC veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama — better known by his hilarious nickname “Sexyama.” I'm thrilled to announce that JMMA Korean-Japanese Legend Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama (15-6) (otherwise known as Choo Sung-Hoon) has officially signed with ONE Championship!

Drake Riggs - November 28, 2018

Sage Northcutt is a free agent, free to roam and find a new home. Speculation as to where the welterweight prospect may wind up began the week of ONE Championship’s big ONE: Heart of the Lion event. Obviously, the brunt of the speculation was that Northcutt was going to or discussing signing with ONE. Which, we would find out that weekend was the idea of his visit to Singapore.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018

When BJJ whiz Garry Tonon submitted South Korea’s Sung Jong Lee at ONE: Heart of the Lion earlier this month, he improved to an impressive 3-0 as a mixed martial artist. Thus far, the the five-time EBI Grappling Champion has drifted between the 155-pound ONE featherweight division, and the 170-pound ONE lightweight division. And from the sounds of it, he could continue floating between both divisions.

Thomas Taylor - November 26, 2018

It’s an exciting time to be an MMA fan. While the UFC remains the biggest promotion on the planet, other promotions such as Bellator MMA and ONE Championship are gaining a real footholds, while new promotions like Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy MMA continue to pop up. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has taken notice of these promotions. Speaking on a recent Fight Companion episode of his popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, he gave his take on a number of the UFC’s competitors.

Tom Taylor - November 25, 2018

Demetrious Johnson no longer calls the UFC’s Octagon home. After a legendary, 18-fight stint with the Las Vegas promotion, the long-time UFC flyweight champion was traded to Singapore-based martial arts promotion ONE Championship in exchange for top welterweight talent Ben Askren. Several weeks after this unprecedented swap was made official, Demetrious Johnson boarded a plane to Singapore to meet the ONE Championship team and take in the stacked ONE: Heart of the Lion card.

Tom Taylor - November 23, 2018

ONE: Conquest of Champions, which went down in Manila, The Philippines on Friday night (Friday morning in North America), did not disappoint. To the elation of the deafeningly loud crowd in attendance, two Filipinos left the arena with belts wrapped round their waists, as Brandon Vera sniped Mauro Cerilli to retain his ONE heavyweight title, and Eduard Folayang out-duelled Amir Khan to capture the vacant ONE lightweight strap. Eduard Folayang battled Amir Khan in the card’s co-main event. While Singapore’s Khan enjoyed some success in the first frame, Folayang came alive in the second, and did not relent until the end of the fifth. The Filipino champion, who is now the first two-time titleholder in ONE lightweight history, punished his dangerous foe with a stunning breadth of spinning attacks — just what we’ve come to expect from the top fighters out of the belt-hoarding Team Lakay gym.

Tom Taylor - November 23, 2018

On Friday night (Friday morning in the North America), ONE Championship took over Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena with the stacked ONE: Conquest of Champions card. This ONE: Conquest of Champions bill was topped by a heavyweight title fight between long-absent Filipino-American champion Brandon Vera, and debuting Cage Warriors champion Mauro Cerilli.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 21, 2018

Amir Khan dubbed it the “most satisfying performance” of his career. A heavy underdog in his last bout against Honorio “The Rock” Banario, Khan prevailed — and in style. It was a victory of epic proportions for the 24-year-old Singaporean, who bashed down the door for a shot at the vacant ONE Lightweight World Title.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 21, 2018

He’s taken the long road back, but Eduard Folayang says reclaiming the ONE Lightweight World Title in his fight with Amir Khan at ONE: Conquest of Heroes this Friday night (Friday morning in North America) would be the sweetest victory of his decorated career.  “Yeah, I do [believe it will be the sweetest],” Eduard Folayang declared to the applause of the pro-Filipino crowd at the ONE: Conquest of Champions kick-off press conference at the City of Dreams in Manila on Tuesday. “I want to claim that. Of course, it’s not only about that. My tough loss last year was very hard to get through, but I really worked hard and now the opportunity is present and I don’t want to miss that gift.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 21, 2018

He hasn’t been inside the ONE Championship cage for almost two years, but Brandon Vera insists he is faster and stronger than ever as he bids to defend his ONE Heavyweight World Title against Cage Warriors champion Mauro Cerilli at ONE: Conquest of Champions this Friday, November 23 in Manila, The Philippines.  “Everybody’s worried that it’s been nearly two years, but it doesn’t feel like that to me,” the Filipino-American Brandon Vera said. “I’ve been doing action stuff, and I’ve been training on my days off. I’ve really been just working.

Drake Riggs - November 18, 2018

ONE Championship and the UFC made some MMA history recently with the first ever fighter ‘trade’. The trade saw an exchange between former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and former ONE welterweight champion, ‘Funky’ Ben Askren. With the trade now in the rearview mirror and each fighter with their expected debuts mapped out, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong doesn’t think it will be the last MMA trade we’ll see.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 16, 2018

He didn’t go out and party. Nor did he toast his title triumph with a few beers. Instead, new ONE Championship Bantamweight king Kevin Belingon savored the moment with his loved ones. “I just enjoyed a simple victory lunch with my family,” said Belingon, who dined out on Filipino pinakbet (a meat and vegetable stew) yesterday.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 16, 2018

At ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 November, kickboxing legend Nieky Holzken will battle Cosmo Alexandre in a Super Series bout in the co-featured bout at the ONE Championship event. The main event is a mixed martial arts clash between Tyler McGuire and Zebaztian Kadestam that will determine the next ONE welterweight champion. In case you’re unaware, here are five reasons for you to watch Holzken take on Alexandre.