ONE Championship News
MMA legend Shinya Aoki takes a shot at Sage Northcutt
Harry Kettle - April 29, 2021
ONE Championship’s Shinya Aoki left a short and sweet message for Sage Northcutt after calling him out on the ONE on TNT 4 broadcast. The controversial Aoki has long since been viewed as one of the most unpredictable men in mixed martial arts, whether that be with ONE Championship or elsewhere.
ONE on TNT 4 Results: Reinier de Ridder becomes double champ, Eddie Alvarez suffers defeat
Harry Kettle - April 29, 2021
Another hectic night of ONE on TNT action saw Reinier de Ridder win another belt and Eddie Alvarez lose an incredibly close fight. It marked the end of ONE Championship’s first run of events on the TNT platform at ONE on TNT 4, with the show taking place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
Reug Reug suffers first career loss in bizarre fashion at ONE on TNT 4
Drake Riggs - April 28, 2021
Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane has fallen for the first time in his MMA career… but it wasn’t the most traditional of bout endings. Opening up the ONE on TNT 4 main card, Reug Reug took on Kirill Grishenko. At the end of the second round, the unbeaten Senegalese wrestling sensation absorbed a punch to the throat that forced him unable to continue. Thus resulting in a TKO loss.
Eddie Alvarez DQ loss in ONE Championship overturned to No Contest
Adam D Martin - April 26, 2021
ONE Championship lightweight contender Eddie Alvarez has seen his recent DQ loss against Iuri Lapicus overturned into a No Contest instead. At ONE on TNT 1 earlier this month, Alvarez hit Lapicus with several strikes while he was on the ground, with a few of them hitting the back of the head according to the referee in the cage. That led to the red stopping the fight and handing Alvarez a red card when his opponent couldn’t continue. It was a crazy way for the fight to end and it didn’t sit right with a lot of fans as Alvarez was dominating the fight up until the point that the ref called a stop to the bout and declared Alvarez the loser via DQ.
Video | John Lineker scores another thunderous KO at ONE on TNT 3
Harry Kettle - April 22, 2021
John Lineker scored another vicious knockout last night as he put Troy Worthen to sleep in the very first round of their ONE on TNT 3 showdown. Lineker has been part of the ONE Championship family since back in 2019 and while it may not seem like that’s the case, he’s certainly made the most of his opportunities ever since arriving on the scene.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Oscar de la Hoya "a real possibility," confirms Chatri Sityodtong
Adam D Martin - April 20, 2021
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed that Eddie Alvarez vs. Oscar de la Hoya in a boxing match is “a real possibility.” Alvarez recently admitted that he was in “serious talks” to fight de la Hoya, the boxing legend who is also part of the commentary team the Triller Fight Club.
Eddie Alvarez to make quick turnaround after DQ loss, fights at ONE on TNT 4
Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021
ONE Championship lightweight contender Eddie Alvarez will make a quick turnaround after his recent DQ loss when he returns at ONE on TNT 4. Alvarez fought at ONE on TNT 1 earlier this month and the ending to his fight with Iuri Lapicus was extremely controversial, to say the least. After Alvarez took Lapicus to the ground and started to land some heavy shots, the referee deemed the punches illegal shots to the back of the head and, when Lapicus couldn’t continue, Alvarez was given a red card and disqualified. It was a very strange ending to a fight that Alvarez was dominating, and it led to figures such as Big John McCarthy blasting the referee for disqualifying the fighter.
ONE on TNT 2 Results: Christian Lee knocks Timofey Nastyukhin out in 73 seconds (Video)
Drake Riggs - April 14, 2021
Christian Lee is proving with each fight that he’s truly come into his status as a champion. At ONE on TNT 2, he added to his highlight reel. Taking on the dangerous Russian in Timofey Nastyukhin—most famous for upsetting former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez in Alvarez’s ONE Championship debut—the eldest Lee brother needed only 73 seconds to earn his second career title defense.
John McCarthy criticizes ONE Championship referee who DQed Eddie Alvarez
Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021
Legendary MMA referee John McCarthy criticized the referee in ONE Championship who DQed Eddie Alvarez at ONE on TNT 1 last week. Referee Justin Brown took matters into his own hands when he handed Alvarez a red card and a DQ loss last Wednesday at ONE on TNT 1. In the fight, Alvarez took his opponent Iuri Lapicus to the ground and started to rain down punches on his face. However, his opponent slightly turned his head, which caused Alvarez to land one or two punches that might have hit his opponent in the back of the head. As his opponent was unable to continue and had to be stretchered out of the cage, the referee decided he had no choice but to DQ Alvarez.
Henry Cejudo introduces new nickname following Demetrious Johnson’s knockout loss at ONE on TNT
Adam D Martin - April 11, 2021
Henry Cejudo introduced a new nickname to his former UFC flyweight rival Demetrious Johnson following his knockout loss at ONE on TNT. Cejudo and Johnson had two memorable fights in the UFC. The pair first met back at UFC 197 in April 2016, with Johnson knocking out Cejudo with knees to the body to defend the UFC flyweight title. They then rematched at UFC 227 in August 2018, this time with Cejudo besting Johnson via split decision. There have always been talks of a potential rematch between these two rivals, but with Johnson now in ONE Championship and with Cejudo retired, we haven’t heard much back-and-forth between these two in a few years now.
Adriano Moraes reveals conversation he had with "amazing guy" Jorge Masvidal about knees in MMA
Adam D Martin - April 9, 2021
ONE Championship flyweight champion Adriano Moraes revealed the conversation he had with UFC star Jorge Masvidal about throwing knees in MMA. Moraes finished former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson with an uppercut and knees at ONE on TNT 1 this past Wednesday. It was a phenomenal performance by Moraes, who was a massive betting underdog heading into this bout. Following the upset win, Moraes noted that he had a conversation with Masvidal about how “knees change lives.” Masvidal knows that first-hand because after he knocked out Ben Askren with a flying knee at UFC 239, he became a true superstar and his life has never been the same since then.
Dan Hardy weighs in on Eddie Alvarez’s controversial disqualification at ONE on TNT 1
Harry Kettle - April 9, 2021
Dan Hardy has given his thoughts on Eddie Alvarez’s controversial disqualification that took place at ONE on TNT 1 earlier this week. Alvarez was hoping to take a big step towards challenging for ONE’s lightweight title in his return to the cage but instead, he endured a setback in the form of a disqualification loss to Iuri Lapicus.
Video | Eddie Alvarez sheds tears after Iuri Lapicus leaves on stretcher following DQ at ONE on TNT 1
Adam D Martin - April 8, 2021
ONE Championship lightweight Eddie Alvarez got very emotional and shed tears after Iuri Lapicus left on a stretcher following ONE on TNT 1. Alvarez took on Lapicus in the main card opener of the ONE on TNT 1 card on Wednesday night. The former UFC lightweight champion looked good early on as he was able to get Lapicus down to the mat and then tee off on punches. Unfortunately, some of the punches that Alvarez landed were deemed illegal shots to the back of the head by the referee, and “The Underground King” suffered a DQ loss. To make matters worse, Lapicus appeared to be seriously injured as he needed a stretcher to come into the cage and take him away.
Eddie Alvarez shuts down any talk of retirement after being disqualified at ONE on TNT 1
Adam D Martin - April 8, 2021
ONE Championship lightweight Eddie Alvarez shut down any potential retirement talks after losing to Iuri Lapicus via DQ at ONE on TNT 1. Alvarez joined ONE Championship in 2018 after a successful run in the Octagon that saw him win the UFC lightweight title. Since joining ONE, however, Alvarez has not achieved the success that most people thought he would. He lost his promotional debut in an upset when he was knocked out by the underrated power punch Timofey Nastyukhin, bounced back with a submission win over Eduard Folayang, and then suffered the DQ loss to Lapicus when the referee deemed his punches illegal strikes to the back of the head. All told, Alvarez is 1-2 in ONE on paper, and at age 37, some are starting to mention retirement.
Adriano Moraes credits Jorge Masvidal for knee that knocked out Demetrious Johnson
Adam D Martin - April 8, 2021
ONE Championship flyweight champion Adriano Moraes credited teammate Jorge Masvidal for the knee that knocked out Demetrious Johnson. Moraes shocked the world when he knocked out Johnson at ONE on TNT 1 on Wednesday night. The underrated Brazilian was a +500 underdog at the sportsbooks to defeat Johnson, who was a 10-to-1 favorite, but he did just that and more with flying colors. After a competitive first round that saw Moraes utilize his size advantage, in the second round Moraes dropped Johnson with an uppercut, and then he finished him off with a brutal knee on the ground. It was an incredible win for Moraes that legitimizes him as a champion.
Video | ‘Reug Reug’ scores another brutal finish at ONE on TNT 1
Harry Kettle - April 8, 2021
Oumar Kane, better know as Reug Reug, moved to 2-0 with ONE Championship thanks to a brutal finish during ONE on TNT 1 last night. It’s been well established within the mixed martial arts sphere that Reug Reug is a force to be reckoned with for quite some time now. From his power to his incredible physique, he seems to be one to watch at heavyweight moving forward.
Pros react after Adriano Moraes KO's Demetrious Johnson at ONE on TNT 1
Christopher Taylor - April 7, 2021
Demetrious Johnson returned to the caged circle at tonight’s ONE on TNT 1 event where he challenged Adriano Moraes for the flyweight championship. Johnson (30-4-1 MMA) had won the ONE Championship Flyweight Grand Prix back in October of 2019, this after defeating Danny Kingad by unanimous decision. The former UFC flyweight kingpin, ‘Mighty Mouse’, had gone 3-0 under the ONE banner prior to tonight’s main event, this after being traded to the promotion in 2018.
Pros react after Eddie Alvarez vs. Iuri Lapicus is ruled a DQ at ONE on TNT 1
Christopher Taylor - April 7, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez returned to action at tonight’s ONE on TNT 1 event for a bout with Iuri Lapicus. Alvarez (30-7 MMA) was returning to action for this first time since scoring a first-round submission victory over Eduard Folayang in August of 2019. That victory had marked Eddie’s first under the ONE banner, as he had suffered a TKO loss to Timofey Nastyukhin in his promotional debut.