ONE Championship News

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 14, 2019

The influx of talent to the ONE Championship roster is undeniable. The Singapore-based martial arts organization has consistently signed athletes to join its ranks, and each month, the level of talent seems to increase. Upon signing with the organization, athletes likely envision themselves as champions of the promotion down the line. When compiling this list, there is focus on athletes who had not yet become ONE world champions. However, the following six competitors are destined to one day reach that level with the organization.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

On Saturday, June 15, in the main event of ONE: Legendary Quest in shimmering Shanghai, China, 18-year-old Muay Thai star Alma Juniku will take on champion Stamp Fairtex for the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title. Ahead of this mammoth Muay Thai showdown, the Albanian-Australian talent had a quick chat with BJPenn.com’s Tom Taylor.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 12, 2019

Myanmar’s Phoe Thaw will step into the unknown on 15 June when he faces off against Indonesian veteran Victorio “Indra” Senduk at ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai, China. This contest will be the first matchup that Phoe Thaw has competed in outside of his home country, and the 34-year-old is thrilled that he has been given this chance to showcase his talents to an entirely new set of fans.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 12, 2019

ONE Championship continues to establish itself in mainland China. The next event takes place in Shanghai on 15 June, called ONE: Legendary Quest, and there are five Chinese athletes scheduled to compete on the card. Those warriors will help to set the table for the co-main event, Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Agilan Thani, and the main event between ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex against 18-year-old world prodigy Alma Juniku. The match between Stamp and Juniku has a combined age of just 39, which is a record for a ONE Championship title bout.

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2019

The next ONE Championship appearances of former UFC champs Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson are now official. Both men are set to return on August 2 at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in Manila, Philippines. Eddie Alvarez will make his return against two-time ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang. This booking, which looks like a 2019 Fight of the Year contender on paper, will mark Alvarez’s opportunity to rebound from a failed ONE debut opposite Timofey Nastyukhin, and Folayang’s chance to rebound from a title loss to Shinya Aoki.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 10, 2019

Agilan Thani is seen as the shining light of the booming Malaysian mixed martial arts scene. But after hitting a rough patch, his upcoming bout — the co-main event at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on 15 June in Shanghai — is a must-win. After beating Amitesh Chaubey in March 2018, Thani has been on the losing end in his last two matchups, absorbing stoppage losses to current ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian Kadestam and top contender Kiamrian Abbasov in 2018.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 9, 2019

Stamp Fairtex, despite her youth, has already established herself as a star in the world of martial arts. The Thai talent has become the only two-sport champion under the ONE Championship banner. On June 15 in Shanghai in the main event of ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST, Stamp will look to add to her legacy when she defends her ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against 18-year-old prodigy Alma Juniku in a battle of two of the youngest competitors in the organization.

Tom Taylor - June 7, 2019

At ONE: Masters of Destiny, which is scheduled for July 12 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ONE Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee will return to action opposite Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist Michelle Nicolini. The bout will occur in the strawweight division. Interestingly, Lee and Nicolini have met once before, on the grappling circuit. Brazil’s Nicolini won that contest by submission.

Tom Taylor - May 29, 2019

Singapore-based martial arts organization ONE Championship has recently signed a host of high profile free agents, most notably Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Sage Northcutt. Among Western fans, many of whom grew familiar with these fighters during their time in the UFC, the widespread expectation was that all three would all be extremely successful in ONE. This has not been the case.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

Demetrious Johnson has already cemented himself one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, but he’s not ready to rest on his laurels. After a record-setting reign as the UFC flyweight champion, he is now zeroing in on a new title in ONE Championship. Johnson’s road to ONE Championship gold leads through the perilous ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. The former UFC champion has already advanced to the tournament’s second round, having submitted Yuya Wakamatsu in Tokyo in March, and he’s now looking ahead to a yet unscheduled semifinal showdown with former DEEP flyweight champion Tatsumitsu Wada.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 24, 2019

Reigning ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian Kadestam successfully defended his title against the rugged, talented and well-rounded Georgy Kichigin at ONE: Reign of Valor in March. Kadestam put on a stellar performance as Kichigin, who seemed to have control of the bout early, was unable to answer the bell for the third round after receiving a nasty elbow from the champion.

Natasha Hooper - May 24, 2019

Sage Northcutt come up short in his ONE Championship debut last Friday in Singapore, losing by knockout to striking specialist Cosmo Alexandre in just 29 seconds. Like pretty much everybody else in the MMA community, UFC commentator Joe Rogan has seen the footage of this brutal knockout. Yesterday during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast with Brendan Schaub, Rogan gave his take on the fight and the implications of such a tough loss