ONE Championship News
EXCLUSIVE | Meet Timofey Nastyukhin: the man who will welcome Eddie Alvarez to ONE Championship
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2019
Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin (12-4, 6 KOS, 4 Subs) has been competing in combat sports for a long time. He began training in Pankration when he was just a child, and wound up winning a European championship in the sport at a young age. Buoyed by his success in Pankration, he then transitioned into MMA at 18 years old, and after a seven-fight win streak — all stoppages — he was invited to ONE Championship, where he debuted with a jaw-dropping, flying knee knockout of current lightweight champion Eduard Folayang.
ONE Championship Spotlight: Brandon "The Truth" Vera
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 6, 2019
Brandon “The Truth” Vera is the reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion. The 41-year-old Filipino is one of five Filipino champions under the promotion’s banner. While Vera is a champion today, he has had to endure some significant hardships on his way to his current spot. Overcoming Adversity
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao goes for gold at ONE: Clash of Legends in Bangkok
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 5, 2019
On 16 February, a ONE Super Series Muay Thai Bantamweight World Champion will be crowned. ONE Championship recently announced that Muay Thai legend Nong-O Gaiyanghadao of Thailand will take on Han Zi Hao of China for the ONE Super Series strap. The bout serves as the main event of ONE: Clash of Legends, set for 16 February at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
EXCLUSIVE | Meet Yuya Wakamatsu: the knockout artist tasked with welcoming Demetrious Johnson to ONE
Thomas Taylor - January 4, 2019
Yuya Wakamatsu couldn’t believe what he was hearing when he was offered the opportunity to welcome Demetrious Johnson, the former UFC flyweight champion and one of the best fighters ever, to the ONE Championship cage. Wakamatsu has competed just once for ONE Championship so far and came up short in his debut effort, losing a decision to Danny Kingad. As such, he didn’t expect to receive this kind of offer so soon. Nonetheless, this was an opportunity he’d been dreaming of for years, and one he simply couldn’t turn down.
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.
Eddie Alvarez makes impassioned argument against PED use after UFC 232 drama
Thomas Taylor - December 28, 2018
When it was announced that Jon Jones would be allowed to fight at UFC 232 in California, despite trace amounts of turinabol turning up on several of his recent drug tests, a number of his fellow fighters piped up, questioning the integrity of the UFC and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). After Daniel Cormier and Nate Diaz shared their thoughts on the issue, former UFC lightweight champ and current ONE Championship star Eddie Alvarez is now doing the same. Eddie Alvarez campaigned against PED-used in a multi-part speech on Twitter.
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.
ONE Championship announces another Grand Prix for 2019
Tom Taylor - December 27, 2018
Back in November, ONE Championship announced that it will be promoting exciting Grand Prix tournaments in its flyweight and lightweight divisions, featuring new signees Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez respectively. On Thursday afternoon, the Singapore-based martial arts powerhouse announced plans for another epic Grand Prix in 2019.