ONE Championship News

Thomas Taylor - March 18, 2019

In June of 2018, in Yangon, Myanmar, ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titleholder Aung La N Sang stepped into the cage with DEEP openweight champion Ken Hasegawa. This pairing turned out to be incredibly volatile, as the two stars engaged in a frenetic, back-and-forth war and a bona fide 2018 Fight of the Year contender. In the end, Aung La N Sang was able to win this grueling gunfight with a beautifully timed uppercut in the fifth round. Yet this punch would not end his rivalry with Hasegawa — not by a long shot.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 18, 2019

The Philippines’ Danny Kingad may not be where he’s at in his life today if it wasn’t for the discipline he learned through martial arts. He was only eight years old when his father passed away. And like most troubled youth, Kingad ended up with the wrong crowd and picked up bad vices at a young age. Fortunately for him, he met Team Lakay Coach Mark Sangiao who pushed him towards the life of a martial artist.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 18, 2019

There are many reasons to be excited for ONE: A NEW ERA on 31 March in Japan. While many eyes are on the four World Title bouts, and the high-profile debuts of former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez, martial arts fans should not overlook the interesting kickboxing match against Andy Souwer and Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex.

James Lynch - March 18, 2019

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson wasn’t a fan of super fights when he competed for the Las Vegas based promotion and that still holds true as he gears up for his ONE Championship debut. “Mighty Mouse” spoke with Helen Yee of “Eyes on The Game” on the current UFC bantamweight title picture amid rumblings of a potential rematch between champion TJ Dillashaw and current flyweight kingpin Henry Cejudo.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 17, 2019

Every athlete scheduled to compete on ONE Championship’s historic ONE: A NEW ERA card will have the opportunity to be a part of one of the most special events in the promotion’s history. However, there are those who will have the honor of representing their home country in the promotion’s first-ever event in Japan. Tatsumitsu Wada and Mei Yamaguchi are set to see action, and so is kickboxer Hiroki Akimoto.

Thomas Taylor - March 17, 2019

The last few years have not been easy for ONE Championship atomweight titleholder Angela Lee. Although she was able to pick up a decision victory over Mei Yamaguchi in May of 2018, this victory was sandwiched between a harrowing 2017 car accident and a cancelled November, 2018 fight with ONE strawweight champ Xiong Jing Nan.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 15, 2019

ONE: A NEW ERA in Japan on 31 March will be one of the most-watched and significant martial arts events of the year. The show marks the first time ONE Championship has staged an event in Japan, and athletes from all over the world will be in action.

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2019

Press release: ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that it will be an exclusive partner of Japanese martial arts organization Pancrase. Following a similar partnership announced in January with Shooto, this partnership will likewise see ONE Championship work together with Pancrase to provide Pancrase athletes the opportunity to showcase their martial arts talents and further develop their skills on a global platform. Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “Following our partnership with Shooto, ONE Championship is excited to offer the same opportunity to Pancrase athletes and World Champions to compete on the world’s largest stage for martial arts. We are fully committed to developing Japan’s martial arts ecosystem from the amateur up to the professional level. Our partnership with Pancrase once again marks the world’s top martial arts organizations coming together to create a new era of martial arts in Japan.”

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 12, 2019

Undisputed ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon is ready to settle the score with Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes on March 31 at ONE: A NEW ERA at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The two athletes are tied in their series with a win each. The pair first met back in January 2016 when Fernandes was able to successfully defend his ONE Bantamweight World Title against the Filipino by way of submission in the first round. The loss motivated Belingon to pursue another title shot and he won six straight matches after that on his climb back up the ladder.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 11, 2019

ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang has defeated Shinya Aoki once, and if he’s going to remain champion and capture a victory in the main event of the historic ONE: A NEW ERA show, he’ll have to do it again. On 31 March, ONE travels to Aoki’s home country of Japan for one of the biggest martial arts event of the year. Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki have the honor of competing in the featured match of the night.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 10, 2019

Sage Northcutt could have signed anywhere. He had an offer to stay with the UFC and face a Top-10 ranked opponent, and he had other options as well. Despite being a wanted man, the 23-year-old from Texas chose to sign with the Singapore-based ONE Championship in early 2019. He’s now set to debut opposite kickboxing specialist Cosmo Alexandre at ONE: Enter the Dragon in Singapore on May 17.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 10, 2019

ONE Championship’s first ever Japan event, ONE: A NEW ERA, got even bigger with the addition of a fourth World Title contest to an already stacked card.  The promotion announced the rubber match between ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon and former titleholder Bibiano Fernandes for the spectacle which takes place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on 31 March. This will be the third time the two men have met, and with each man having a win each, the next one will decide the true king of the division.

Drake Riggs - March 7, 2019

.@UFC hasn't stayed with just one network so why can't more fighters be free agents? @Ealvarezfight WATCH MORE: https://t.co/UWddEsNyBb pic.twitter.com/Zt8VHRQjxk

Tom Taylor - March 6, 2019

Vitor Belfort is now a ONE Championship fighter. While “The Phenom” can look forward to some exciting MMA bouts under the ONE banner, he’s also keen to take advantage of the fact that organization promotes other martial arts as well — namely boxing. Speaking shortly after he signed with ONE Championship, Belfort expressed interest in a special rules boxing match with the legendary Roy Jones Jr. “One fight that I’d really like, I told Chatri [Sityodtong] I’d really like to put on this fight, is me vs. Roy Jones Jr.,” Belfort said. “So Roy, wherever you are, I want to come challenge you for a boxing match — but with this condition. I’m going to be able to dirty box with you.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 6, 2019

His sparring partners have felt the bone-crunching shots. And Aung La N Sang is adamant that he possesses more power than ever before as he prepares to put his ONE Middleweight World Title on the line. “I feel it when I grapple and I feel it when I hit,” the ONE Championship star said of his new-found strength.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 4, 2019

Martin Nguyen is a trailblazer. The Vietnamese-Australian martial artist is the first ONE Championship athlete to win world titles in two different weight classes. Before reaching the pinnacle of the promotion, Nguyen had only three bouts when he made the jump to ONE Championship. From 2012 to 2013, Nguyen went 3-0 with stoppage wins in each match.

Drake Riggs - February 28, 2019

In terms of hot MMA promotions right now, there may be none that is more of fire than the Singapore based ONE Championship. Over the recent months, ONE has made several big-name acquisitions for their roster. Most notably being none other than former UFC champions Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Miesha Tate (Vice President role).

Drake Riggs - February 27, 2019

In 2016, the ‘Underground King’ Eddie Alvarez became the UFC lightweight champion of the world by defeating Rafael Dos Anjos via first-round TKO. Immediately after that, it was expected that we could very well see the unbeaten contender, Khabib Nurmagomedov finally getting his long-awaited UFC title shot. Instead, it would be given to the featherweight champion, Conor McGregor who would make good on it by defeating Alvarez via second-round TKO.