ONE Championship News

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 12, 2018

Last weekend, ONE Championship blazed a trail of excitement in Thailand’s bustling capital city of Bangkok when it held its ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES event — the promotion’s biggest show to date at the Impact Arena. What ensued was a night of non-stop martial arts action, the likes of which ONE has become well known for. Going into the event, the Impact Arena flowed with a unique energy that immediately gave off the impression that it was undoubtedly a special night. When the statistics began to roll in, it was evidently clear that ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES was indeed a huge success.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 12, 2018

After a memorable night at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES in Bangkok, Thailand on October 6, it’s time to turn the proverbial page as we look ahead to the next ONE Championship event. We’re just about two weeks away from ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS. The promotion heads back to Myanmar for this, another major show on the ONE Championship calendar. In case you’re unaware of the top draws on the card, here are five reasons to be excited about ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 12, 2018

The job of a promotional matchmaker is a tough one. Matching comparable opponents who have the potential to generate an exciting bout–while also maintaining a level of fairness –is at times an unenviable task. The ONE Championship events scheduled for the rest of 2018 are packed with interesting matchups. As we look at the shifting dynamics in some weight classes, and mainstays of other divisions, the following five matches are bouts that should be at or near the top of a future show.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 10, 2018

There are a plethora of intriguing bouts to make within the ONE Championship promotion, but sometimes it’s fun to think about what would happen if the best martial artists from ONE competed against some of the top competition from other organizations. Let’s look at five of the most intriguing fantasy matchups that we’d love to see.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 10, 2018

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai did his best to finish Iran Diaz in the main event of ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES on Saturday night in Bangkok, Thailand. However, the rugged challenger simply refused to wither and the champion had to settle for a unanimous-decision win as he retained his WBC Super Flyweight title. While Srisaket didn’t earn the stoppage victory, a good number of the martial artists in action on Saturday did manage to take matters out of the judge’s hands. Take a look at the five most memorable finishes from ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 10, 2018

Shinya Aoki is far from finished. He proved that and then some on Saturday at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The Japanese icon needed just 57 seconds to score an impressive submission win over Ev Ting. Aoki has long been known for his grappling prowess and he wasted no time showing Ting that he would lean on his area of expertise in pursuit of the win.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 10, 2018

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai would have loved to punctuate his promotional debut with a KO victory over Iran Diaz in front of his countrymen on Saturday, but the challenger’s toughness made that outcome impossible. During the main event at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, Srisaket still retained his WBC Super Flyweight title, but he had to settle for a unanimous-decision victory in a lopsided battle that saw only one judge award Diaz a round. The bout main evented ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES and kicked off what the boxer and promotion hope will be a long and fruitful relationship. Diaz had only a few moments of shine throughout the 12 rounds. He appeared to catch Srisaket off balance with a few counter shots. Srisaket even went to the mat, and perhaps should have been ruled down on at least one of the two occasions. He wasn’t, but even if he had been, the margin of victory was so large that it wouldn’t have changed the outcome.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2018

Over the last few years, trash talk and bravado have become a huge part of the sport of mixed martial arts. The bushido spirit has been mostly pushed aside and replaced by constant posturing and saber-rattling. Singapore’s ONE Championship is working on changing that. Where other promotions encourage trash talk and showmanship, ONE Championship preaches traditional martial arts values like respect, integrity and honor.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 6, 2018

On Saturday, 6 October, ONE Championship heads back to the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand for what figures to be an eventful and diverse show of martial arts. WBC Super Flyweight champion and Thai legend Srisaket Sor Rungvisai will make his promotional debut as he defends his title against Iran “MagnifKO” Diaz in the main event of ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES. It will mark the first time a boxing match has headlined a ONE Championship show. Also, ONE Super Series Atomweight Kickboxing champion Kai Ting Chuang will defend her title against Thailand’s own Stamp Fairtex. It should be a memorable night of action in Bangkok, but it won’t be the first noteworthy event ONE Championship has brought to the Impact Arena. The first ONE Championship event at the venue took place just two years ago, but it hasn’t taken a long time for the promotion and the city of Bangkok to create magic.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 5, 2018

The stage is set for the ONE Championship’s first-ever boxing match tomorrow night as WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand and challenger Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz of Mexico have both made the contracted weight limit at today’s official weigh-in Srisaket tipped the scales officially at 52kgs (114.6lbs), while Diaz comfortably came in for the first world title contest of his professional career at 52.1kgs (114.8lbs).

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 5, 2018

Shinya Aoki hasn’t won every bout he’s been in, but he has embraced the challenge throughout his martial arts career, and he’s earned the right to be called a legend. The 35-year-old Japanese submission specialist has had 50 professional martial arts bouts, and he’s already had one reign as the ONE Lightweight World Champion. During that reign, Aoki successfully defended his title three times.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 3, 2018

ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES on October 6 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand will feature one of the organization’s biggest promotional debuts. WBC World Super Flyweight Champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (46-4-1, 41 KO) will defend his title against Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz (14-2-3, 6 KO). It will be Srisaket’s first bout under the ONE Championship banner. The bout also represents the first time a boxing match will headline a ONE Championship event. While Srisaket’s title defense is obviously a major introduction for the organization, it’s not the first huge debut in ONE Championship history. Here are five of the promotion’s biggest debuts: