ONE Championship News
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong doesn't think Conor McGregor would 'do well in Asia'
Drake Riggs - December 5, 2018
ONE Championship has recently made a big effort to further put themselves on the radars of MMA fans around the world. Thanks to acquisitions of Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Miesha Tate, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Sage Northcutt, the Singapore based promotion is looking to have its biggest year yet in 2019.
ONE Championship's Agilan Thani is on a mission to end 2018 with a big win
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 5, 2018
ONE Championship welterweight Agilan Thani has the chance to end 2018 on a high note when he competes this Friday at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS, inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thani will take on Kyrgyzstan’s Kiamrian Abbasov in the evening’s co-main event, and while the Malaysian athlete is aware of the danger Abbasov poses, the 23-year-old is backing himself to get the win in front of his home crowd.
Luis Regis put his life on hold to pursue ONE Championship glory
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 5, 2018
Luis Regis has put his life on hold to chase his dreams in ONE Championship. Set for his promotional debut against Thailand’s Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex at ONE: Destiny of Champions in Kuala Lumpur on Friday night, the Australian Muay Thai champion Regis said he has turned to his wife to take on the bulk of family duties at home while he prepares for the main event.
ONE Championship's Kevin Chung wants to blaze a trail for Asian-Americans in MMA
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 4, 2018
When Kevin Chung returns to the cage for the first time in more than 12 months on Friday night (Friday morning in North America), he will have two things on his mind. Firstly, he wants to stop Japan’s Daichi Takenaka in his tracks. But secondly, Chung wants to be a trailblazer and set the example for Asian-American athletes. As Chung looks out at the mixed martial arts landscape in Virginia, USA, he does not see too many athletes like him. However, that is something the American-born Korean wants to change with his success in ONE Championship.
EXCLUSIVE | After being jumped by former manager, Stergos Mikkios urges young fighters to take caution
Thomas Taylor - December 2, 2018
Today, Stergos Mikkios proudly calls himself a member of the ONE Championship roster. Yet if things had unfolded just a little bit differently for the Greek Muay Thai specialist, he might not have made it to the bright lights of the Singapore-based promotion. In fact, he might not be alive at all.
Three potential opponents for Sage Northcutt's ONE Championship debut
Thomas Taylor - December 1, 2018
After weeks of speculation, it’s finally official. Eight-time UFC veteran Sage Northcutt (11-2) is the latest high-profile free agent to join the ONE Championship roster. Because ONE Championship does not allow extreme weight cutting, Sage Northcutt is almost certain to compete in the promotion’s 185-pound welterweight division, as this is the closest division to his walk-around weight. And as luck would have it, Northcutt is joining the division at a time when it has never been better.
Sage Northcutt signs with ONE Championship
Tom Taylor - November 30, 2018
After weeks of speculation, it’s official. Former UFC welterweight and lightweight star Sage Northcutt is the latest high profile free agent to sign on the dotted line and join the ONE Championship roster. ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news just moments ago.
ONE Championship's Vitaly Bigdash opens up on training with Alexander Gustafsson at Allstars Training Center
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 30, 2018
Former ONE middleweight titleholder Vitaly Bigdash has revealed he temporarily moved to Sweden in a bid to rejuvenate his career. Speaking ahead of his clash against Japanese striking star Yuki “Yu-King” Niimura (12-4-0) on the main card of ONE: Destiny of Champions on 7 December, Russia’s Bigdash said he turned to fearsome light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson for help. And with Gustafsson by his side, Bigdash admitted he made significant changes to his game following a pair of disappointing defeats.
ONE Championship signs UFC veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama
Tom Taylor - November 29, 2018
ONE Championship just got a whole lot sexier. Chatri Sityodtong, the chairman and CEO of the Singapore-based promotion, announced early Thursday morning that he’s signed UFC veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama — better known by his hilarious nickname “Sexyama.” I'm thrilled to announce that JMMA Korean-Japanese Legend Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama (15-6) (otherwise known as Choo Sung-Hoon) has officially signed with ONE Championship!
Chatri Sityodtong praises Sage Northcutt following UFC departure
Drake Riggs - November 28, 2018
Sage Northcutt is a free agent, free to roam and find a new home. Speculation as to where the welterweight prospect may wind up began the week of ONE Championship’s big ONE: Heart of the Lion event. Obviously, the brunt of the speculation was that Northcutt was going to or discussing signing with ONE. Which, we would find out that weekend was the idea of his visit to Singapore.
EXCLUSIVE | Garry Tonon wants ONE featherweight title, then lightweight bouts with stars like Alvarez, Aoki
Tom Taylor - November 27, 2018
When BJJ whiz Garry Tonon submitted South Korea’s Sung Jong Lee at ONE: Heart of the Lion earlier this month, he improved to an impressive 3-0 as a mixed martial artist. Thus far, the the five-time EBI Grappling Champion has drifted between the 155-pound ONE featherweight division, and the 170-pound ONE lightweight division. And from the sounds of it, he could continue floating between both divisions.
Ev Ting reflects on tough loss to Shinya Aoki
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 27, 2018
One mistake. That’s all it took to derail Ev Ting’s hopes for a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Title. “I should have kept moving,” reflected Malaysia’s Ting, who was submitted by Japan’s Shinya Aoki inside the first round at ONE: Kingdom of Heroes in Bangkok, Thailand in October. “I gave him way too much time and respect. He faked a few times and one mistake was all it took for him to put me to sleep.