ONE Championship News
Angela Lee "shocked and disgusted" after her gym is vandalized
Tom Taylor - January 4, 2021
ONE atomweight champ Angela Lee is “shocked and disgusted” after her family gym, United BJJ Hawaii, was vandalized last week. Lee opened up on this unfortunate incident, which delayed the opening of the gym, in a recent Instagram post. She also shared video of the incident, which is now being investigated by local police.
Eddie Alvarez in talks to return opposite former ONE lightweight title challenger Iuri Lapicus
Tom Taylor - December 31, 2020
Former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is expected to return to the ONE Championship Circle against former title challenger Iuri Lapicus. News of this fight, which is expected to occur in or around April, was first reported by Nolan King of MMA Junkie, and later confirmed by Al Zullino for Italian outlet Fatti Marziali.
Vitor Belfort says he will put Jake Paul on his knees: "You are 'Joke' Paul. You're not Jake."
Chris Taylor - December 27, 2020
Former UFC champion and MMA legend Vitor Belfort sent a stern warning to YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul. Paul (2-0) has been making headlines ever since scoring a brutal second round knockout over Nate Robinson at last months ‘Tyson vs. Jones Jr’ event.
Reug Reug to make ONE Championship debut against BJJ champ Marcus Almeida
Alfredo Zullino - December 22, 2020
Senegalese wrestler Oumar Kane, better known as Reug Reug, is set to clash with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida at a ONE Championship event on February 24, Brazilian journalist Raphael Marinho reported on Twitter. Reug Reug will be competing in his sophomore MMA bout, and his first since December 2019. The Senegalese sensation made his debut with French MMA pioneer Ares Fighting Championship, in his home country. He imposed his will on his French opponent Sofiane Boukichou and got the technical knockout in the second round.
Miesha Tate: Grappling Cris Cyborg 'would be amazing,' open to MMA return
Drake Riggs - December 17, 2020
Since retiring from MMA in 2016, former UFC and Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate has become a mother of two and a Vice President for ONE Championship. After a brief period of living over in Singapore where ONE is based, Tate recently came back home to Washington state for the holidays. As she gets to spend some time with her family, Tate is then planning to relocate to Las Vegas where she spent the majority of her fight career.
Demetrious Johnson says he will never fight at 125lbs again: "It's just not healthy"
Adam Martin - December 10, 2020
ONE Championship’s Demetrious Johnson, the greatest flyweight MMA fighter of all time, says he will never fight at 125lbs again. Johnson is the undisputed GOAT of 125lbs. He was the long-time flyweight champion in the UFC and he’s carried his talents over to ONE Championship, where he hopes to fight out the rest of his career. In ONE Championship there are more weight-cutting regulations, so the flyweight title in ONE is actually contested at 135lbs. That means that the fighters don’t have to cut as much weight. ONE implemented this rule change several years ago in an effort to curb massive and potentially fatal weight cuts.
Vitor Belfort wants to fight Yoel Romero: "That would be a great fight"
Adam Martin - December 10, 2020
MMA legend Vitor Belfort says he wants to fight free agent Yoel Romero, promising that it would be a “great fight” for the fans. Belfort has yet to make his debut for ONE Championship and is eager to get back into the cage in 2021. Belfort called out Wanderlei Silva in the past, and he recently called for ONE to sign former UFC legends Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen to fight because at this point he just wants big fights against top-shelf opponents. One of those high-profile opponents just became available on the free-agent market when the UFC cut Romero. If ONE can get a deal done with Romero, then Belfort would take that fight.
Tyler McGuire plans to put friendship with Agilan Thani aside to earn statement win
Tom Taylor - December 10, 2020
This Friday, at ONE: Big Bang II, Tyler McGuire will make his long awaited return to the ONE Circle when he takes on Agilan Thani. The bout will be McGuire’s first since he came up short in a welterweight title fight with Zebaztian Kadestam in late 2018—his first taste of defeat as a pro mixed martial artist.
ONE Championship: 'Big Bang' results and highlights: Garry Tonon stays unbeaten
Tom Taylor - December 4, 2020
On Friday, Asian martial arts powerhouse ONE Championship returned to our screens with the stacked ONE: Big Bang card out of the Singapore Indoor Arena. This ONE Championship card was hit by a handful of last-minute shakeups, but ultimately came together very nicely. The event was topped by a featherweight kickboxing showdown between Marat Grigorian and Ivan Kondratev, which the former won via impressive second-round TKO.
Demetrious Johnson booked to return opposite ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes
Tom Taylor - December 4, 2020
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is slated to return to the ONE Championship Circle opposite Adriano Moraes, the promotion’s reigning ONE flyweight champ. The bout, which is slated for February 24, was announced during Friday’s ONE: Big Bang broadcast.
Bi Nguyen looks to close out chaotic 2020 with big win over Jihin Radzuan
Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020
ONE Championship atomweight star Bi Nguyen is hoping to close out a chaotic year with a huge win over Malaysia’s Jihin Radzuan at ONE: Big Bang, which goes down on the promotion’s home turf in Singapore this Friday. The coronavirus pandemic made 2020 a bumpy year for just about everyone, but it was particularly frustrating for Nguyen. The 31-year-old striking specialist’s bad luck began early in the year, when she was forced out of planned February fight with Japan’s Itsuki Hirata with an injury. March brought another tough break, as Nguyen’s planned Muay Thai bout against Rudzma Abubakar fell through amid the early chaos of the pandemic. The trouble then continued in the third quarter of the year, when ONE Championship’s attempt to reschedule the failed February fight with Hirata came up empty—ostensibly because the Japanese fighter didn’t sign her contract.
Demetrious Johnson responds to Israel Adesanya's GOAT comment
Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020
ONE Championship flyweight star Demetrious Johnson has responded to some recent praise from UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Adesanya was recently asked who he considers the greatest fighter in MMA history, and promptly identified Johnson as his pick.
Garry Tonon confident someone is getting finished in Koyomi Matsushima bout
Tom Taylor - December 1, 2020
American grappling star turned mixed martial artist Garry Tonon will return to action this Friday night in what he considers his toughest bout so far. The multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion will look to climb the featherweight ranks with a victory over his next foe, in hopes of landing a shot at the belt in the very near future.
10 MMA champions ready to make waves in 2021
bjpenndotcom - December 1, 2020
There’s no question that 2020 has been rough for mixed martial arts. COVID-19 hit professional sports particularly hard, and the road to recovery only began in recent months. But despite the difficult challenges, MMA is looking forward to a fantastic 2021. That’s because the sport is absolutely stacked with talented fighters who are ready to cement themselves as the best in the business. Here are 10 reigning MMA world champions from organizations around the world who are primed for an epic 2021.
Vitor Belfort calls out Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen: "Bring the legends back"
Adam Martin - November 27, 2020
MMA legend Vitor Belfort has called out rival Anderson Silva and fellow veteran Chael Sonnen, saying to “bring the legends back.” Belfort fought Silva at UFC 126 in February 2011 and suffered a historic KO loss after Silva landed an incredible front kick to finish him. Belfort and Silva have always been tied to a rematch but to this point, nothing has ever been booked. As for Sonnen, Belfort was supposed to fight him at UFC 175 in July 2014, but Sonnen failed his drug test and the bout was canceled. All three fighters are no longer in the UFC, with Belfort part of ONE Championship, Sonnen with Bellator, and Silva a free agent.
ONE Championship to begin streaming regional promotions on ONE Super App
Tom Taylor - November 27, 2020
ONE Championship has announced the launch of third-party martial arts content on the ONE Super App, which will also stream live events from top regional martial arts promotions around the world. The first of these co-branded events will take place on November 28, when Russian martial arts promotion, Russian Cagefighting Championship (RCC), and Fair Fight Promotion (FFP) host a Road to ONE tournament, with athletes competing for a contract in ONE Championship. Fair Fight XIII, Featuring Road to ONE will be streamed live on the ONE Super App.
ONE Championship uninterested in signing Anderson Silva
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
ONE Championship will not be pursuing the services of new free agent, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva, widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time, was released from his UFC contract after a loss to Uriah Hall on Halloween night. While he intends to continue fighting rather than hang up the gloves, his list of options in terms of his new home is growing shorter.
Demetrious Johnson makes his pick for the GOAT of MMA
Tom Taylor - November 16, 2020
Former UFC flyweight champ and current ONE Championship star Demetrious Johnson has shared his thoughts on the GOAT debate in MMA. Johnson, who is widely regarded as one of the best fighters in MMA history himself, explained that he places a lot of value on longevity when making his picks for the sport’s greatest fighters.