ONE Championship News

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 18, 2018

With over 20 exciting events throughout 2018, ONE Championship had its share of memorable bouts. With matches across a variety of disciplines, we’ve taken a look at all of the cards and bouts of the year and selected the following five as the most significant. We start with ONE: Unstoppable Dreams from May. Angela Lee def. Mei Yamaguchi to Retain ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship This bout was a rematch of a 2016 clash at ONE: Ascent to Power. Lee won that bout via unanimous decision, but the Japanese veteran came prepared to take things to the next level in the rematch.

Thomas Taylor - December 15, 2018

Aung La N Sang, who currently holds the ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titles, is a massive star in his native Myanmar. So massive, in fact, that he’s been honored with a pretty awesome statue in Manau Park in his hometown of Myitkyina. Aung La N Sang discussed this incredible honor in a post on his official Instagram page. Apparently, he wasn’t sure about the idea at first, but as come to see it as a way to inspire a whole generation of young people in his country.

Tom Taylor - December 13, 2018

Eduard Folayang is once again the ONE lightweight champion. The Team Lakay representative recaptured the title with a thrilling decision defeat of Amir Khan, which went down in front of his legions of Filipino faithful in Manila in late November. With the belt once again slung over his shoulder, Folayang is looking ahead to his first challenge as champion. That being said, it’s a little difficult to say who will provide that first challenge.

Tom Taylor - December 13, 2018

In November, ONE Championship announced that it will it be promoting a flyweight and lightweight Grand Prix in the New Year. On Friday morning, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong took to Twitter to announce the kickoff dates for these two anticipated tournaments.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 12, 2018

You could be forgiven for thinking that reigning ONE women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee may have some form of superpowers when you watch her in action in the cage. She is, after all, one of the most talented mixed martial artists in the world at just 22 years old. As it turns out, the martial arts prodigy has had a lifelong love of the Marvel universe, which she’s shared with her brother and fellow ONE athlete, Christian Lee. After growing up watching early morning cartoons, that love has now translated to the big screen. Lee has become an enthusiast for all of Marvel’s blockbuster films, especially Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, and The Avengers. So you can imagine how excited the Evolve MMA product was when, on a recent trip to New York City, she had the chance to participate in a special collaboration to put her martial arts skills to the test against the superhuman realm.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 11, 2018

World champion Joshua Pacio will be out for redemption when he puts his ONE Championship belt on the line next year. Pacio (16-2-0), the undisputed ONE Strawweight World Champion, bids to avenge his only defeat in almost 500 days when he takes on Japan’s Hayato Suzuki (20-1-2) in Indonesia. The pair will square off in the main event at ONE: Eternal Glory, set for Istora Senayan in Jakarta on 19 January.

Tom Taylor - December 11, 2018

ONE Championship has a new home on television in the United States. On Tuesday morning, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong teased big news, and shortly thereafter, ESPN confirmed what many suspected: that the promotion has signed a long-discussed United States broadcast deal.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 10, 2018

Now that the curtain has come down on ONE Championship’s 2018 schedule, fans can begin to look ahead to what 2019 has in store for them. The upcoming year looks set to be a blockbuster for the Asian martial arts powerhouse, and we are all invited along for the ride. Here are five reasons for fans to excited about 2019.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.