ONE Championship News

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 14, 2026

Regian “The Immortal” Eersel is a two-sport ONE World Champion again. The Dutch-Surinamese striker defeated Rungrawee “Legatron” Sitsongpeenong by unanimous decision at The Inner Circle on April 10 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, reclaiming the vacant ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title he first won in 2019. It was a hard-earned five rounds. Rungrawee’s southpaw kicks and durable chin made him a persistent threat, and the Thai absorbed a third-round knockdown before pressing forward in the championship frames, desperately looking for a reversal.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 13, 2026

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao delivered one of the finest moments of his career. The 42-year-old legend stopped Elmehdi “The Sniper” El Jamari with a walk-off head kick at 2:43 of round two in their strawweight Muay Thai co-main event at ONE Fight Night 42 on April 10 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The fight was anything but clean. El Jamari’s heavy hands troubled Sam-A early, and the Moroccan dropped the Thai veteran with a clubbing shot in round two after absorbing two knockdowns himself.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 13, 2026

ONE Championship has confirmed the main event for The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15. Reigning ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane will make his first title defense against former three-division king Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin, streaming live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Their first fight at ONE 169 in November 2024 was one of the most significant heavyweight bouts in ONE Championship history. Malykhin entered as the first three-division MMA World Champion in ONE history and had never lost a professional fight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 10, 2026

“The Kicking Machine” Superlek is back. The Thai striking legend has been added to The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15, where he faces Russian knockout artist Abdulla “Smash Boy” Dayakaev in a bantamweight Muay Thai showdown, streaming live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Superlek carries a 139-31 professional record and 15-3 promotional mark into the fight. He is the only fighter to have defeated Rodtang Jitmuangnon in an all-striking bout inside ONE Championship, and his resume includes wins over Panpayak Jitmuangnon, Nabil Anane, Takeru Segawa, and Jonathan Haggerty.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 9, 2026

ONE SAMURAI 1 keeps building. Two all-Japanese MMA bouts have been added to the inaugural edition of ONE Championship’s new monthly Japan series, which takes place April 29 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The card already carries four World Title fights, and the additions deepen a lineup designed to celebrate Japanese martial arts at the highest level.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 9, 2026

Gilbert Nakatani finally looks like the fighter he always believed he was. The 32-year-old Aragon Training Academy product makes his long-awaited breakthrough at ONE Fight Night 42 on Prime Video on April 10 when he steps into the ring against Joshua “Flyin Hawaiian” Perreira in flyweight MMA action, live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. His first two appearances in ONE ended in competitive decision losses to Yuya Wakamatsu and Jeremy Miado. They were both formidable opponents. But both bouts were impacted by health issues heading in.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 8, 2026

Regian “The Immortal” Eersel has held the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title six times. He won it first in 2019 — his first piece of gold in ONE Championship — and describes it as a belt with a special place in his career. On Friday, April 10, he gets his chance to reclaim it when he faces Rungrawee “Legatron” Sitsongpeenong in the main event of The Inner Circle, streaming live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 8, 2026

Black Panther and Diego Paez were supposed to fight in February. Both men had completed full camps, passed weight and hydration, and were minutes from their walkouts at ONE Fight Night 40 when illness forced the Thai striker to withdraw. Two months later, the unfinished business gets its resolution at ONE Fight Night 42 on Prime Video on April 10, live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 7, 2026

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao refuses to act his age. At 42, the former two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion is riding a two-fight winning streak and setting his sights on one final championship run. His next step comes at ONE Fight Night 42 on Prime Video on April 10, where he faces Moroccan knockout artist Elmehdi “The Sniper” El Jamari in strawweight Muay Thai, live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The path back has not been straight. A tough decision loss to Jonathan Di Bella in an interim title bout last year could have been the end. Instead, Sam-A responded with back-to-back wins, the most impressive coming at ONE Friday Fights 137 in December when he dropped and outpointed Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi across three rounds. He was patient in round one, waited for his opening in round two, and executed perfectly when it came.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 6, 2026

ONE Championship returns to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, April 10, with ONE Friday Fights 150. The middle event of a triple-header that also features The Inner Circle and ONE Fight Night 42. Nine bouts across Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA are on the card. A majority of athletes are chasing a US$100,000 contract and a spot on ONE’s global roster.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 6, 2026

ONE Championship returns to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, April 10, with another exclusive card for members of The Inner Circle. Five bouts are on the card, headlined by a World Title fight that puts one of the most decorated fighters in ONE history against one of Thailand’s sharpest southpaws. Regian “The Immortal” Eersel faces Rungrawee “Legatron” Sitsongpeenong for the vacant ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title in the main event.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 3, 2026

Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai is riding a two-fight winning streak into the biggest night of his career. The 21-year-old PK Saenchai Muaythaigym fighter headlines ONE Friday Fights 149 on April 3 against Moldovan debutant Bejenuta Maximus in flyweight Muay Thai, live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Tomyamkoong’s promotional journey started with adversity. Two consecutive losses forced him to go back to the drawing board and overhaul his game before he found his footing. The rebuild paid off with a pair of wins, the latest a devastating one-punch knockout of Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn that announced him as a genuine contract threat.