Tag: ONE Championship News

Demetrious Johnson claims UFC CEO Dana White refused to give PPV points to flyweight fighters: ‘I didn’t get any’

Demetrious Johnson claims UFC CEO Dana White refused to give PPV points to flyweight fighters: 'I didn't get any'Despite defending his UFC flyweight title an unprecedented 11 times, Demetrious Johnson never received pay-per-view bonuses or incentives for…

Demetrious Johnson claims UFC CEO Dana White refused to give PPV points to flyweight fighters: 'I didn't get any'

Despite defending his UFC flyweight title an unprecedented 11 times, Demetrious Johnson never received pay-per-view bonuses or incentives for being the most dominant champion in promotional history.

From September 2012 to August 2018 defeated some of the biggest names in flyweight history, including Ian McCall, Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson, Kyoji Horiguchi, Henry Cejudo, and Ray Borg. He is undoubtedly one of the pound-for-pound greatest of all time. Unfortunately, Dana White and the UFC largely ignored ‘Mighty Mouse’ and his entire division because they didn’t have the drawing power of the lightweight or light heavyweight fighters.

Demetrious Johnson

As a result, Johnson was never given pay-per-view points for his time as the flyweight champion, which is something that fighters across the board are typically entitled to once they rise to the top of their respective division.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Demetrious Johnson responded to an interview where the UFC claims that DJ straight-up declined to receive points in favor of a lump-sum payout.

Johnson says that’s bullsh*t.

“I fought and fought, they specifically said we don’t give PPV points to flyweight guys, but if you’re a lightweight,” Johnson said. “A welterweight, a middleweight, heavyweight — I have been told that once they become champion, they get $500,000 flat and it went straight into their contract that they got pay-per-view points every single time. For me, it was never that.

“If I would have gotten pay-per-view points for every single time I defended my belt… 11 title defenses. You put me on three Conor McGregor cards…”When Dana White says I didn’t want pay-per-view points, that’s not true. I asked for pay-per-view points.”

Demetrious Johnson reacts to CM Punk’s reported purse for his two UFC appearances

Johnson also took exception to the fact that current WWE Superstar CM Punk received a more favorable payout during his less-than-stellar appearances inside the Octagon.

Demetrious Johnson comments on CM Punk's UFC run

Per a report from Bloody Elbow (before the pillaging of the once-great site), CM Punk received a base salary of $500,000 for both of his fights, though it was noted that the Second City Saint actually walked away with more than a million dollars for the ass-kickings he took against Mickey Gall and Mike Jackson.

“This guy comes in and gets a base salary of 500 f*cking thousand dollars and potential pay-per-view bonuses and other financial incentives in his contract,” Johnson exclaimed. “I defended the f*cking belt 11 times and I didn’t get any of this.”

Demetrious Johnson’s run in the UFC came to an end in 2018 after he surrendered his flyweight title to Henry Cejudo. ‘Mighty Mouse’ was then moved to ONE Championship in a historic trade that sent Ben Askren to the UFC. Upon his arrival, Johnson rattled off three straight victories to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Tournament, setting the stage for an epic trilogy with former ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Adriano Moraes

Johnson also competed in a first-of-its-kind special rules bout against Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon under the ONE banner. With alternating rounds of MMA and Muay Thai, Johnson survived the first round before submitting ‘The Iron Man’ in the second via RNC.

“It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my whole entire career,” Johnson said of his move to ONE. “If I could do it again, I would do it ten times. And here’s the thing — I have nothing against Dana White. I am a man who is happy. I’ve been successful and I believe in my skill set.”

Johnson still sits as the reigning ONE flyweight titleholder, but he has not yet decided if he will return to defend his title or retire from MMA altogether.

Demetrious Johnson

Arjan Bhullar’s embarrassing DQ loss at ONE 166 draws criticism from CEO Chatri Sityodtong: ‘This one is unacceptable’

Arjan BhullarReferee Herb Dean disqualified Arjan Bhullar in the final minute of his ONE 166 clash with Greco-Roman Wrestling champion…

Arjan Bhullar

Referee Herb Dean disqualified Arjan Bhullar in the final minute of his ONE 166 clash with Greco-Roman Wrestling champion Amir Aliakbari.

Stepping into a potential title eliminator, ‘Singh’ refused to engage for as long as the fight was allowed to continue. Bhullar, who was ONE’s heavyweight world champion just two fights ago, was content to move backward for a majority of the contest, dancing around the cage wall and offering little in the way of offense. The slow pace prompted multiple warnings from Dean that went unacknowledged.

In the second round, patience was beginning to wear thin with Dean issuing not one, but two yellow cards.

For those unfamiliar, ONE Championship uses a yellow card system to penalize fighters for a number of infractions, including fouls — i.e. low blows, eye pokes — and for stalling, as was the case with Bhullar. Each yellow card serves as a warning, but it also deducts a percentage of the fighter’s total purse. After two yellow cards, the next one issued is a red card which results in a disqualification.

Bhullar was given two yellow cards in the second round, but after continuously failing to engage, Dean broke out the red card with just 45 seconds left in the third and final round, ensuring Arjan Bhullar would lose the contest.

Following the lackluster showing, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong held absolutely nothing back, calling Bhullar an “embarrassment” to his home country of India.

“In thousands of fights, I have never been embarrassed,” Sityodtong said in a post-fight press conference. “We’ve had one red card in history. I never speak ill of fighters. I never speak ill of our fighters, ever. Rarely, but this one is unacceptable. I think maybe in the first round he threw one punch. Second round he threw two punches. He ran the whole time and it was very clear he was scared.

“If you want to be a professional fighter, fighting the best in the world at the highest levels… We were live broadcast in India with 1.3 billion people and it’s an embarrassment.”

Arjan Bhullar’s ONE Championship run has been frustrating, to say the least. After KO’ing Brandon Vera to win the ONE heavyweight title in May 2021, ‘Singh’ went more than two years without defending his gold as he sought to secure a more favorable contract. In June, he finally returned for a unification clash with interim titleholder Anatoly Malykhin, who dismantled him with ease.

Later on in the evening, Malykhin defeated Reinier de Ridder for the ONE middleweight title, making him the first-ever simultaneous three-division champion in MMA history.

Anatoly Malykhin becomes three-division world champion with TKO finish of Reinier de Ridder – ONE 166 Highlights

Anatoly MalykhinRussian juggernaut Anatoly Malykhin made MMA history, becoming the first fighter to hold world championships in three different divisions…

Anatoly Malykhin

Russian juggernaut Anatoly Malykhin made MMA history, becoming the first fighter to hold world championships in three different divisions simultaneously.

Already holding both the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, ‘Sladkiy’ returned to the Circle at ONE 166 in Qatar for a main event showdown with middleweight MMA champion Reinier de Ridder. After succumbing to a first-round KO in their first meeting in December 2022, ‘The Dutch Knight’ fared much better in the early going, using his clinch work to stop Malykhin’s frequent onslaughts.

However, de Ridder’s defense-heavy style couldn’t hold up to the continued attacks, particularly as Anatoly Malykhin began to viciously attack his opponent’s body in the second round.

Coming out for round three, Reinier de Ridder quickly shot in for a desperation takedown attempt which Malykhin easily defended. Ending up on top, ‘Sladkiy’ landed some ground-and-pound strikes, including a couple of well-placed knees before RDR could muster the energy to roll through to his back. Recognizing the impeccable ground game of the Dutchman, Malykin quickly disengaged and got back to his feet.

De Ridder, on the other hand, was exhausted. So much so that he couldn’t muster the energy necessary to stand up and continue, forcing referee Herb Dean to call for the stoppage.

Official Result: Anatoly Malykhin def. Reinier de Ridder via TKO (ground and pound) at 1:16 of Round 3 to win the ONE middleweight MMA world championship

With the victory, Anatoly Malykhin maintained his undefeated record, moving to 14-0. He also kept his 100% finish rate intact and became MMA’s first-ever three-sport world champion.

Check Out Highlights From Anatoly Malykhin vs. Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166:

Jonathan Haggerty KOs Felipe Lobo in early Fight of the Year contender – ONE Fight Night 19 Highlights

Jonathan HaggertyJonathan Haggerty retained his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship in an early Fight of the Year contender against…

Jonathan Haggerty

Jonathan Haggerty retained his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship in an early Fight of the Year contender against Brazilian knockout artist Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19 on Prime Video.

Haggerty looked to take control of the ring and create distance with his signature push kick from the get-go, but it was just a matter of time before the ‘Demolition Man’ would find his way inside and explode. That’s exactly what Lobo did, delivering an onslaught of strikes to the head and body of the defending champ in the second half of the opening round.

A sneaky uppercut finally put Haggerty on the mat with less than a minute to go in the first, but ‘The General’ answered the count and pressed on.

In the second, Haggerty and Lobo threw caution to the wind, delivering one of the most incredible rounds in combat sports history. Both men blasted the other with fight-ending bombs, but neither man would go down. In the end, Haggerty managed to send Lobo crashing to the canvas with a counter left that hit his opponent on the button.

With the fight likely tied after two rounds, Haggerty decided he’d had enough and uncorked a nasty overhand right less than a minute into the third that put Felipe Lobo away for good.

Official Result: Jonathan Haggerty def. Felipe Lobo via KO (overhand right) at 0:45 of Round 3 to retain the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship.

Check Out Highlights from Jonathan Haggerty vs. Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19:

Sage Northcutt slams ONE Championship after promotion places blame on him for ONE 165 withdrawal

Sage Northcutt slams ONE ChampionshipSage Northcutt is looking to set the record straight regarding his short-notice withdrawal from a ONE Championship event last…

Sage Northcutt slams ONE Championship

Sage Northcutt is looking to set the record straight regarding his short-notice withdrawal from a ONE Championship event last month.

Northcutt was scheduled to fight Japanese MMA icon Shinya Aoki at ONE 165 in Tokyo on January 28. An hour before their bout was scheduled to begin, the promotion revealed that Northcutt had bowed out, noting an “unforeseen circumstance with his cornermen.” As a result, former ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker was literally pulled from the stands and thrown into the ring to ensure Aoki still had the opportunity to compete in front of his home country.

Speaking on the situation during a post-fight press event, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong appeared to place much of the blame on Northcutt, noting that current ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo offered to step in and corner Northcutt in the absence of his coaches — one being former UFC title challenger Urijah Faber. Northcutt reportedly refused the last-second change and opted out of the bout.

Taking exception to his employer putting the blame squarely on his shoulders, Sage Northcutt snapped back at ONE Championship in a lengthy post on social media to set the record straight.

“One Championship is implying that I pulled out of the Shinya fight for unforeseen circumstances,” Northcutt wrote on Instagram. “That is completely inaccurate.. I sent One Championship the necessary paperwork they required to get my coaches visas 48 days ahead of the event. I was told by them over the phone and by text my main jujitsu coach Fabio Prado did not need a visa since I paid for his airfare flights and trip so he was not classified as a working employee that needed a visa and that my other coach could get in as a tourist so he didn’t need one either,” Sage Northcutt wrote.

“My coaches were there for almost a week, and I was not informed that two of them could not coach until hours before my match. I received a text from an unknown number that texted me for the first time that day that was a ticket salesman asking me about getting my two coaches complimentary tickets to watch my fight in the audience.

“I personally believe that One Championship was not going to inform me that my coaches were not allowed to corner me until I arrived at the arena to fight if I did not hear from a ticket salesman hours earlier. We were also told hours before my match that if my coaches violated the visa requirements and were caught on camera, they could be arrested and there was a 99.8% conviction rate on all arrests,” Sage Northcutt continued.

“I made it clear to One Championship that I was not flying from America to Japan if I didn’t have my three coaches. I was told before I left to Japan by an executive that I would not have to fight without my coaches. They knew before I left that I would not be able to have two of my coaches. They never told me my coaches could be thrown in prison for any visa violation.

“There has been a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes with One Championship with what caused me to withdraw from my last fight as well as other things that I will talk about at a later time on Facebook, Instagram, and with media outlets.
• drug testing
• weight cutting/ policies
• active athletes/ roster
• One’s stability… etc.”

Sage Northcutt isn’t the only fighter frustrated with ONE Championship

Sage Northcutt has only fought twice since signing with ONE, but it sounds like the honeymoon is already over between the two.

Northcutt isn’t the only contracted fighter who appears to be at odds with the Singapore-based promotion. Reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov recently expressed a desire to terminate his contract. “ONE is one of the best kickboxing promotions, it’s true… but we don’t like the contract about this promotion,” Allazov said in a statement. Unfortunately for Allazov, ONE has no intention of granting the Azerbaijani-Belarusian fighter his release according to Nick Atkin of the South China Morning Post. His deal is reportedly up in December 2026.

It will be interesting to see what else Sage Northcutt has to say about the inner workings of ONE Championship.

Sage Northcutt slams ONE Championship after promotion places blame on him for ONE 165 withdrawal

Sage Northcutt slams ONE ChampionshipSage Northcutt is looking to set the record straight regarding his short-notice withdrawal from a ONE Championship event last…

Sage Northcutt slams ONE Championship

Sage Northcutt is looking to set the record straight regarding his short-notice withdrawal from a ONE Championship event last month.

Northcutt was scheduled to fight Japanese MMA icon Shinya Aoki at ONE 165 in Tokyo on January 28. An hour before their bout was scheduled to begin, the promotion revealed that Northcutt had bowed out, noting an “unforeseen circumstance with his cornermen.” As a result, former ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker was literally pulled from the stands and thrown into the ring to ensure Aoki still had the opportunity to compete in front of his home country.

Speaking on the situation during a post-fight press event, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong appeared to place much of the blame on Northcutt, noting that current ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo offered to step in and corner Northcutt in the absence of his coaches — one being former UFC title challenger Urijah Faber. Northcutt reportedly refused the last-second change and opted out of the bout.

Taking exception to his employer putting the blame squarely on his shoulders, Sage Northcutt snapped back at ONE Championship in a lengthy post on social media to set the record straight.

“One Championship is implying that I pulled out of the Shinya fight for unforeseen circumstances,” Northcutt wrote on Instagram. “That is completely inaccurate.. I sent One Championship the necessary paperwork they required to get my coaches visas 48 days ahead of the event. I was told by them over the phone and by text my main jujitsu coach Fabio Prado did not need a visa since I paid for his airfare flights and trip so he was not classified as a working employee that needed a visa and that my other coach could get in as a tourist so he didn’t need one either,” Sage Northcutt wrote.

“My coaches were there for almost a week, and I was not informed that two of them could not coach until hours before my match. I received a text from an unknown number that texted me for the first time that day that was a ticket salesman asking me about getting my two coaches complimentary tickets to watch my fight in the audience.

“I personally believe that One Championship was not going to inform me that my coaches were not allowed to corner me until I arrived at the arena to fight if I did not hear from a ticket salesman hours earlier. We were also told hours before my match that if my coaches violated the visa requirements and were caught on camera, they could be arrested and there was a 99.8% conviction rate on all arrests,” Sage Northcutt continued.

“I made it clear to One Championship that I was not flying from America to Japan if I didn’t have my three coaches. I was told before I left to Japan by an executive that I would not have to fight without my coaches. They knew before I left that I would not be able to have two of my coaches. They never told me my coaches could be thrown in prison for any visa violation.

“There has been a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes with One Championship with what caused me to withdraw from my last fight as well as other things that I will talk about at a later time on Facebook, Instagram, and with media outlets.
• drug testing
• weight cutting/ policies
• active athletes/ roster
• One’s stability… etc.”

Sage Northcutt isn’t the only fighter frustrated with ONE Championship

Sage Northcutt has only fought twice since signing with ONE, but it sounds like the honeymoon is already over between the two.

Northcutt isn’t the only contracted fighter who appears to be at odds with the Singapore-based promotion. Reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov recently expressed a desire to terminate his contract. “ONE is one of the best kickboxing promotions, it’s true… but we don’t like the contract about this promotion,” Allazov said in a statement. Unfortunately for Allazov, ONE has no intention of granting the Azerbaijani-Belarusian fighter his release according to Nick Atkin of the South China Morning Post. His deal is reportedly up in December 2026.

It will be interesting to see what else Sage Northcutt has to say about the inner workings of ONE Championship.