It was only a matter of time before ONE Championship was airing in the United States. According to ESPN.com, sources informed them that ONE has signed a three-year television deal with Turner Sports. The event will feature 24 events airing live on TNT beginning next year. The TV goes into effect on January 1. It […]
It was only a matter of time before ONE Championship was airing in the United States.
According to ESPN.com, sources informed them that ONE has signed a three-year television deal with Turner Sports.
The event will feature 24 events airing live on TNT beginning next year. The TV goes into effect on January 1. It will also include other Turner digital platforms such as B/R Live. Other programming such as a reality show is supposedly in the works as well.
As ONE continues to grow in its native Asia, an outlet in the United States became clearly necessary.
ONE has made extreme waves in the world of mixed martial arts by signing former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez and rising star Sage Northcutt. Johnson was acquired in a first-of-its-kind trade for former ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren. Now, they have a platform to reach the Western Hemisphere.
Will they become a direct competitor to the UFC soon?
ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio aims to add another belt to Team Lakay’s bulging trophy cabinet when he steps into the cage early next year. Pacio will be the first of Team Lakay’s World Champion quartet, which comprises of Eduard Folayang (lightweight), Kevin Belingon (bantamweight) and Geje Eustaquio (flyweight), to defend a […]
ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio aims to add another belt to Team Lakay’s bulging trophy cabinet when he steps into the cage early next year.
Pacio will be the first of Team Lakay’s World Champion quartet, which comprises of Eduard Folayang (lightweight), Kevin Belingon (bantamweight) and Geje Eustaquio (flyweight), to defend a World Title in 2019.
The strawweight king enters his first title defense, challenging Japan’s Hayato Suzuki (20-1-2) in the main event at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY, set for Istora Senayan in Jakarta on 19 January.
“The Passion” Pacio will have redemption on his mind, having suffered his last defeat to Suzuki back when the Japanese warrior was just making his ONE debut.
Since that loss, Pacio has gone on a four-match win streak, overcoming fellow Filipino Roy Doliguez, China’s Ming Qiang Lan, Thailand’s Pongsiri Mitsatit and Japan’s Yoshitaka Naito.
Pacio’s win over Naito at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES last September ensured he not only turned the tables on the Japanese star, but also meant the strawweight title was in his possession.
Hailing from Baguio City in the Philippines, the 22-year-old Pacio has shown tremendous improvement over the past few years leading up to his title reign. And with the belt firmly in his grasp, Pacio aims to make a successful first defense against the last man to defeat him.
Suzuki, who hails from Takahagi City, first met Pacio in his promotional debut at ONE: KINGS & CONQUERORS in August 2017.
The 32-year-old scored a shocking first-round submission victory, forcing the Filipino to tap out via rear-naked choke. Since then, the Japanese grappler has been on a tear, winning his last three bouts with the same submission hold.
None of the bouts have gone past the second round, with Suzuki overcoming Thailand’s Pongsiri Mitsatit, Filipino Robin Catalan and Brazil’s Yago Bryan in quick time.
An experienced grappler, Suzuki looks to replicate that stellar run of form in the highly anticipated rematch against Pacio.
He may have been one of the UFC’s fastest-rising stars only a few years ago, but Sage Northcutt is moving on to Asia’s ONE Championship. The super-positive karate expert recently made headlines as the latest fighter to leave the UFC for ONE. ‘Super’ Sage joined former champions Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez in the move. […]
He may have been one of the UFC’s fastest-rising stars only a few years ago, but Sage Northcutt is moving on to Asia’s ONE Championship.
The super-positive karate expert recently made headlines as the latest fighter to leave the UFC for ONE. ‘Super’ Sage joined former champions Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez in the move. ONE CEO Chadri Sityodtong claimed the always-respectful Northcutt embodied the respect for martial arts that the promotion covets.
It’s not hard to see why. Northcutt may be the nicest fighter in the fight game. But his skills in the cage are nothing to be trifled with, as he picked up a 6-2 overall record in the Octagon. He’s still extremely young and evolving, and the sky could be the limit for him in ONE. His run with the rapidly improving promotion will apparently begin early next year as well.
Northcutt revealed on today edition of “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” that he was planning to make his ONE debut in February next year. When he does, he’s planning on competing in the ONE welterweight division:
.@sagenorthcutt says that he thinks his ONE Championship debut will be on Feb. 22 in Singapore. Says he’ll compete in their welterweight division that ranges from 170-184 lbs. #HelwaniShow@arielhelwani
Northcutt also discussed the UFC’s final offer for a fight. He was apparently given Demian Maia as a potential opponent. He would have taken it, too, but had already planned on signing with ONE:
Sage Northcutt tells @arielhelwani the UFC also offered him Demian Maia. Following his trip to Singapore however, he was already about to sign his deal with ONE Championship, otherwise he would've agreed.https://t.co/oh11yz7lR6
There were a number of championship-level competitors on the ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS bout. It’s safe to say most of them have aspirations of one day attaining ONE gold, but truthfully, some are closer to their goals than others. In the main event, Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex smashed his way through Luis Regis in a Muay […]
There were a number of championship-level competitors on the ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS bout. It’s safe to say most of them have aspirations of one day attaining ONE gold, but truthfully, some are closer to their goals than others.
In the main event, Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex smashed his way through Luis Regis in a Muay Thai bout. The win proved the “Boxing Computer” still has what it takes to evaporate an opponent with his strikes.
While it’s not technically a championship, Yodsanklai’s win might have just set up a bout with Giorgio Petrosyan. If those two meet in the ring, it will feel like a championship bout.
As we move further down the card, we can find winners who have established belts to pursue. Of all the winners, the following combatants are the most realistic championship contenders.
Kiamrian Abbasov
Kiamrian Abbasov scored a dominant win over Agilan Thani in the event’s co-featured bout.
If Abbasov’s victory were to be described with one word, it would have to be pressure. He never relented against the promising 24-year-old Malaysian.
Abbasov’s strikes in the clinch and overall strength overwhelmed Thani. Ultimately, Abbsaov would get the victory via rear-naked choke.
The loss was Thani’s third in his career. The other two came against former welterweight champion Ben Askren, and current titleholder Zebaztian Kadestam.
With Friday’s win, Abbasov joins some impressive company. We don’t know who Kadestam will defend his title against after winning the title in November with a fifth-round KO victory over Tyler McGuire.
A matchup with Abbasov wouldn’t be the worst matchup for a card sometime in spring. We’ll see if that comes to fruition, but Abbasov has to at least be knocking on the door.
Mei Yamaguchi and Jihin Radzuan
Mei Yamaguchi wasn’t competing on the main card in Kuala Lumpur, but she still produced another signature performance on the prelims.
Taking on Jomary Torres, Yamaguchi ground out a tough win. Yamaguchi has already had two shots at the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title.
She fell short in two very competitive matches with Angela Lee. It’s possible Lee might permanently move up to the strawweight division. She was scheduled to face the reigning champion Jingnan Xiong at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in November.
An injury forced Lee out of that bout, but the match is expected to be rescheduled in 2010, if Lee is ready, the February 22 event in Singapore, which is ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS.
Meanwhile, if Lee does vacate the atomweight title, Yamaguchi would have to be considered a frontrunner to battle for the vacant belt. The question is, who would her opponent be?
The answer might be another competitor on the ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS card. The 20-year-old Jihin Radzuan showed great form in front of her hometown Malaysian fans in her win over Jenny Huang. Radzuan is a relentless competitor and it showed on Friday. She took control of the bout with her grappling and outworked her more experienced opponent.
It’s possible Radzuan could be held back for more experience, but a scrap between her and Yamaguchi, perhaps on the undercard of Lee-Jingnan, would make for a heavy duty duo of featured bouts. It would also be a huge evening for women’s mixed martial arts. While Lee is the present and the future, Radzuan might have the potential to make a similar impact because of her youth, talent, warrior spirit, and commercial appeal.
Another competitor who is new to the fold, but could factor into the championship picture in the atomweight division is the recently signed Bi Nguyen. Her first bout hasn’t been announced, but she was brought to ONE to make an impact. We’ll see how quickly she can get into the championship mix.
Vitaly Bigdash
Last but not least, former middleweight champion Vitaly Bigdash got back in the win column after suffering the first two defeats of his career.
With a slick reverse triangle choke, Bigdash forced Yuki Niimura to submit. Bigdash wants nothing more in his professional career than to recapture the ONE Middleweight World Title he lost in his rematch via unanimous decision to current champion Aung La N Sang. Bigdash took the first matchup and is still the last man to defeat Aung La.
Since Bigdash’s win also came via unanimous decision, neither man owns a stoppage or definitive victory over his rival. When the decision was read and Bigdash came up on the short end of the stick, he was visibly upset. A trilogy seems to be in order, but Bigdash might have to win another bout before he earns another shot at the Burmese Python.
Although, it wouldn’t be preposterous to see it happen in March. ONE is scheduled to head back to Aung La’s homeland of Myanmar in March for ONE: REIGN OF VALOR. No bouts are signed yet but don’t be shocked if the main event is a third bout between Aung La and Bigdash.
The final ONE Championship event of the year sent fans home on a high note with a thrilling KO stoppage in the last bout of 2018. The main event of ONE: Destiny of Champions, held inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was a short-lived affair that felt like it was over before it […]
The final ONE Championship event of the year sent fans home on a high note with a thrilling KO stoppage in the last bout of 2018.
The main event of ONE: Destiny of Champions, held inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was a short-lived affair that felt like it was over before it had begun.
Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex said he would stop Luis Regis in their Super Series Muay Thai clash. And stop him he did, in spectacular fashion. The end came quick and decisively, just after the two-minute mark of the first round. Yodsanklai backed Regis up against the cage, delivered a straight one-two and then dropped the Australian with three lead uppercuts.
The 33-year-old Muay Thai legend appears to be truly over his previous injuries, and a bout with Giorgio Petrosyan now seems all but inevitable.
Abbasov Dismantles Thani
The evening’s co-main event was a welterweight clash between Kyrgyzstan’s Kiamrian Abbasov and Malaysia’s Agilan Thani. Both men had lost their last ONE outings, and neither athlete could afford a second straight defeat.
The bout ran just a few seconds longer than the main event but was as equally as one-sided. Abbasov came out of the gate at 100 miles per hour and relentlessly manhandled Thani. He caught his opponent in a body lock early in the round and took him to the floor. Abbasov then proceeded to slam Thani to the ground whenever the Malaysian attempted to get to his feet
Thani looked like a deer caught in the headlights. When the end came via rear-naked choke, the home crowd was stunned into silence.
This was Abbasov ‘s second ONE championship bout. His first was a disappointing unanimous decision loss to Luis Santos in March.
However, the Abbasov that competed tonight was a different animal from the one that fought Santos. If he can put together another performance like this when he next steps into the cage, he will be well on his way to a title shot.
As for Thani, the 23-year-old is still a talented athlete, but will need to take time out and reassess where he goes to from here. Consecutive defeats to Zebaztian Kadestam and Abbasov demonstrate there is work to be done before he can mix it up with the elite of the division.
An Atomweight Contender Emerges
Malaysia’s undefeated Jihin Radzuan capped off what has been an outstanding year for the ONE newcomer with her best performance to date. Radzuan has been the breakout star of the atomweight division in 2018.
The 20-year-old came into her bout with ONE veteran Jenny Huang with an air of expectation surrounding her. Victories over Pooja Tomar and Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol won Radzuan attention from both the public and the media. However, up until tonight, the jury was out on how she would fare taking on an experienced grappler like Huang.
Radzuan forced the pace of bout right from the outset, dominating the stand-up portions of the contest.
A perfectly timed Superman punch from Radzuan was symbolic of the dominance she had while the bout remained standing. Huang had no answer for the shots Radzuan delivered throughout the course of three rounds. She had some success on the mat, but even there, Radzuan was the one controlling the action.
A couple of times Radzuan’s eagerness gave Huang the opportunity to lock in a triangle choke. However, on both occasions, Radzuan was either able to break free or survive until the round ended. It will be interesting to see whom ONE pair her with next. On the back of today’s showing, she earned a title shot.
The risk there would be of rushing Radzuan into a bout with Angela Lee too soon when another couple of matches would help Radzuan refine her game.
The ONE cage will now be packed away for the rest of the year as the company takes time out to prepare for 2019.
The upcoming flyweight and lightweight Grand Prix tournaments plus the companies push into Japan will ensure fans are kept sated with a steady diet of big-name clashes.
For fans, the main talking point will no doubt be how Demetrious Johnson, Sage Northcutt, and Eddie Alvarez perform in their new surroundings. It will be interesting to see how the current athletes stack up against the newcomers.
However it unfolds, it should make for must-see viewing.
ONE: Destiny Of Champions Full Results
Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex def. Luis Regis via first-round KO
Kiamrian Abbasov def. Agilan Thani via first-round submission
Jihin Radzuan def. Jenny Huang via unanimous decision
Petchmorrakot Petchyindee Academy def. Liam Harrison via second-round KO
Vitaly Bigdash def. Yuki Niimura via first-round submission
Yosuke Saruta def. Alex Silva via unanimous decision
Panpayak Jitmuangnon def. Rui Botelho via unanimous decision
Prelims:
Mohammed Bin Mahmoud def. Stergos Mikkios via first-round KO
Mei Yamaguchi def. Jomary Torres via unanimous decision
Chan Rothana def. Abro Fernandes via second-round TKO
Sovannahry Em def. Iryna Kyselova via first-round TKO
Two bouts Kevin Chung vs.Daichi Takenaka and Gianni Subba vs.Ma Hao Bin were both removed from the event.
Fans may know Bi Nguyen more for her time on the hit reality TV show “Survivor” rather than her time being inside the mixed martial arts cage. Known as “Killer Bee”, the Jackson-Wink MMA product will get the chance to turn the tables as she joins The Home of Martial Arts. Nguyen, 29, announced on […]
Fans may know Bi Nguyen more for her time on the hit reality TV show “Survivor” rather than her time being inside the mixed martial arts cage. Known as “Killer Bee”, the Jackson-Wink MMA product will get the chance to turn the tables as she joins The Home of Martial Arts.
Nguyen, 29, announced on her official Instagram account early Thursday that she had signed a contract with ONE Championship. She last competed at King of the Cage in July, losing to Jayme Hinshaw by rear naked choke.
“I’m so excited to finally announce that I have signed with @onechampionship !!! Thank you to the best managers in the business. I’m ready to represent America and Vietnam well!!! LETSGO,” Nguyen wrote on a post of herself with the ONE logo.
With a 4-3 professional record, the Vietnamese-American Nguyen, alongside ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, will look to lead the charge as ONE plans to expand to Vietnam with an event in Ho Chi Minh City in the very near future. The first event in Vietnam is penciled in for September 2019.
The move to ONE certainly comes as no surprise as Nguyen has been vocal about wanting to join the promotion earlier this year. With aspirations to face reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee somewhere down the road, Nguyen joins a roster of talent that recently also acquired big-name free agents Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson.
ONE Championship has been making big moves as of late, and the addition of Nguyen certainly bolster their popularity, not just among mixed martial arts fans in the United States, but also fans of Survivor.
Nguyen was a contestant on Survivor’s 37th season dubbed “David vs Goliath”. However, the 29-year-old had to pull out midway through the season after suffering an injury on the show.
