Tag: ONE Championship

Joe Rogan heaps praise on ex-UFC star Demetrious Johnson after BJJ exploits: ‘He’s the best ever’

Joe Rogan claims Demetrious Johnson is the best ever after winning gold medal at grappling eventReacting to former undisputed UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson’s stunning submission grappling exploits in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,…

Joe Rogan claims Demetrious Johnson is the best ever after winning gold medal at grappling event

Reacting to former undisputed UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson’s stunning submission grappling exploits in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, stalwart commentator, Joe Rogan has branded the Kentucky native likely the best ever mixed martial arts fighter to ever compete.

Johnson, a former undisputed flyweight champion under the UFC banner – still holds the record for most consecutive successive title defenses, turning in a jaw-dropping 11 straight successful defenses of his flyweight crown. 

Adriano Moraes Demetrious Johnson ONE on Prime Video 1 1920X1280 63

Setting his record in stunning circumstances, Johnson threw former title challenger and fellow promotional alum, Ray Borg into a fierce armbar following a suplex attempt at UFC 216 back in 2017 – forcing a final round tap.

Demetrious Johnson grapples 250-pound giant at IBJJF Pan Championships, takes home gold

And since landing the ONE Championship flyweight World Grand Prix and the promotion’s flyweight championship, Johnson has since turned his hand to submission grappling in recent months, recently taking home a rake of gold and silver medals at the IBJJF Pan championships.

Joe Rogan labels Demetrious Johnson the best ever

Reacting to footage of career flyweight, Johnson grappling with a 250 pound competitor at the event, avid grappler and Jiu-Jitsu player, Rogan – a current UFC color-commentator to boot, declared Johnson was likely the greatest mixed martial artist ever.

Demetrious Johnson

“How crazy is that?” Joe Rogan said on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “‘Mighty Mouse’ (Demetrious Johnson) took on a guy who is 250 pounds in a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, and he tapped him. The dude was heavier than him by 100 pounds. The dude was enormous, the guy was so much bigger than him. Look at the size difference, look at how big that dude it – but ‘Mighty Mouse’ is so slick. There it is. And then manages to stay on top, which is really crazy. It’s crazy that he couldn’t get him off him. That’s technique.”

“He’s probably the best ever,” Rogan said of Demetrious Johnson. “In terms of just pure martial arts technique, I think the best expression of martial arts technique is ‘Mighty Mouse’.”

Do you rank Demetrious Johnson as the best fighter ever?

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.

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.

Shinya Aoki seemingly slams ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong at promotion’s latest event: ‘I really came to hate him’

Shinya Aoki and Chatri SityodtongThe relationship between Japanese MMA icon Shinya Aoki and ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong has seen better days. On…

Shinya Aoki and Chatri Sityodtong

The relationship between Japanese MMA icon Shinya Aoki and ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong has seen better days.

On Sunday, Aoki returned to the ring at ONE 165 in his home country expecting to square off with ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt. Instead, ‘Tobikan Judan’ ended up fighting former ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker in a remarkably short-notice openweight MMA bout. Given their significant size difference and opposing skill sets, Aoki made quick work of Lineker, earning a first-round submission via neck crank.

Following the bout, Aoki spoke with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson in the ring where he was asked about why he accepted the fight with Lineker. “Since he asked me to, there was no other choice, but to do it,” Aoki said, the “he” referring to Sityodtong.

However, it appeared as though Aoki had said something else that the translator either missed altogether or chose to omit. According to X user @puraiya, the former ONE lightweight titleholder shared his disdain for the promotion’s founder in his comments to the live crowd.

“When my relationship to Chatri, a man I thought of as a friend, became one of “boss and employee”, I really came to f*cking hate him… but when that guy asks something of me, I guess I have no choice.”

We can’t confirm the 100% accuracy of the translation provided, but during Aoki’s post-fight interview, there was a very noticeable moment of awkward silence from the crowd, indicating that he had said something more than what the translator revealed.

Fans tuning in and sharing their thoughts on social media were seemingly clued into what Aoki was saying.

One wrote, “I love how much the translator was stuttering trying to figure out what to say,” while another added, “I realized the awkward silence of the crowd for a sec.”

Chatri Sityodtong Has a History of Disrespecting Japanese Fighters Despite Desperately Trying to Break into the Market

It’s unclear what the issue, if any, is between Aoki and Sityodtong, but could it have something to do with the CEO’s continued disrespect towards Japanese fighters as a whole.

“The biggest challenge for Japan is… If you look at the last several years, it doesn’t matter which discipline, Japanese fighters come into ONE and they get crushed,” Sityodtong said in a post-fight press conference. In order for ONE Championship to blow up in Japan, we need the best of the best in Japan — K-1, Rise, RIZIN — they’re the best in Japan, but when they come to ONE Championship, they lose. If you look at the Japanese record, there’s a lot of losses in ONE.”

Sityodtong also kickstarted a war of words with K-1 producer Carlos Kikuta after the ONE CEO shot down the possibility of co-promoting an event with K-1, saying, “It’s a tiny organization and the level is very low.”