Tag: ONE Championship

Aung La N Sang Targeting A Finish In Vitaly Bigdash Trilogy Bout

ONE Middleweight Champion Aung La N Sang will be looking to close the book on his rivalry with Russia’s Vitaly Bigdash when they next faceoff inside the ONE Circle. The pair twice went the distance in 2017, with each fighter earning a win apiece. Bigdash drew first blood but came up short three months later […]

ONE Middleweight Champion Aung La N Sang will be looking to close the book on his rivalry with Russia’s Vitaly Bigdash when they next faceoff inside the ONE Circle.

The pair twice went the distance in 2017, with each fighter earning a win apiece. Bigdash drew first blood but came up short three months later in Myanmar when Aung La claimed the title and became in the process, Myanmar’s first international sports champion.

Since winning the strap on home soil, Aung La has gone on a tear; undefeated in seven bouts, he has also captured the ONE Light heavyweight Championship and is currently one of the promotion’s biggest stars.

However, hiding in the shadows has always been the Bigdash trilogy bout. The Russian makes no secret of the fact that he believes Aung La’s hometown advantage influenced the judges, and he has been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to avenge his loss to the “Burmese Python.”

Bigdash’s chance was due to come on April 10 at ONE: Infinity 1, but the ongoing global pandemic put a stop to that event. The matchup is still in the works, and when they do clash, Aung La knows precisely what he is aiming for when the cage doors close behind him.

“A finish, so that there’s no question whatsoever, and I want to make sure he doesn’t ever want to fight me again,” Aung La said an interview with John Hyon Ko of Kumite TV.

” I know that he put himself on his Instagram as the rightful middleweight champion. It doesn’t matter. It is what is. I want him to come confident, I want him to have a good camp, and he is crafty. He’s fast and agile and super athletic. It’s going to be good.”

The Myanmar fighter is in hot demand at the moment, on top of a new ten bout contract, he has also been called out by ONE Welterweight Champion Kiamrian Abbasov.

Aung La says he is open to facing Abbasov, provided the Kyrgyzstan fighter first puts in the work to earn a shot at the middleweight title.

“He needs to defend his belt. He lost to Luis Santos a few fights ago, come on, focus on your division. I want to focus on defending middleweight,” he said.

“If he comes up and fights a few contenders and does good, of course, I would love to fight him. I would love to fight anybody;I am the champion, but if there is someone that is worthy or better than me, let’s go, let’s do it.

“I am not worried about losing my championship; it doesn’t matter to me at all. I just want to put on great shows and put on good matches for the fans.”

Aung La has one of the most unique stories in MMA. He has gone from unknown journeyman fighter, competing on regional shows in the USA, to two-division ONE champion and Myanmar’s biggest star. His achievements are a testament to his hard work and are an example of what perseverance can achieve.

“Its not just my career it can be for anybody’s career, you can make it to the top, you can make it to the pinnacle if you keep going and going at a steady speed.”

Aung La’s last outing saw him defend his Light Heavyweight strap by stopping ONE Heavyweight Champion Bandon Vera. If he can do the same to Bigdash, it will be the perfect way to end this chapter of his career and the ideal way to begin the next.

Do you see Aung La Finishing Bigdash?

Brandon Vera Says ONE Would ‘Take America By Storm’

Print the posters, book the venue, and match the fights; it’s time to bring ONE Championship to the USA, according to ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera. In an interview with MMAJunkie, Vera opened up on how sees ONE’s potential state-side debut unfolding. “I think ONE Championship would honestly take America by storm. I think they […]

Print the posters, book the venue, and match the fights; it’s time to bring ONE Championship to the USA, according to ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera.

In an interview with MMAJunkie, Vera opened up on how sees ONE’s potential state-side debut unfolding.

“I think ONE Championship would honestly take America by storm. I think they (US fans) were almost ready for Pride. They were almost ready for that style that Bushido code, they were almost ready back then. Then it fell apart. Life happens thing happen,” Vera said.

Until the coronavirus outbreak ONE had been building towards hitting the US market, however, the state the world is in at the moment means ONE’s US debut is likely to be pushed back until 2021 at the earliest.

Nevertheless, Vera feels that when ONE does touch down in the States, the company’s ethos will quickly resonate with martial arts fans.

“What ONE Championship is offering now is what Pride had with six turbos on it, and nitrous ready to kick in. I think the US of A would love this product and absolutely adore it as soon as it hits the stands,” Vera exclaimed.

“I think America would eat it up, especially as this time, people are looking for a guiding light, somethings that’s shining and something that is not fake or a front it’s not a sideshow, it’s really real. So I think the American crowd, especially right now, could use this in our lives. Its something that, man the universe is drawing us to it, its time,” he added.

ONE’s doors may be currently shut, but it doesn’t mean it’s not open for business. The company has been signing fighters left, right, and center over the past few weeks, and, according to Vera, there is still a queue of fighters looking to sign with the promotion.

“I can tell you at least 70-80 percent of all athletes have been calling emailing, texting, facebooking … trying to get on the ONE Championship roster one way or the other.

“I am talking about guys from other organizations, you know it, you have heard the rumors, guys in the top ten in different weight classes ready to move on,” Vera said to MMAJunkie’s Simon Head.

“So I think as soon as ONE Championship kicks the door down and does a show in the US, the floodgates will open for a lot of different things. A lot of different athletes a lot of different fans and the growth of the sport in the United States, it will just double.”

Only time will tell how ONE will do in its attempts to break into the lucrative US market. It will not be easy, but if ONE can crack the code, the rewards will be well worth the effort.

How do you think ONE will do in the USA?

Alain Ngalani Says ‘I’m A Danger For Anyone’ When Talking About Vitor Belfort

ONE Championship’s Alain Ngalani is somewhat of a cult figure for the Singapore-based promotion. The 45-year-old, with the Herculean physique, took up MMA in 2013, following a successful kickboxing career, and has since forged a reputation as an entertaining fighter to watch, even when results don’t go his way. Ngalani’s record inside the ONE Circle […]

ONE Championship’s Alain Ngalani is somewhat of a cult figure for the Singapore-based promotion.

The 45-year-old, with the Herculean physique, took up MMA in 2013, following a successful kickboxing career, and has since forged a reputation as an entertaining fighter to watch, even when results don’t go his way.

Ngalani’s record inside the ONE Circle currently stands at 4-5 with one no-contest. Only two of the Cameroon native’s fights have made it out of the first round, and with Ngalani, it often seems to be a case of “Here for a good time, not a long time.”

So when the ONE matchmakers were looking for the right opponent to welcome MMA legend, Vitor Belfort, to ONE, it was clear that Ngalani ticked all the boxes. It’s a matchup that has got Ngalani’s competitive juices flowing.

” I am coming to win this fight, When I am in the right mindset when I am healthy, I am danger for anyone,” Ngalani said in an interview with Sherdog.

“I am very healthy, I have recovered from my injuries, and I am ready for this I just needed something to put the fire back in me and motivate me and give me that fire I was lacking.”

To date, the most recognized fighter Ngalani has fought in MMA is Myanmar superstar Aung La N Sang. A fight with Belfort — even at this late stage of the Brazilian’s career — will boast Ngalani’s profile in a way few other matchups in ONE could.

Ngalani is fully aware of the legacy that Belfort carries and respects the 43-year-old’s decision to have one last hurrah before hanging up his gloves.

“I think overall Vitor is one of the best fighters that I will face and that’s just to give the man the honor he deserves I think he is a legend. He has done a lot in the sport he has nothing to prove,” he exclaimed.

“Props to him to come back and fight at this time at this level, my hats off to him, I respect him a lot.”

The pairs fight will take place under an as-yet-unannounced set of modified rules. Any changes are unlikely to bother Ngalani and could, in fact, benefit him if they impose limits on grappling, which is not his strong suit.

The fight’s weight class also has yet to be confirmed, and on this note, Ngalani — a natural heavyweight — sounded a word of warning to Belfort.

“I would say that he might be reaching a little [to fight Ngalani at heavyweight], but you never know I don’t know what his state of mind is now. I trust that he knows what he is doing, but I feel like it’s to my advantage to be at my normal weight.”

There will not be any belt on the line when Ngalani squares off against Belfort, but the stakes will still be high for both men. A win for the Cameroonian will see his name become known by a whole new set of fans, while a loss for Belfort could be the final act of his career.

Whenever the bout does take place, it will be fun while it lasts.

How hyped are you for this fight?

Bibiano Fernandes Talks John Lineker And Possible Featherweight Run

ONE Championship bantamweight titleholder Bibiano Fernandes is ready for a new challenge. Fernandes, fresh off a year-long rivalry with Team Lakay’s Kevin Belingon, knows who he would like to face next, but it’s a name that unfortunately for fans is not likely to appear opposite “The Flash” anytime soon. “For me, if you ask ‘Bibiano, […]

ONE Championship bantamweight titleholder Bibiano Fernandes is ready for a new challenge.

Fernandes, fresh off a year-long rivalry with Team Lakay’s Kevin Belingon, knows who he would like to face next, but it’s a name that unfortunately for fans is not likely to appear opposite “The Flash” anytime soon.

“For me, if you ask ‘Bibiano, what kind of guy do you want to fight today?’ I would say [Henry] Cejudo. Because he is the champion and it would be a good fight,” Fernandes said in an interview with Sherdog’s Jason Burgos.

“That would be a challenge for me; that would motivate me okay, he’s the best in the UFC.”

At 40-years-old Fernandes has racked up an impressive 23-4 record, and while he is aware he is unlikely to cross paths with Cejudo, there is another UFC veteran, in John Lineker, whom he could be trading leather with soon.

Lineker announced his arrival at ONE last October with a unanimous decision victory over Muin Gafurov. The hard-hitting Brazilian has yet to impact the ONE rankings system, but if he were to get a couple of wins under his belt, then ” Hands of Stone” could soon be knocking on the door for a title shot.

It is an exciting fan-friendly matchup, and one Fernandes is happy to entertain.

” John Lineker can be a good fight, but the thing is I don’t say ‘I want this guy, I want that guy’ because really it’s ONE Championship’s decision. At the end of the day, they have to make that decision, and I have to sit with my manager, and I sit with my coach and say yes or no.” Fernandes said.

“For Lineker, if he wants to fight me, yes, it would be a good fight to fight that guy. He has a good name. He has fought in the UFC, and it would be a very good challenge for me too.”

The ONE veteran is also open to the idea of moving to featherweight but is not in any rush to chase champ-champ status just yet.

“I have to play the game very smart here; its a game, don’t forget. MMA is a game you have to understand the way you want to play. When you know the way you want to play, it’s easy, but when you don’t know, it can get very difficult,” he exclaimed.

” I have an interest in fighting at featherweight and see how I will do there, but not now, let’s see what happens in the future.”

Fernandes estimates he has another two or three years left before he rides off into the MMA sunset, giving fans just enough time to see him take on the latest crop of bantamweight contenders before making a run at featherweight.

Would you be keen to see Fernandes move up to featherweight?

BJJ Maestro Tom DeBlass Signs With ONE Championship

Grappling dynamo Tom “T-Bone” DeBlass announced on Facebook today that he will be dusting off his gloves and returning to MMA under the ONE Championship banner. It has been seven years since DeBlass competed in the sport with his last outing being a first-round knockout win over Jason Lambert at Bellator 108. The 38-year-old New […]

Grappling dynamo Tom “T-Bone” DeBlass announced on Facebook today that he will be dusting off his gloves and returning to MMA under the ONE Championship banner.

It has been seven years since DeBlass competed in the sport with his last outing being a first-round knockout win over Jason Lambert at Bellator 108.

The 38-year-old New Jersey native, who had a brief UFC stint, has cornered ONE featherweight Garry Tonon in the past, and as he described in his post, the experience left a mark on him.

I'd like to announce my official commitment to ONE Championship. Life sometimes has twists and turns we don't expect….

Posted by Tom DeBlass on Sunday, May 17, 2020

DeBlass is a decorated BJJ practitioner who has racked up multiple accolades throughout his career, including earning himself the accolade of becoming a three-time ADCC North American Champion. Deblass left MMA with a 9-2 record.

There is no word yet as to what weight division ‘T-Bone” will be competing in, but it will likely be light-heavyweight or heavyweight.Despite his time away from the sport, it would not be surprising to see Deblass stage a title run; once he shakes off the ring-rust. The American’s grappling skills alone will ensure he is a match for any fighter in either of the aforementioned divisions.

Do you think DeBlass could end up with ONE gold around his waist?

ONE Championship Postpones All Events Through May Due To COVID-19

Demetrious Johnson will have to wait a little longer to fight for ONE Championship’s flyweight title. The promotion announced on Monday that they have been forced to postpone all events through May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “All May events fo…

Demetrious Johnson will have to wait a little longer to fight for ONE Championship’s flyweight title. The promotion announced on Monday that they have been forced to postpone all events through May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “All May events for ONE Championship will be postponed until further notice due to the recent COVID-19 developments […]

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