Tag: ONE Championship

Former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez is gone from the Octagon.

The decorated longtime vet announced he was officially signing with Asia’s ONE Championship earlier this week. The move was surprising considering Alvarez had put on some of the most exciting fights the Octagon had seen during his four-year run in the UFC. His recent wars with Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje absolutely come to mind.

That UFC run came on the heels of a wildly successful reign as Bellator champion. But for all of his successes and championships, Alvarez was perhaps beginning to fade against the absolute best 155-pound fighters in the world. His UFC record since winning the title in July 2016 was only 1-2(1) with two knockout defeats. Many would argue he was well on his way to being finished by Poirier in that no contest as well.

So the surging ONE Championship may be a perfect change of scenery for Alvarez. It’s not like the UFC didn’t attempt to keep the ultra-exciting Alvarez. However, ‘The Underground King’ told MMA Fighting that there was simply one reason he chose ONE Championship:

“Without getting too much into it, we had offers from all around the world. We got offers from just about everyone you can think. Everyone expressed interest. The idea of ONE Championship, it’s the only major organization I haven’t held world title in. I won the Bellator title twice during my career, I won the UFC title during my career and as far as I’m concerned, ONE is the only major organization that I haven’t got to touch that world title belt.”

A Chance At History

Alvarez views this as an opportunity to make history. Traveling the globe and fighting the best opponents in every organization like he has is a chance perhaps no other fighter will never get according to him:

“For myself, for my family, for my fans and everyone, this would mean that I would have a chance at making history. Possibly history that could never be made again. It would take a fighter 20 years in the fight game to be able to fight for these major organization, and it’s almost like a lottery ticket to be able to win one world title. So to be able to go to every major organization, fight their best guys in the world, to fight the best guys in that organization and then beat them all one-by-one and win that world title, means the world to me.”

Legacy

The former two-promotion champ then said he wanted to avoid the situation where he would possibly be criticized for not adding the ONE title to his list of belts:

“If I was to retire, and there was an organization out there that was the best in the world and I wasn’t able [to fight there], and people would come to me and they would go, ‘Yeah, but he didn’t win the ONE world title’ – that would bug me. I’m going to save myself that bother and fly to Asia and take on the best lightweights there and win that world title.”

It’s questionable if Alvarez would be criticized in such a fashion. He’s won both the UFC and Bellator titles in a weight class often considered the toughest in MMA history. His legacy is set in stone aside from his somewhat mediocre UFC record as of late.

Ultimately, Asia’s rapidly-rising MMA player made an offer he simply could not refuse:

“The offer from ONE was too good to turn down. Considering what the average pay of an athlete is at the UFC, I believe the UFC did a great job. But, they have a business model. They pay a certain amount for certain fighters for certain reasons. It is what it is. There’s no harm, no foul. It’s a business first with these promotions. ONE looked out for me, looked out for my family and understands my wants and my needs and I think it’s important to return the favor.”

The post Eddie Alvarez Reveals Major Reason He Went To ONE Championship appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Since its inaugural card in September 2011, ONE Championship has staged over 80 live events and has visited 11 different countries, including United Arab Emirates, China, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

Two months ago, ONE Championship dropped a bombshell as it announced plans for a record 30 live events in 2019, venturing into new markets such as Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.

The prominent ONE Championship cage will finally land in the Japanese capital of Tokyo on 31 March next year, and it is also scheduled to return later in the year on 11 October.

In addition to two shows in Japan, ONE Championship is scheduled to visit Vietnam for the first time to host an event in Ho Chi Minh City on 6 September and break new ground in Seoul, South Korea on 20 December.

“We made a lot of groundbreaking moments in 2018, but it doesn’t stop there. 2019 is already shaping up to be an amazing year for us. We still have a lot of great stuff planned for the coming year. Definitely, we are not resting on our laurels,” ONE Championship head honcho Chatri Sityodtong stated.

Over the past few years, ONE Championship has firmly established its roots in the East where it has enjoyed immense success.

But more importantly, the organization has cemented its place among the world’s best martial arts offerings, creating a global duopoly with its Western counterparts.

The martial arts scene in Asia today is synonymous with ONE Championship as one of the company’s missions is to make the sport a part of the daily fabric of society in the region.

ONE Championship has taken martial arts in Asia into greater heights, broadcasting to over 1.7-billion potential viewers across 138 countries around the world.

Due to the incredible groundwork by ONE Championship, the number of martial arts fans from all across Asia has multiplied exponentially, especially over the past three years.

In line with this, ONE Championship has seen incredible growth rates in both television viewership and social media engagement, which are a testament to the rapid rise of the promotion in worldwide households and the sport of martial arts as a whole.

ONE Championship’s massive reach was most evident during its ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES show in Bangkok, Thailand last 6 October, drawing over 25 million viewers to set a record-breaking peak TV ratings share of 58.5 percent according to the data from Nielsen.

Aside from housing the best and brightest athletes from across the globe like Bibiano Fernandes, Ben Askren, Renzo Gracie, Brandon Vera and Shinya Aoki, ONE Championship has also been pivotal in the development of local and homegrown talents like the Philippines’ Eduard Folayang, Singapore’s Angela Lee and Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang.

After securing an investment of US$166 million from Sequoia Capital to raise its capital base to US$250 million a week ago, it puts ONE Championship at a place of power and great influence in Asia.

In addition, the promotion is positioned for more exposure globally as it seeks to acquire marquee talents available in the free agent market

In 2018, ONE Championship boasts roster 450 athletes, featuring 94 world champions from across different disciplines of martial arts.

On Tuesday, 16 October, ONE Championship made headlines once more as it publicly confirmed the signing of international mixed martial arts superstar Eddie Alvarez into a multi-bout contract.

On a global conference call for the upcoming ONE: HEART OF THE LION event on 9 November in Singapore, Sityodtong confirmed that the acquisition of Alvarez is just the beginning as the company will continue to draw more notable names from the international martial arts circuit.

“We have the largest collection of world champions from martial arts, globally,” he stated. “Eddie is the first of our big signings. I think you will be surprised by announcements coming in the future.”

At the moment, ONE Championship is one of only two martial arts companies in the world with valuations in the US$1 billion-plus range.

Furthermore, reliable sources within the organization confirm that ONE Championship is on pace to exceed USD $100 million in revenue in the near future.

Given the company’s exponential growth, there also seems to be no signs of slowing down for ONE Championship.

“We’re absolutely packing stadiums. We are filling thousand-seater arenas with passionate martial arts fans. We have the support of local governments, most importantly, the support of our fans. We have the most fantastic sponsors and partners on board that believe in what we’re doing, that believe in our vision,” Sityodtong concluded.

The post ONE Championship Ventures Into New Territories In 2019 To Expand Global Reach appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

With 23 days to go before the highly-anticipated rematch between Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil and Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines, the latter’s teammates have high hopes that the Filipino dynamo will walk away with his hand raised in triumph.

Belingon squares off with Fernandes for the second time in a world title unification contest at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, which takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 9 November.

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, the newly-crowned ONE Strawweight World Champion, explained that Belingon’s first-round submission setback to Fernandes in January 2016 served as a wake-up call for the 30-year-old resident of Baguio City, Philippines, prompting him to fill in the gaps of his skill set.

“From the day that he lost to a great champion like Bibiano, I have seen Kevin’s desire to learn more and improve. We feel his hunger to unify the world titles in training. Kevin is now a complete fighter, and I’m definitely sure that he will get the victory,” Pacio shared.

Since yielding to Fernandes over two years ago, Belingon steamrolled six top contenders in ONE Championship’s talent-filled 65.8-kilogram weight class, including a dominant victory over Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen to become the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Champion last July.

Former flyweight title contender Danny “The King” Kingad admired Belingon’s determination and dedication to transform himself into a more well-rounded competitor at this point of his professional career.

“Kevin’s will to learn and grow as a fighter is what most of us at Team Lakay admire. His dedication gives us a lot of inspiration to train hard every single day. Kevin and Bibiano are both great athletes, but Kevin will definitely be the winner on November 9. In this fight, he is the more complete fighter,” Kingad stated.

Meanwhile, reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio believes that Belingon has the edge in the second encounter with Fernandes, comparing both men’s respective performances against Nguyen.

Belingon and Fernandes battled a similar opponent in Nguyen earlier this year, but it was the Filipino hard-hitter who performed spectacularly better against the two-division titleholder.

Fernandes had to overcome a spirited effort from Nguyen to win via razor-thin split decision this past March, while Belingon effortlessly picked the Vietnamese-Australian sensation apart to cruise to a unanimous decision victory four months later.

“Even though many see him as the underdog, I see him as the 2-to-1 favorite to win the rematch. His performance against Martin Nguyen in July is a testament that Kevin is a totally different martial artist today. So Bibiano should keep a watchful eye. Kevin is so dangerous,” Eustaquio said.

For ex-ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, settling the score with Fernandes fans the flames of Belingon’s ravening drive to finally snap the Brazilian’s remarkable 14-bout winning streak.

“The loss to Bibiano over two years ago was the motivating factor for him to improve as an athlete. He is capable of solving the problems that Bibiano will present in the rematch. I am 100 percent confident that Kevin will bring the belt back to the Philippines on 9th of November,” Folayang disclosed.

The post Kevin Belingon’s Teammates Pin Hopes On Him To Be Victorious Against Dominant Brazilian Champ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

With 23 days to go before the highly-anticipated rematch between Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil and Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines, the latter’s teammates have high hopes that the Filipino dynamo will walk away with his hand raised in triumph.

Belingon squares off with Fernandes for the second time in a world title unification contest at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, which takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 9 November.

Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, the newly-crowned ONE Strawweight World Champion, explained that Belingon’s first-round submission setback to Fernandes in January 2016 served as a wake-up call for the 30-year-old resident of Baguio City, Philippines, prompting him to fill in the gaps of his skill set.

“From the day that he lost to a great champion like Bibiano, I have seen Kevin’s desire to learn more and improve. We feel his hunger to unify the world titles in training. Kevin is now a complete fighter, and I’m definitely sure that he will get the victory,” Pacio shared.

Since yielding to Fernandes over two years ago, Belingon steamrolled six top contenders in ONE Championship’s talent-filled 65.8-kilogram weight class, including a dominant victory over Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen to become the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Champion last July.

Former flyweight title contender Danny “The King” Kingad admired Belingon’s determination and dedication to transform himself into a more well-rounded competitor at this point of his professional career.

“Kevin’s will to learn and grow as a fighter is what most of us at Team Lakay admire. His dedication gives us a lot of inspiration to train hard every single day. Kevin and Bibiano are both great athletes, but Kevin will definitely be the winner on November 9. In this fight, he is the more complete fighter,” Kingad stated.

Meanwhile, reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio believes that Belingon has the edge in the second encounter with Fernandes, comparing both men’s respective performances against Nguyen.

Belingon and Fernandes battled a similar opponent in Nguyen earlier this year, but it was the Filipino hard-hitter who performed spectacularly better against the two-division titleholder.

Fernandes had to overcome a spirited effort from Nguyen to win via razor-thin split decision this past March, while Belingon effortlessly picked the Vietnamese-Australian sensation apart to cruise to a unanimous decision victory four months later.

“Even though many see him as the underdog, I see him as the 2-to-1 favorite to win the rematch. His performance against Martin Nguyen in July is a testament that Kevin is a totally different martial artist today. So Bibiano should keep a watchful eye. Kevin is so dangerous,” Eustaquio said.

For ex-ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, settling the score with Fernandes fans the flames of Belingon’s ravening drive to finally snap the Brazilian’s remarkable 14-bout winning streak.

“The loss to Bibiano over two years ago was the motivating factor for him to improve as an athlete. He is capable of solving the problems that Bibiano will present in the rematch. I am 100 percent confident that Kevin will bring the belt back to the Philippines on 9th of November,” Folayang disclosed.

The post Kevin Belingon’s Teammates Pin Hopes On Him To Be Victorious Against Dominant Brazilian Champ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.