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Bibiano Fernandes expects to finish John Lineker at ONE X to defend his belt: ‘He’s no champion’
Bibiano Fernandes is excited to finally make the walk to the cage once again. Fernandes hasn’t fought since October of 2019 where he submitted Kevin Belingon to defend his bantamweight title. It was his third straight fight against Belingon, where Fernandes won the final two fights. Since the win, however, COVID-19 and a contract dispute […]
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Bi Nguyen feels better than ever ahead of Jenelyn Olsim fight: “I have the skill to be the champion”
ONE Championship atomweight star Bi Nguyen feels like she’s entering the prime of her fighting life. Nguyen fights Filipina prospect Jenelyn Olsim at ONE: Battleground III this Friday in Singapore. The Vietnamese-American striking specialist will enter the fight with arguably the biggest win of her career in the rear-view mirror: a hard-fought decision triumph over […]
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Itsuki Hirata hopes win over Miku Nakamura will set up future bouts with Meng Bo, Angela Lee
Itsuki Hirata, one of the brightest prospects on the ONE Championship roster, is days out from a potentially career-altering fight. The 21-year-old will collide with Miku Nakamura in the main event of Road to ONE on February 22 in her native Tokyo. A win in this matchup could launch her into the anticipated ONE Atomweight […]
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Shinya Aoki has singular goal ahead of ONE Championship return: “Fight as long as I can”
Shinya Aoki is no longer motivated by money or world titles. The Japanese MMA legend strives only to continue doing what he loves as long as possible. Aoki, one of the most lethal submissions in MMA history, is set to return to action at ONE: Unbreakable next Friday in Singapore, where he’ll welcome former LFA […]
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Tyler McGuire plans to put friendship with Agilan Thani aside to earn statement win
This Friday, at ONE: Big Bang II, Tyler McGuire will make his long awaited return to the ONE Circle when he takes on Agilan Thani. The bout will be McGuire’s first since he came up short in a welterweight title fight with Zebaztian Kadestam in late 2018—his first taste of defeat as a pro mixed […]
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Bi Nguyen looks to close out chaotic 2020 with big win over Jihin Radzuan
ONE Championship atomweight star Bi Nguyen is hoping to close out a chaotic year with a huge win over Malaysia’s Jihin Radzuan at ONE: Big Bang, which goes down on the promotion’s home turf in Singapore this Friday. The coronavirus pandemic made 2020 a bumpy year for just about everyone, but it was particularly frustrating […]
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Confident Arjan Bhullar wants “Buchecha” and Aliakbari after he takes out Brandon Vera
He’s expected to challenge ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera sometime in 2021, but already, former UFC star Arjan “Singh” Bhullar is salivating at the possible matchups to be had in the newly-revamped heavyweight division in ONE Championship. The 34-year-old is 10-1 overall in his career, with impressive wins over Marcelo Golm and […]
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Thanh Le on Martin Nguyen title fight: “All I have to do is touch him”
Thanh Le isn’t taking ONE featherweight champion Martin Nguyen lightly, but knows what he needs to do to usurp the division’s throne. Le will challenge Nguyen, one of ONE Championship’s most dominant titleholders, in one of four title fights on the ONE: Inside the Matrix bill on October 30. As the fight draws ever closer, the […]
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Aung La N Sang ready to hand Reinier de Ridder his first loss
Aung La N Sang, who currently holds the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight titles, never doubted he’d fight in 2020. Even amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Burmese champion had faith that ONE Championship would find a way to get him back into the cage. That faith proved well-placed, as he’s closing in on an […]
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Martin Nguyen vows to be the “best version” of himself against Thanh Le
ONE Championship featherweight titleholder Martin Nguyen says he’ll be better than ever when he steps into the cage with streaking challenger Thanh Le on October 30. The bout will be Nguyen’s first since August, 2019, and the champion is unsurprisingly very excited to get back into the cage—particularly when so many athletes are unable to […]
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BJJ Legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida inspired by Daniel Cormier as he begins MMA career in ONE
Brazilian jiu jitsu legend Marcus Almeida, known more widely by the nickname “Buchecha” recently signed with ONE Championship to begin a career in MMA. It’s a transition the Brazilian heavyweight has been plotting since 2015, but one that finally come together when his manager, Ali Abdelaziz entered into a new partnership with the Singapore-based martial […]
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Ali Abdelaziz on partnership with ONE Championship: ‘This is going to be good for everybody’
Earlier this week, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced a new partnership with MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz and his company, Dominance MMA. Abdelaziz and Sityodtong were first introduced through their mutual friend, Renzo Gracie, but only recently began working together. Both agree the relationship is long overdue. “I’ve known Chatri for seven, eight years,” Ali […]
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Rodtang Jitmuangnon excited to complete trilogy with Petchdam on July 31
ONE Championship returns to Bangkok, Thailand, with ONE: NO Surrender on Friday, July 31. Headlining the promotion’s return card will be a trilogy bout for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Petchdam Petchyindee Academy. Prior to joining the organization, the Thai strikers met at the world-famous Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok […]
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Petchdam exudes confidence ahead of ONE Championship showdown with Rodtang
Petchdam Petchyindee Academy knows his shot at Rodtang Jitmuangnon and the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship at ONE: No Surrender is a golden opportunity. The always exciting Thai, who will look to settle the score with his former foe on July 31 in Bangkok, Thailand, is grateful that he can get back to work […]
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Alain Ngalani finding new motivation in special rules bout with Vitor Belfort
Alain Ngalani has been given the momentous task of welcoming former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort to ONE Championship, and he relishes that challenge. In fact, it’s providing him with new motivation after a prolonged period of listlessness. Ngalani, who hails from Cameroon and now lives in Hong Kong, says the bout will most […]
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Rich Franklin explains how new podcast came together
Rich Franklin wears many hats. He’s a former UFC champ. He’s a ONE Championship executive. He’s the President of ONE Warrior Series and the host of the web series of the same name. And now, he’s a podcast host. Last week, the former UFC middleweight champion announced the launch of his new podcast, Franklin Speaking, […]
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Bibiano Fernandes doubtful he can help Demetrious Johnson prep for ONE title fight
Demetrious Johnson is gearing up for a May 29 fight with ONE flyweight champ Adriano Moraes: a deadly Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with power to boot. Needless to say, this would be an opportune time for Johnson call on his long-time friend and training partner, ONE bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes, who bears many stylistic similarities to […]
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Bibiano Fernandes focusing on mental growth as plans for next fight develop
ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes hasn’t fought since he settled his long-standing rivalry with Kevin Belingon back in October. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to tighten its grip on the world, it’s increasingly unclear when he will be able to fight again. Ever the picture of composure, Fernandes is keeping his cool in the face […]
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ONE Championship fighters describe experience of fighting at closed-door event
This Saturday’s UFC Brasilia card has been closed to the public, meaning the fighters on the bill will compete in an arena completely devoid of fans. This is an experience a number of ONE Championship fighters are already familiar with. Late last month, amid growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus, ONE Championship elected to convert its […]
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Meng Bo, the only woman to defeat Weili Zhang, discusses UFC champ’s success
You have to scroll a long way down Weili Zhang’s 20-1 record to find her only loss. That solitary L occurred all the way back in 2013, in her very first fight, when she was defeated by a woman named Meng Bo at a regional mixed martial arts show in Xuchang, China. The bout was […]
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Troy Worthen recounts his journey from Central Florida to the bright lights of ONE Championship
Troy Worthen was in line to ride Doctor Doom’s Fearfall at Universal Studios in Orlando when he got an email that changed his life. Several weeks prior, he applied to try out for Evolve MMA, a famed fight team based in Singapore — a world away from his Central Florida home. As he waited to […]
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Janet Todd plots major upset in ONE title fight with Stamp Fairtex
In late February of 2019, Janet Todd battled Stamp Fairtex for the inaugural ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship. Todd lost that fight by decision, but in a few short days, she’ll get a second crack at Stamp under slightly different circumstances. This Friday, in the main event of ONE: King of the Jungle, Todd […]
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ONE Championship’s Iuri Lapicus discusses upcoming title fight with Christian Lee
When Iuri Lapicus stepped foot in ONE Championship’s ring for the first time, back in May of 2019, nobody but the most hardcore fight fans knew who the undefeated Italian-Moldavian athlete was. During that debut fight, Iuri Lapicus (14-0 MMA, 2-0 ONE) was able to bring home the victory with a slick rear-naked choke on […]
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Timofey Nastyukhin is ‘100% ready to fight’ and build on momentum of Alvarez win
Former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was widely expected to blow through the competition in ONE Championship. Timofey Nastyukhin, the man tasked with welcoming Alvarez to the ONE cage back in March of 2019, didn’t get the memo. Instead, Nastyukhin disposed of the decorated MMA champion inside one round, shocking everybody but himself. […]
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How Rich Franklin became the Anthony Bourdain of combat sports
Where in the world is Rich Franklin? Depending on when you ask that question, the answer might be Singapore, Mongolia, Australia, Myanmar, Pakistan — any far-flung corner of the planet you can imagine. As the President and host of ONE Warrior Series, the former UFC middleweight champion is almost always on the move. It’s a […]
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Miesha Tate explains how trash talk can be counterproductive for fighters
These days, more and more fighters are using trash talk to promote themselves and their fights. Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate understands why this happens, but believes fighters should think twice before ramping up the verbal warfare. Speaking to BJPENN.com ahead of last weekend’s ONE: Century card, Tate explained how trash talk and bravado […]
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Bibiano Fernandes motivated as ever for fourth fight with Kevin Belingon
ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes is about to fight Kevin Belingon for the fourth time. The pair will collide with the bantamweight title on the line at ONE: Century this Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. Despite the fact that he’s once again preparing for a familiar foe, Fernandes says his focus hasn’t wavered. “I’m excited to […]
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Chatri Sityodtong: Eddie Alvarez still ‘one of the best lightweights in the world’
Eddie Alvarez has had an interesting run in ONE Championship thus far. After losing his promotional debut at the hands of Timofey Nastyukhin in March, he rebounded with a beautiful, come-from-behind submission defeat of the former champion Eduard Folayang in August. Alvarez was then expected to meet Saygid Guseyn “Dagi” Arslanaliev at ONE: Century in […]