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Tag: ONE 172

  • ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong Apologizes To Fighter He Accused of ‘Taking The Easy Way Out’

    Chatri Sityodtong, the leader of ONE Championship, has faced accusations of disrespectful bullying following Sunday’s ONE 172 event.

    The controversy arose from his public criticism of Japanese Shoot Boxing Champion Kaito Ono, who declined a catchweight bout against Marat Grigorian after the Armenian-Belgian failed to make weight. This incident has strained relations between ONE Championship and Shoot Boxing.

    At the post-fight press conference for ONE 172, Sityodtong launched a verbal attack on Ono, accusing him of being “scared” and lacking integrity for refusing the fight. His public shaming of Ono, who was participating in a cross-promotion match, has been widely condemned as unprofessional.

    Shoot Boxing, which has a history of successful cross-promotion events with organizations like RISE, K-1, and Glory, entered into an agreement with ONE Championship in good faith. However, Sityodtong’s actions have appeared to jeopardize this relationship. The organization has now formally demanded an apology, citing his unacceptable and disrespectful treatment of Kaito Ono.

    The public nature of the ONE chief’s remarks has drawn significant attention, with many criticizing his leadership and behavior. In response, Chatri Sityodtong has since retracted his comments.

    ONE’s chairman and CEO issued the following statement:

    “Like all the fans and officials, I was looking forward to the bout between Marat Grigorian and Kaito. Grigorian passed the hydration test after the time limit, which put him 350 grams overweight. At this point, Grigorian was penalized by having 20% of his fight purse forfeited and given to Kaito.

    “When a fighter is less than one pound overweight, the standard response in the world’s major mixed martial arts organizations is to negotiate a bout at a catchweight.

    “Naturally, I was disappointed when Kaito declined the bout. However, as the CEO of ONE Championship, it was inappropriate for me to express such feelings in a press conference.

    “I sincerely apologize and formally retract my comments regarding Kaito’s lack of courage. Kaito is a highly respected champion in Japan.”

  • ONE 172 Results & Highlights: Rodtang Stops Takeru In Under 90 Seconds

    ONE 172 Results & Highlights: Rodtang Stops Takeru In Under 90 Seconds

    The stacked ONE 172 event took place Sunday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action!

    ONE Championship was back in Japan this past week, where the Saitama Super Arena played host to a number of intriguing battles across three different sports.

    Asia’s premier martial arts organization brought with it to the “Land of the Rising Sun” a deep lineup, filled with champions and plenty of prominent names in MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing.

    After four blockbuster title fights took place featuring the likes of MMA star Adriano Moraes, atomweight kickboxing champion Phetjeeja, and strawweight striker Jonathan Di Bella, the long-awaited showdown between Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon headlined proceedings.

    It took “The Iron Man” less than 90 seconds to finish “The Natural Born Krusher.”

    With Sunday’s event concluded, see below for the full results and a replay via the promotion’s official YouTube channel.

    ONE 172 Results & Highlights

    Main Card:

    • Flyweight Kickboxing: Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Takeru Segawa via KO: R1, 1:20
    • Interim Featherweight Kickboxing Championship: Masaaki Noiri def. Tawanchai PK Saenchai via TKO: R3, 1:55
    • Flyweight MMA Championship: Yuya Wakamatsu def. Adriano Moraes via TKO: R1, 3:39
    • Interim Strawweight Kickboxing Championship: Jonathan Di Bella def. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao via unanimous decision
    • Atomweight Kickboxing Championship: Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom def. Kana Morimoto via unanimous decision
    • Bantamweight Muay Thai: Nabil Anane def. Superlek via unanimous decision
    • Featherweight Kickboxing: Marat Grigorian vs. Kaito Ono
    • Atomweight Muay Thai: Nadaka Yoshinari def. Rak Erawan via KO: R3, 2:40
    • Lightweight MMA: Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang via submission (armbar): R1, 0:53
    • Bantamweight Kickboxing: Hiroki Akimoto def. John Lineker via split decision
    • Lightweight MMA: Adrian Lee def. Takeharu Ogawa via submission (anaconda choke): R1, 1:03
    • Flyweight Muay Thai: Shimon Yoshinari def. Yodlekpet Or Atchariya via unanimous decision

    Early Card:

    • Flyweight Kickboxing: Hyu Iwata def. Zakaria El Jamari via KO: R1, 2:12
    • Catchweight (132lbs) Kickboxing: Ryusei Kumagai def. Suriyanlek Por Yenying via unanimous decision

    Ryusei Kumagai Def. Suriyanlek Por Yenying

    Hyu Iwata Def. Zakaria El Jamari

    Shimon Yoshinari Def. Yodlekpet Or Atchariya

    Adrian Lee Def. Takeharu Ogawa

    Hiroki Akimoto Def. John Lineker

    Shinya Aoki Def. Eduard Folayang

    Nadaka Yoshinari Def. Rak Erawan

    Nabil Anane Def. Superlek

    Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom Def. Kana Morimoto

    Jonathan Di Bella Def. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao

    Yuya Wakamatsu Def. Adriano Moraes

    Masaaki Noiri Def. Tawanchai PK Saenchai

    Rodtang Jitmuangnon Def. Takeru Segawa

  • Demetrious Johnson’s Successor Crowned As Adriano Moraes Suffers Shock Loss In ONE 172 Title Fight

    Demetrious Johnson’s Successor Crowned As Adriano Moraes Suffers Shock Loss In ONE 172 Title Fight

    Following Demetrious Johnson’s retirement last year, ONE Championship finally has a new flyweight king.

    Johnson officially announced his retirement from the sport of MMA at ONE 168 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado last September following 15 months of uncertainty. His final fight was a headline victory at ONE Fight Night 10, the Asian promotion’s United States debut in May 2023.

    After outpointing Adriano Moraes in their trilogy to keep hold of the ONE flyweight title, “Mighty Mouse” hinted that the victory may have marked his farewell. That ultimately turned out to be the case, with Johnson confirming his decision to hang up the gloves by delivering an emotional speech in front of his family and adoring fans.

    Months later, the promotion began to move forward as life without Johnson got underway, announcing a vacant title fight between former champ Moraes and a man whom he’d already beaten, Yuya Wakamatsu.

    That went down Sunday morning at ONE 172 in Japan, where the home favorite upset “Mikinho” with a first-round knockout.

    https://twitter.com/GBearMMA/status/1903776343990366622

    The result means a name other than Johnson or Moraes now holds the flyweight title for the first time in over six years.

    Wakamatsu won three straight over Wei Xie, Danny Kingad, and Gilbert Nakatani to earn a rematch with Moraes. “Little Piranha” previously made an unsuccessful challenge for the Brazilian’s belt back in 2022.

  • ONE Championship Announces Fight For Title Vacated After Demetrious Johnson’s Retirement

    ONE Championship Announces Fight For Title Vacated After Demetrious Johnson’s Retirement

    ONE Championship has announced that on March 23 at ONE 172, the promotion will crown a new flyweight champion in the co-main event of the evening. The title has been left vacant ever since Demetrious Johnson announced his retirement at the Ball Arena in Denver this past September at ONE 168.

    Following several high stakes contests at flyweight, the two top contenders that will battle for the gold have emerged. Brazil’s Adriano Moraes is a multiple time flyweight champion in ONE and was the inaugural holder of the title back in 2014. In his latest title reign, he ended his trilogy of fights with Geje Eustaquio before becoming the first man to finish Johnson in 2021 which kickstarted their trilogy of fights.

    Moraes recently returned to the win column in Johnson’s absence by beating Danny Kingad at ONE 169 in November via a submission in the second round. “Mikinho” is now set to face off with Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu who is sure to receive an incredible amount of support at the Saitama Super Arena on March 23.

    Wakamatsu previously challenged Moraes for the flyweight title in 2022 at ONE: X where he was submitted in the third round. After suffering back-to-back defeats, “Little Pranha” has won three in a row including a dominant victory at the start of December over Gilbert Nakatani.

    This huge card is set to be headlined by arguably the biggest fight in the history of the promotion as Rodtang Jitmuangnon faces off with Takeru Segawa in a kickboxing super fight that has been building ever since their matchup at ONE 165 earlier this year fell through due to an injury to the Thai superstar. There is sure to be a lot more top Japanese talent on the card for what will be ONE’s biggest event to date.