18 March 2019 – Manila, Philippines: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced additional bouts for ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR, which is set to take place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 12 April. Once again, the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent will grace the ONE Championship stage and showcase their world-class skills.

In the main event, reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Vietnam and Australia will defend his title against former ONE World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia.

Also, in the co-main event, a highly-anticipated rematch takes place when former ONE World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines challenges reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta of Japan.

Ticket information for ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR is available at www.onefc.com.

Reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen is back in action against former ONE World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa.

The 29-year-old Nguyen has become one of the most prolific Asian martial arts talents over the past few years, winning seven of his last nine contests. In 2015, he embarked on an unprecedented six-bout winning streak. Along the way, he captured both the ONE Featherweight and ONE Lightweight World Titles to become a simultaneous two-division ONE World Champion.

After falling to injury, however, Nguyen was prompted to vacate the lightweight belt in September 2018. Now, with Nguyen fully recovered, the Vietnamese-Australian sensation is slated to make his much-awaited return to action against the dangerous veteran Jadambaa.

Jadambaa burst onto the ONE Championship stage in May 2014 by defeating former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario of the Philippines. He has since been a winner of six of his last eight contests. In 2014, he captured the ONE Featherweight World Title with a victory over Koji Oishi. Over the years, Jadambaa has defeated some of ONE Championship’s biggest names, with notable victories coming over Kotetsu Boku, Kazuki Tokudome, and Eric and Edward Kelly.

Having been on a collision course, Nguyen and Jadambaa will meet for the first time in the main event of ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR. This five-round World Title tiff promises loads of action and fireworks.

In the co-main event of the evening, the Philippines’ Joshua “The Passion” Pacio looks to exact revenge over former conqueror Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta of Japan. Saruta scored a monumental upset when he defeated Pacio via razor-thin split decision at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY last January to capture the ONE Strawweight World Title.

After Pacio’s initial opponent, Hayato Suzuki, was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury, it was Saruta who was tapped to take his place in the main event opposite the Filipino.

Using his world-class striking and grappling skills, Saruta put together a comprehensive performance to capture the belt. However, the extremely close result was enough to warrant an immediate rematch between the two. Now, Pacio and Saruta have the chance to settle the score once and for all to determine who is the true king of the talent-filled strawweight division.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Leandro “Brodinho” Issa of Brazil is back to take on former CKF Champion Fu Chang Xin of China.

Issa, who represents Evolve in Singapore, is a winner of three of his last four bouts, which includes two exciting finishes. Meanwhile, Fu, who is a boxing, wrestling, and taekwondo specialist, has won his last five bouts, which includes three stoppages. The two streaking martial artists are on a collision course and should provide fans with an intriguing match-up.

Dutch-Moroccan kickboxer Ibrahim “Mr. Cool” El Bouni looks to put himself back on the right track when he takes on Andrei “Mister KO” Stoica of Romania.

El Bouni split his first two appearances for the promotion but has impressed in both outings with his world-class striking skills. The former A1WCC Kickboxing World Champion aims to make 2019 a year to remember, starting off by taking on a dangerous knockout artist.

Stoica recently made his ONE Super Series debut at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR. The former SUPERKOMBAT Cruiserweight World Champion is known for his power and technique, as well as his warrior spirit. Stoica looks to make a statement against “Mr. Cool” in his return.

Brazilian mixed martial arts veteran Luis “Sapo” Santos is back in action against undefeated American welterweight James Nakashima.

The 39-year-old Santos recently scored a scintillating first-round knockout victory over Japan’s Daichi Abe, which brought him back into the World Title mix. Santos is known for his brute strength and undeniable power. He will be bringing these qualities into the cage once more when he squares off with his next opponent.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Nakashima has built a career around his well-calculated and intelligent bout strategies, which has brought him victory every time he has stepped into the cage. It will be no different against Santos, whom Nakashima plans to dominate from the first round to the last.

Filipino martial arts veteran Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly will take on South Korean grappler Sung Jong Lee.

Kelly, a Philippine Featherweight Champion, is well-versed in both the striking and grappling arts. A senior member of the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, Kelly is best known for his 21-second knockout victory over Cambodia’s Meas Meul in January 2018. He aims for the same result against Lee.

Lee is a NAGA No-Gi Grappling Champion, and one of the craftiest submission artists in the ONE featherweight division. A representative of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in his native Korea, Lee will put his mat skills to the test against a world-class wushu champion in Kelly.

In a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest, Andre “The Giant” Meunier of Australia takes on Anderson “Braddock” Silva of Brazil. Meunier, a four-time Kickboxing World Champion, will welcome Silva to ONE Championship, as the latter makes his debut for the promotion.

Former ONE World Title contender Eric “The Natural” Kelly of the Philippines is looking to make a lasting impression when he returns to action to face China’s Tang Kai.

Kelly had a blazing start to his mixed martial arts career by winning his first 12 professional bouts. In February 2013, he competed for the inaugural ONE Featherweight World Title, falling short against Filipino compatriot Honorio Banario. A year later, Kelly came back and put together the performance of a lifetime when he submitted tough Australian Rob Lisita. Now after revitalizing his training camp, Kelly looks to reignite his career against Tang.

Tang, a WBK Tournament Champion, is a boxing stylist known for his fast hands and aggressiveness. The Dragon Warrior Shanghai representative is a winner of his last four bouts, all of which have ended in explosive knockouts. Against a veteran like Kelly, Tang’s striking skills will be put to the ultimate test.

In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest, Thai legend and former MTGP Welterweight World Champion Saemapetch Fairtex takes on former Lion Fight Lightweight World Champion Ognjen Topic. Both Saemapetch and Topic are top contenders in ONE Super Series, and the two will figure in a highly-anticipated bantamweight showdown.

Singaporean flyweight prospect Niko Soe is set to take on freestyle wrestler Eko Roni Saputra of Indonesia. Soe is a winner of his last two outings, and he aims for his third straight victory against Saputra, who is making his mixed martial arts debut.

In a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest, the legendary Lerdsila PhuketTopTeam of Thailand will showcase his fistic talents against Japan’s Kohei “Momotaro” Kodera.

Kodera, a former WBC Muay Thai International Champion, just recently scored a thrilling three-round unanimous decision victory over Kenny Tse at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR. Lerdsila, on the other hand, is an absolute legend in Muay Thai with over 200 professional bouts. Kodera and Lerdsila promise to produce fireworks for fans in attendance at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Vietnamese-American female atomweight contender Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen is set to make her much-awaited ONE Championship debut opposite Indonesia’s Dwi Ani Retno Wulan.

Nguyen made her foray into mixed martial arts in 2014, winning four of her five matches in the amateur ranks in impressive fashion. She turned professional in 2016, and she immediately racked up three straight victories to kick off her career. Now, “Killer Bee” directs her career path to ONE Championship, where she is set to make her promotional debut.

Wulan, an Indonesian Muay Thai Champion, made her professional mixed martial arts debut just last November, defeating Putri Padmi by unanimous decision. She looks to build on her momentum by defeating “Killer Bee” in Manila.

Finally, National Kyokushin Karate Champion Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales of the Philippines and Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa of Japan will square off in a three-round strawweight contest.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

UFC® and ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer sports video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN, today announced an agreement that will deliver value and simplicity to mixed martial arts fans, making ESPN+ the exclusive distributor of UFC Pay-Per-View events in the United States through 2025. The agreement will make ESPN+ the single point of purchase for consumers of the biggest UFC events throughout the year and the definitive destination for fans to get the most comprehensive coverage of UFC.

Starting with UFC® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 on April 13, ESPN+ becomes the exclusive distributor in the United States of all UFC PPV events, showcasing 12 blockbuster live events per year from the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, for each of the next seven years. The agreement adds a new business model to ESPN+ and builds upon the historic multi-platform rights agreement announced in 2018, which is now extended through 2025.

UFC PPV events sold through ESPN+ will include all bouts on the Main Event fight cards and will be streamed in high definition in both English and Spanish. Preliminary bouts for all UFC PPV events will continue to air nationally on ESPN (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) under the agreement announced in 2018. Early preliminary bouts will be available to all ESPN+ subscribers, as well as on UFC FIGHT PASS® and to those who have purchased the PPV. UFC will continue to sell its PPV events to commercial establishments.

“With the addition of UFC PPV events, we are making ESPN+ an absolute must-have for any fan of the UFC and mixed martial arts,” said Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer & International, The Walt Disney Company. “In less than a year, ESPN+ has established itself as the leader in direct-to-consumer sports and this new programming agreement adds a significant business to our platform while reinforcing the value and strength of our product and our content lineup.”

“Today’s announcement further establishes the strength of the partnership between UFC and ESPN,” said UFC President Dana White. “Now our fans will be able to watch all UFC events exclusively on ESPN platforms, including ESPN+, which is an innovative way to deliver fights to our young fan base. I couldn’t be more excited to work with ESPN for the next seven years. Together we’re going to do amazing things to help grow this sport.”

Jimmy Pitaro, President, ESPN and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks added: “The extremely successful launch of the UFC on ESPN+ emphatically demonstrated the collective power and scale of ESPN and DTCI, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue to drive passionate fans to these new pay per view experiences.”

In addition to giving MMA fans a one-stop home for all UFC PPV events, ESPN+ pricing and packaging will deliver new value to fans as well:

New ESPN+ subscribers will get one-year of ESPN+ and a UFC PPV event for $79.99;
Existing ESPN+ subscribers will be able to purchase UFC PPV events for $59.99 per event.

ESPN+ may explore other potential packaging in the months ahead.

UFC® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 goes on sale via ESPN+ at espnplus.com/ppv on April 8. Fans must purchase the event on the web, and then can stream it via the web or on the ESPN App on any connected device. ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN app on all major mobile and connected TV devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, X Box One and more.

UFC’s digital brands — UFC.TV, UFC.com and UFC App — will continue to serve as a consumer entry point for PPV events. Once there, fans will be directed to ESPN+ on ESPN.com, where they will be able to purchase and watch UFC PPV events.

UFC made its record-setting debut on ESPN+ on January 19, 2019, logging 568,000 new subscribers over two days. The debut marked the largest event and subscription catalyst for ESPN+ to date. Through its base subscription package ($4.99 / month, $49.99 / year), ESPN+ already offers 20 UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night events, as well as hundreds of hours of original and on-demand programming.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. UFC boasts more than 278 million fans worldwide and has produced over 460 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world.

UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to 1.0 billion TV households worldwide in 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

18 March 2019 – Tokyo, Japan: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that Andrew Leone of the United States has withdrawn from his ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bout against Danny “The King” Kingad of the Philippines at ONE: A NEW ERA. The event is set for 31 March at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. As a result, Japanese veteran Senzo Ikeda will fill in for Leone to face Kingad.

Ticket information for ONE: A NEW ERA is available at www.onefc.com.

Pancrase Flyweight World Champion Senzo Ikeda has just joined ONE Championship and will take part in the highly-anticipated eight-man ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix which kicks off at ONE: A NEW ERA. He replaces Andrew Leone, who was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Ikeda, who sports a professional mixed martial arts record of 12-6-1, is a former undefeated boxer. He captured the Pancrase Flyweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Mamoru Yamaguchi in August 2017, and is today a veteran of the Japanese martial arts scene. Coming off a sensational fifth-round stoppage victory over fellow ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix entrant Yuya Wakamatsu, Ikeda now seeks to leave a lasting impression in his promotional debut as he takes on Filipino phenom Danny Kingad.

Danny “The King” Kingad, a former ONE World Title challenger and a premier flyweight talent from the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, owns an impressive professional record of 12-1. A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines, the 23-year-old dynamo is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills.

In his most recent bout, “The King” defeated rising Japanese star Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada by unanimous decision to earn a spot in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

ONE: A NEW ERA will feature the best and brightest stars of ONE Championship, including ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang who is set to defend his title against Japanese legend and former ONE World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki in the main event.

Also, there will be a trio of co-main events. ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan will put her belt on the line against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee. ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang will stake his middleweight crown against Japan’s Ken Hasegawa in a rematch. ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon will defend his championship against former titleholder Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes in a trilogy match.

The rest of the quarter-final bouts of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix will also be held at ONE: A NEW ERA. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is set to lock horns with Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu. In another tournament matchup, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov will battle former ONE World Title challenger Reece “Lightning” McLaren. Also in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada will share the cage with undefeated Brazilian standout Ivanildo Delfino.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

Las Vegas ­– UFC® today announced that former UFC middleweight champion and winner of season three of The Ultimate Fighter®, Michael Bisping, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s ‘Modern Wing’ as a member of the class of 2019. The 2019 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Toyo Tires®, will take place on Friday, July 5 in Las Vegas. The event will be streamed live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®.

“It’s hard to have the level of talent needed to compete in UFC for any amount of time, but Michael Bisping was able to have an 11-year career where he became a world champion and won The Ultimate Fighter, not many people can say that,” UFC President Dana White said. “He also came back and coached The Ultimate Fighter and is now one of the best analysts on our broadcast team. Michael has been a huge part of not only building our brand, but also the sport of mixed martial arts. He absolutely deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame. Congratulations.”

Bisping, the first British fighter to become a UFC champion, will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as a member of the Modern Wing, joining Forrest Griffin (2013), BJ Penn (2015), Urijah Faber (2017) and Ronda Rousey (2018). The “Modern Era” category includes athletes who turned pro on or after November 17, 2000 (when the rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), are a minimum age of 35, or have been retired for one year or more.

A veteran of 40 professional fights during his 13-year career, Bisping compiled a record of 31-9, while capturing the UFC middleweight title, as well as the Cage Warriors, and Cage Rage light heavyweight titles. During his impressive career, Bisping earned notable victories over UFC Hall of Famer Dan Henderson, former UFC middleweight champions Anderson Silva and Luke Rockhold, former Strikeforce® middleweight champion Cung Le, former WEC® light heavyweight champion Brian Stann, and former WEC middleweight champion Chris Leben.

Following impressive stints with Cage Warriors and Cage Rage, Bisping entered the third installment of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock, with a 10-0 record in 2006. Bisping breezed through his first two fights on the show, dispatching each opponent with first round stoppages, before finishing Josh Hayes via second round TKO to win the light heavyweight tournament. Bisping began his post-TUF career at UFC® 66: LIDDELL vs. ORTIZ, on December 30, 2006, defeating Eric Schafer via first-round TKO.

In 2011, Bisping would return to The Ultimate Fighter as a coach for season 14 against Jason Miller, while training featherweights and bantamweights in The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller. Bisping defeated Miller via TKO in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller Finale.

During his remarkable tenure inside the world-famous Octagon®, “The Count”, complete with his trademark entrance music, “Song 2” by Blur, would become a global fan favorite, registering a 20-9 record in UFC, which included capturing the UFC middleweight title by defeating Luke Rockhold at UFC® 199: ROCKHOLD vs. BISPING 2 in June 2016. Having lost to Rockhold in 2014, Bisping took the fight as the main event’s second replacement, on 17 days’ notice, winning the contest via strikes in the first round.

Bisping enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:

16 wins as a UFC middleweight – most in UFC history

20 wins – Tied for 2nd in UFC history

29 total fights – Tied for 3rd most in UFC history

5:15:15 of time inside the Octagon – most by a middleweight in UFC history

1,384 significant strikes as a middleweight – most in the history of the middleweight division

1,567 total significant strikes – 2nd in UFC history (Max Holloway – 1,627)

1 of 8 TUF winners to become an undisputed UFC champion

The only UFC athlete in UFC history to win a season of The Ultimate Fighter and become a UFC champion that also successfully defended their title

1 of 4 UFC athletes to land 100 or more significant strikes in five different fights (TJ Dillashaw, Max Holloway, Joanna Jedrzejczyk)

Headlined UFC events in seven different countries – most in UFC history
A native of Manchester, England, Bisping began training jiu-jitsu at the age of eight. At the age of 15, he competed as an amateur in Britain’s first “no holds barred” competition, a precursor to modern MMA. Outside the Octagon, Bisping has become an accomplished combat sports analyst and commentator for UFC, as well as a successful entrepreneur as a stakeholder in UFC GYM – Costa Mesa and UFC UK. He has also excelled as an actor with roles / cameos in Den of Thieves; XXX: Return of Zander Cage; My Name is Lenny; and Triple Threat. He lives with his wife and three children in Orange County, CA.

The remaining inductees of the UFC Hall of Fame class of 2019 will be announced in the coming weeks leading to the 8th Annual UFC International Fight Week ™, taking place from Wednesday, July 3 – Sunday, July 7 in Las Vegas. To view Bisping’s UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-hall-of-fame-michael-bisping-2019.

To view the Hall of Fame fight library, please visit UFCHOF. To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOFFAQ. For additional information, please visit UFC.com.

About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. UFC boasts more than 278 million fans worldwide and has produced over 460 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME| IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to more than 1.0 billion TV households worldwide in 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram: @UFC.

Leon Edwards won a split decision over Gunnar Nelson in a welterweight fight.

Edwards took cards 29-28. Nelson won a 3rd card 29-28.

Edwards is 17-3. Nelson is 17-4-1.

In a battle of top-10 light heavyweights, Dominick Reyes won a split decision over Volkan Oezdemir.

Reyes won two cards 29-28. Oezdemir took a card 29-28.

Reyes is 11-0. Oezdemir is 15-4.

Nathaniel Wood won via 2nd round choke over Jose Quinonez in a bantamweight bout.

Wood won via rear-naked choke at 2:15.

Wood is now 16-3. Quinonez is 7-3.

Claudio Silva submitted Danny Roberts in the 3rd round of their welterweight bout.

Silva used an armbar to submit Roberts at 2:37.

Silva is 13-1. Roberts is 16-4.

Jack Marshman won a split-decision over John Phillips in a middleweight bout.

Marshman won two cards 29-28. Phillips took a card 29-28.

Marshman, who was two pounds over weight at Friday’s weigh-in is now 23-8. Phillips is now 21-9-1.

Arnold Allen won a unanimous decision over Jordan Rinaldi in a featherweight bout.

Allen won by scores 30-27, 30-26 and 29-28 and is now 14-1.  Rinaldi is 14-7.

Marc Diakiese won a unanimous decision over Joe Duffy in a lightweight bout.

Diakiese won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 13-3. Duffy is 16-4.

Saparbek Safarov won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Nicolae Negumereanu in a light heavyweight bout.

Safarov was deducted a point in round one for grabbing the cage. Negumereanu was bloodied under his right, eye at the end of round two after suffering a pounding from Safarov.

Safarov won by scores of 29-26 twice and 29-27, and is now 9-2. Negumereanu is 9-1.

Dan Ige choked out Danny Henry in the opening round of their featherweight bout.

Ige knocked Henry down and was able to apply a rear naked choke, and the fight was stopped at 1:17.

Ige is now 11-2. Henry is 12-3.

Molly McCann won a unanimous decision over Priscilla Cachoeira in a flyweight fight.

In round two, McCann began to swell and bleed over her left eye. In round three, it was virtually closed.

Despite that McCann won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 8-2. Cachoeira is also 8-2.

Mike Grundy stopped Nad Narimani in the 2nd round of their featherweight bout.

Narimani was bleeding under his left eye in the 2nd round. Later in the round, Grundy decked Narimani with a hard right hand. Narimani got up but was wobbled, and Grundy was all over Narimani, and landed several more hard blows, and the fight was stopped at 4:42.

Grundy is 12-1. Narimani is 12.3

Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with a thrilling middleweight rematch between No. 1 ranked contender Yoel Romero and No. 3 Jacare Souza. In a battle of light heavyweight sluggers, No. 11 ranked Glover Teixeira takes on hard-hitting Ion Cutelaba. UFC FIGHT NIGHT® ON ESPN: ROMERO vs. JACARE 2 takes place at the BB&T Center on Saturday, April 27 with ESPN airing the main card live at 9 p.m. ET. Prelims start at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+ kicks off the event with a live stream of the early prelims at 5:30 p.m. ET. ESPN Deportes will air the prelims live at 7 p.m. ET and stream the main card in Spanish at 9 p.m. ET on the ESPN App. All UFC live events on ESPN+ will also be available in English and Spanish.

Romero (13-3, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba) got his hand raised in the competitive first encounter, edging out a split decision win. A silver medalist in freestyle wrestling in the 2000 Olympics, Romero has earned emphatic wins over the 185-pound elite. He has delivered spectacular knockouts against Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida and Derek Brunson, and now he aims for another show-stealing finish to stake his claim for a title shot.

Among the most decorated grapplers in MMA, Souza (26-6 1NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has shown his striking can be just as dangerous as his submission game. During his UFC run, he’s netted impressive victories against Vitor Belfort, Gegard Mousasi, Derek Brunson and Tim Boetsch. His most recent outing saw him earn a sensational KO over former champion Chris Weidman. He now looks to earn a measure of revenge against Romero and secure the No. 1 contender’s spot.

Former light heavyweight title challenger Teixeira (28-7, fighting out of Danbury, Conn. by way of Minas Gerais, Brazil) looks to earn his way back into the championship conversation. He has defeated some of the most iconic names in the sport, including former champions Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. With 14 of his last 16 wins coming by stoppage, Teixeira is eager to show he can still compete with the best in the world by taking out up-and-coming prospect Cutelaba.

Cutelaba (14-3, fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova) is gunning to earn his third stoppage victory in a row against the toughest test of his career in Teixeira. A 25-year-old with an impressive 10 wins in under 1:13, Cutelaba is one of the brighter prospects at 205 pounds, most recently taking out Luis Henrique da Silva and Gadzhimurad Antigulov via first-round KO. Now, Cutelaba looks to break into the rankings and work his way to title contention with his most impressive performance yet.

Announced bouts on the card include:

No. 8-ranked bantamweight contender John Lineker (31-8, fighting out of Paranagua, Brazil) goes for his 15th career KO as he looks to hand rising prospect Cory Sandhangen (10-1, fighting out of Aurora, Colo.) his first UFC loss
Former UFC heavyweight champion and No. 14-ranked contender Andrei Arlovski (27-17, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) sets his sights on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series signee Augusto Sakai (11-1-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil)
In a welterweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks, Alex Oliveira (19-5-1 2NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on Li Jingliang (15-5, fighting out of Beijing, China)
In an early Fight of the Night candidate, long-time veteran Jim Miller (29-13, fighting out of Sparta, N.J.) guns for his 19th UFC victory by taking out Jason Gonzalez (11-4, fighting out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)
Former strawweight champion and No. 10-ranked contender Carla Esparza (14-6, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) collides with surging prospect Livinha Souza (12-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court McGee (20-6-1, fighting out of Orem, Utah) hopes to keep his momentum going against Dhiego Lima (15-7, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.)
Former strawweight title challenger Jessica Penne (12-6, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) aims to rebound against Jodie Esquibel (6-4, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
Former NFL standout Greg Hardy (2-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) goes for his first UFC victory when he meets Dmitrii Smoliakov (9-2, fighting out of Kaliningrad City, Russia)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Visit UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.espnplus.com/ufc.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT® ON ESPN: ROMERO vs. JACARE 2 will air live from BB&T Center on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 27, with the ESPN broadcast prelims kicking off the ESPN broadcast at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Early prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT® ON ESPN: ROMERO vs. JACARE 2 go on sale Friday, March 15 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, March 13 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 14 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

###

About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. UFC boasts 278 million fans worldwide and has produced over 460 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to 1.0 billion TV households worldwide in over 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

About BB&T Center

Home to the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and leading international concerts and events, the Broward County-owned BB&T Center is one of the top ranked venues of its kind in the world, servicing Broward,

Collier, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties. For the latest info about upcoming events, visit www.thebbtcenter.com and follow BB&T Center on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

8 March 2019 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), put on a tremendous show at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon. ONE: REIGN OF VALOR played host to a world-class display of martial arts action. Once again, the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent took to the ONE Championship cage to showcase their incredible skills. In the main event, Zebaztian Kadestam retained his ONE Welterweight World Title with a stunning stoppage victory over Georgiy Kichigin.

Visit the official ONE: REIGN OF VALOR photo gallery by clicking: https://bit.ly/onephotos

In the main event, Sweden’s Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam showed championship heart by defeating Kazakhstan’s Georgiy “Knight” Kichigin via technical knockout to retain the ONE Welterweight World Championship. For the better part of the first two rounds, Kadestam was on the wrong end of a grappling clinic from Kichigin, as he was getting taken down and controlled on the ground. In the dying minutes of the second round however, Kadestam landed a thunderous elbow in the clinch that had the challenger dazed at the end of the round. Visibly still hurt from the elbow, Kichigin was unable to answer the third round bell and the victory was awarded to Kadestam.

Myanmar’s own Phoe “Bushido” Thaw overcame a troublesome start to score an exciting technical knockout win over Indonesia’s Yohan “The Ice Man” Mulia Legowo. Phoe Thaw found himself in some precarious situations early, but managed to escape from mount and a number of submission attempts. Momentum shifted in favor of the hometown favorite, as Phoe Thaw gained dominant position and punished Legowo with thunderous punches to earn the stoppage win late in the opening round.

Former ONE World Title challenger Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli of Italy made quick work of opponent Alain “The Panther” Ngalani of Hong Kong to win via first-round technical knockout. At the sound of the opening bell, the two warriors met each other head-on at the center of the ONE cage. Cerilli quickly secured underhooks against the fence and then executed an overhead slam, sapping the energy from Ngalani. From the reverse headlock position, Cerilli then delivered a symphony of knees to force the referee to call a halt to the contest.

Filipino flyweight contender Rene “D’Challenger” Catalan smashed his way to a convincing first-round technical knockout win over former ONE Flyweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan. Catalan nullified Naito’s grappling as he stuffed the former World Champion’s relentless takedown attempts. After securing dominant position, Catalan unloaded a barrage of strikes to overwhelm Naito for the dominant stoppage victory.

Top-ranked Indian mixed martial arts star Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat made a statement in his ONE Championship debut, defeating former ONE World Title challenger Toni “Dynamite” Tauru of Finland by knockout. Mangat and Tauru went strike-for-strike in the first two rounds, making for an exciting back-and-forth contest. In the final round, Mangat went for the finish, as he dropped Tauru with a swift left hook before finishing things off with a jumping knee and some ground-and-pound.

Muay Thai legend Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy of Thailand turned in a spectacular performance, dominating opponent Kenta Yamada of Japan in a ONE Super Series Kickboxing bout. For three full rounds, Petchmorakot unloaded a bevy of powerful striking combinations, which featured a torrent of left high kicks and straight punches. Yamada played defense for the majority of the contest. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Petchmorakot to win by unanimous decision.

Four-time Chin State Wrestling Champion Tial “The Dragon Leg” Thang of Myanmar was dominant in his mixed martial arts debut as he outpointed Rin Saroth of Cambodia to score a unanimous decision victory. Tial Thang put on a show in front of his home country as he dictated the pace in the striking department and showed off his elite-level grappling with a number of masterful takedowns. After three exciting rounds, Tial Thang was declared the winner in front of a raucous crowd in Yangon.

Striking superstars Liam Nolan of England and Enriko “The Hurricane” Kehl of Germany made their ONE Super Series debuts in a fiery Kickboxing contest. The two martial artists traded their best strikes for the majority of the bout right at the center of the ONE cage. In the second round, Kehl connected on a thudding body shot to force Nolan to take a knee. After action resumed, Kehl put the finishing touches with a fierce combination against the cage. Nolan failed to beat the 10 count and Kehl was awarded the knockout victory.

In an exciting ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest, light heavyweight behemoths Andrei Stoica of Romania and Tarik Khbabez of Morocco went back and forth, trading powerful striking combinations from the sound of the opening bell. For three full rounds, both Stoica and Khbabez stood right in the pocket, exchanging their biggest shots, but it was Khbabez who landed with more power and frequency. In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Khbabez to win by unanimous decision.

“MMA Sister” Lin Heqin of China was spectacular in her ONE Championship debut as she submitted Filipina star Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres in the first round. The rangey Lin imposed her will in striking early but found herself getting taken down late in the first round. The takedown proved to be detrimental for Torres however, as Lin locked in a deep triangle choke that left the Filipina with no alternative but to tap out.

“The Ghost” Chen Rui of China remained undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career after defeating Guam’s Roman “Boom” Alvarez via technical knockout in just two rounds. Chen and Alvarez put on a striking battle in the first round as the two traded combinations in the exciting first five minutes of action. Chen dropped Alvarez with a well-placed uppercut to the head midway through the second round and followed up with a storm of punches to claim the stoppage victory.

Female atomweight competitors Bozhena “Toto” Antoniyar of Myanmar and Audreylaura “Ice Comet” Boniface of Malaysia figured in a thrilling two-round encounter. Hometown hero Antoniyar put together an electric performance to the delight of the packed Thuwunna Indoor Stadium crowd, lighting up Boniface with a plethora of dynamic striking combinations. In the second round, Boniface succumbed to the constant pressure as Antoniyar claimed the technical knockout victory due to strikes.

Flyweight competitors Rui Botelho of Portugal and Yuta Watanabe of Japan figured in a spirited ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest. Watanabe utilized his length to keep Botelho constantly out of range in the early going. Botelho battled back late, scoring big on a pair of knockdowns in the third round. In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Botelho to win by unanimous decision.

Kicking off the action at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR was a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest between Kohei “Momotaro” Kodera of Japan and Kenny “The Pitbull” Tse of Australia. Kodera, a karate black belt, was the sharper of the two athletes and was constantly a step ahead of his opponent for three full rounds. At the end of the contest, all three judges scored in favor of Kodera to win by unanimous decision.

Official results for ONE: REIGN OF VALOR
ONE Welterweight World Championship bout: Zebaztian Kadestam defeats Georgiy Kichigin by TKO (Corner Stoppage) at 5:00 minutes of round 2
Featherweight bout: Phoe Thaw defeats Yohan Mulia Legowo by TKO (Strikes) at 4:56 minutes of round 1
Heavyweight bout: Mauro Cerilli defeats Alain Ngalani by TKO (Strikes) at 1:41 minutes of round 1
Flyweight bout: Rene Catalan defeats Yoshitaka Naito by TKO (Strikes) at 4:32 minutes of round 1
Flyweight bout: Gurdarshan Mangat defeats Toni Tauru by Knockout (KO) at 1:23 minutes of round 3
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Featherweight bout: Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy defeats Kenta Yamada by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Catch Weight (68.0 KG) bout: Tial Thang defeats Rin Saroth by Unanimous Decision (UD) at after 3 rounds
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Featherweight bout: Enriko Kehl defeats Liam Nolan by Knockout (KO) at 2:12 minutes of round 2
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Light Heavyweight bout: Tarik Khbabez defeats Andrei Stoica by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Women’s Atomweight bout: Lin Heqin defeats Jomary Torres by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:12 minutes of round 1
Catch Weight (67.0 KG) bout: Chen Rui defeats Roman Alvarez by TKO (Strikes) at 2:48 minutes of round 2
Women’s Atomweight bout: Bozhena Antoniyar defeats Audreylaura Boniface by TKO (Strikes) at 1:31 minutes of round 2
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Flyweight bout: Rui Botelho defeats Yuta Watanabe by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Flyweight bout: Kohei Kodera defeats Kenny Tse by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

“The Dragon Leg” Tial Thang is determined to thrill fans with a fast and action-packed bout when he makes his ONE Championship debut this Friday, 8 March in Yangon, Myanmar.

He will return to his home country for the first time in more than a decade to face Cambodia’s Rin Saroth on the main card of ONE: REIGN OF VALOR, which takes place at the iconic Thuwunna Indoor Stadium.

Tial Thang will also make his maiden appearance as a mixed martial arts professional at the same event, but he has had plenty of seasoning as an amateur, and he has honed his skills with some elite training partners.

After working with Myanmar’s most famous son, “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang for the past two years, the man from Hakha believes he has what it takes to win the 68-kilogram catchweight bout in astonishing fashion.

“I think this fight is going to end quickly,” he said.

“No disrespect to Saroth, but I am a better fighter, and I have the capability of finishing this fight in the early rounds.”

With four victories under his belt in the amateur ranks, Tial Thang feels confident to switch from grappling to striking depending on his opponent’s weaknesses.

“I am very aggressive, go forward, and show up to fight,” he declared.

His opponent is a formidable striker with a 110-22 record in the Cambodian martial art of Kun Khmer, which he used to power him to an impressive stoppage win against Mario Satya Wirawan last July.

Saroth likewise has a submission victory in ONE Championship, but Tial Thang believes he has a weakness that can be exploited.

“He is good at everything, but his grappling is his biggest weakness,” he shared. “He has a strong right hand, but other than that, I’m not worried about anything.”

“The Dragon Leg” has a long history as a martial artist. He started practicing wrestling when he was a boy growing up in Myanmar’s mountainous Chin state.

He continued his training in the United States, but he has stepped up a gear ahead of his homecoming at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR

Tial Thang has moved away from his young family and trained intensely to prepare for the clash at Florida’s Hard Knocks 365.

Now under the guidance of elite kickboxing coach Henri Hooft alongside two-division World Champion Aung La N Sang and a host of other world-class martial artists, his striking game has been elevated to a new level.

His new gym has also given him access to a goldmine of information from seasoned professionals, not least the “The Burmese Python,” who has given him plenty of encouragement.

“[He said] be myself, go out there, and fight hard,” Tial Thang bared..

A victory in the world’s largest martial arts organization would launch his career and bring joy to the thousands of Chin people living in the United States and Myanmar.

“It’s such an honor and blessing for me to fight in front of my people. I can’t wait to put on a very entertaining fight for them,” he declared.

Las Vegas – For the first time in over two years, the UFC returns to Atlanta and brings with it two pivotal title fights, as reigning featherweight champion and No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world Max Holloway moves up in weight to attempt to become the fourth athlete to hold two UFC belts at the same time when he takes on No. 3-ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier for the interim UFC lightweight crown. Also, top middleweight contenders clash for the interim 185-pound belt as No. 4-ranked Kelvin Gastelum and No. 5-ranked Israel Adesanya vie for their first gold strap. UFC® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 takes place Saturday, April 13 at the all-new State Farm Arena and will air live on Pay-Per-View.

Preliminary fights will air nationally in English and Spanish on ESPN and ESPN Deportes starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. In addition to linear coverage of the preliminaries, fans will be able to purchase and watch UFC 236 on ESPN.com/UFC236, beginning in late March. Once purchased, fans will be able to watch the event on the web or in the ESPN App on mobile or TV-connected devices. They also can purchase and watch UFC 236 on UFC.com or the UFC App.

After dominating 13 opponents in a row at featherweight, reigning champion Holloway (20-3, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) moves up in weight for the first time in his career, as he chases the top of the pound-for-pound rankings by joining Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes as the only athletes to hold two UFC belts at the same time. During his run at featherweight, Holloway finished former long-time featherweight champion Jose Aldo twice, former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, and previously undefeated challenger Brian Ortega. Now, Holloway looks to avenge the first loss of his professional career by being only the second man to defeat Poirier in the last four years.

Poirier (24-5, 1 NC fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) aims to capitalize on the best run of his UFC tenure, as he looks to capture his first UFC title by proving his 2012 win over Holloway was no fluke. With his last four wins all earning him post-fight bonuses, Poirier has established himself as one of the most dangerous and entertaining competitors in arguably the deepest division in UFC. With his most recent stoppage wins coming over former lightweight champions Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis, as well as durable top-contender Justin Gaethje, Poirier is confident that he has what it takes to stop Holloway from joining the ranks of double champions.

Six years to the day that he became The Ultimate Fighter: 17 middleweight champion Gastelum (16-3, 1 NC fighting out of Yuma, Ariz., by way of Huntington Beach, Calif.) is set to compete for the first UFC title of his career. Previously scheduled to face current middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 234 in February before Whittaker was forced to withdraw due to illness, Gastelum now looks to further cement his status in the division by becoming the only man to defeat fellow top-contender Adesanya. Coming off impressive wins over former middleweight champion Michael Bisping and No. 3-ranked contender Jacare Souza, Gastelum believes that the time is now for him to prove that he is the best middleweight in the world.

One of the fastest-rising prospects in UFC history, Adesanya (16-0, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) is fresh off an impressive victory over legendary former middleweight champion Anderson Silva and is now set to compete for his first title just over a year after joining the promotion. A multiple-time kickboxing champion with a reported record of 75-4, Adesanya is one of the highest-level strikers to ever compete in the Octagon, as evidenced by 13 of his 16 MMA wins coming via KO. Adesanya is now poised on the break of superstardom and intends to show that he is as good as he says by becoming the first person in history to KO Gastelum.

Additional bouts on the card include:

Former light heavyweight title challenger and No. 12-ranked contender Ovince Saint Preux (23-12, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) looks to bounce back into the win column against Ukrainian prospect Nikita Krylov (25-6, fighting out of Donetsk, Ukraine)
Knockout artists clash as former football player Eryk Anders (11-3, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) and The Ultimate Fighter veteran Khalil Rountree (8-3, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) look to establish themselves as fighters to watch in the light heavyweight division
Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series signee Montel Jackson (7-1, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) hunts for another first-round finish against the durable Andre Soukhamthath (13-6, Lake Worth, Fla. by way of Woonsocket, R.I.)
Former flyweight title challenger and current No. 5-ranked contender Wilson Reis (23-9, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) aims to defend his rank and work his way back to another title shot by taking out No. 6-ranked contender Alexandre Pantoja (20-3, Arraial Do Cabo, Brazil)
The first athlete officially signed from Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Boston Salmon (6-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) makes his long-anticipated UFC debut against German prospect Khalid Taha (12-2, fighting out of Dortmund, Germany)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Visit UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

UFC® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 will air live from State Farm Arena on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 13, with the prelims kicking off the evening on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

Tickets for UFC® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 go on sale Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, March 6 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 9 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

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About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. UFC boasts 278 million fans worldwide and has produced over 460 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to 1.0 billion TV households worldwide in over 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About State Farm Arena

Home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club, State Farm Arena opens its doors in October 2018 following the 2nd largest renovation in NBA history. Inspired by the fans, State Farm Arena is a next-generation venue focused on experience, service and entertainment. With the NBA’s third-largest center-hung scoreboard and an immersive video experience, fan-friendly food pricing and premium restaurant options, Topgolf Swing Suites and celebrity-inspired spaces accessible to every fan, the downtown Atlanta arena stakes its claim as the city’s best sports and live entertainment venue. Consistently ranked among the top 10 concert and event venues in the world by Pollstar, State Farm Arena hosts approximately 170 events and nearly 2 million guests annually. For more information on State Farm Arena, log on to www.statefarmarena.com today or follow us on Twitter @StateFarmArena.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

HARTFORD, Conn. (March 5th, 2019) — The East Coast’s No. 1 mixed martial arts promotion makes its long-awaited Connecticut debut later this month with a historic fight card featuring the region’s rising stars and familiar fan-favorites.

Launching a new era as the first promotion to host a sanctioned MMA event in the state of Connecticut, CES MMA 55 invades the Connecticut Convention Center live on UFC Fight Pass Friday, March 29 th, 2019 , nine years since breaking ground as the first to promote in the state of Rhode Island.

The event features the highly-anticipated return of Hartford native and UFC flyweight contender Matt Bessette (22-9), heavyweight Parker Porter (8-5, 4 KOs) of nearby New Britain, and Philadelphia’s own Jeremiah Wells (6-1-1, 2 KOs) in the first defense of his CES MMA World Welterweight Title.

“We are extremely honored to be the first promotional company to be licensed by the state of Connecticut,” CES MMA vice president Jimmy Burchfield Jr. said. “There are lots of people to thank for this opportunity. CES MMA looks forward to showcasing an exciting night of action to a national audience live on UFC Fight Pass.”

The main card streams live on UFC Fight Pass with Michael Parente handling play-by-play alongside color commentator and longtime UFC vet “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. Showtime is 7 p.m. ET for the preliminary card. Tickets for the event are priced at $35.00, $50.00, $125.00 and $150.00 (VIP) and are available for purchase online at www.cesmma.com or www.ctconventions.com or by phone at 401-724-2253. All fights and fighters subject to change.

The 34-year-old Bessette, a seven-time CES MMA vet, returns to the promotion for the first time since May of 2017 and fights in his home state for the first time since 2016 when he starred on the main card of Bellator 153 at Mohegan Sun Arena. Bessette is 6-1 lifetime with CES MMA and has won seven of his last nine fights, including a career-best seven-fight win streak from October of 2015 to May of 2017. During that stretch, Bessette captured the then vacant CES MMA World Featherweight Title with a win over Joe Pingitore at CES MMA 37 and later headlined CES MMA 41 with an impressive, third-round knockout win over Kevin Croom.

Porter makes his third appearance with CES MMA. The 33-year-old veteran has the noteworthy distinction of appearing on the promotion’s inaugural event in 2010, where he submitted regional rival Lee Beane in the opening round of their scheduled three-round heavyweight bout, in addition to appearing on its first event in Connecticut later this month. Eight years removed from his victory at CES MMA 1, Porter returned to the promotion to face Keith Bell at CES MMA 53. In between, Porter bounced from Bellator to Reality Fighting and enters his homecoming bout on the 29th having won two of his last three overall.

Wells aims to bring his welterweight world title back to Philadelphia, the site of his championship victory at CES MMA 52 in August. That night, Wells won his third consecutive fight with CES MMA, defeating the durable Jason Norwood by five-round unanimous decision to capture the vacant title. Wells also boasts wins over regional standouts Gary Balletto Jr. and Jon Manley and carries a three-fight win streak into his first title defense.

CES MMA 55 also features the return of Providence, R.I., middleweight Eric Spicely (11-4, 2 KOs) and unbeaten Connecticut light heavyweight William Knight (4-0, 4 KOs) in separate bouts. A six-time UFC and nine-time CES MMA vet, Spicely aims for his second consecutive win following a successful return to the promotion in January in which he earned just his second career win by knockout, stopping Leo Pla at 3:53 of the opening round. Knight also fought in January at CES MMA 54, recording his fourth career win by knockout against veteran Kevin Haley.

Visit www.cesmma.com, www.twitter.com/cesmma or www.facebook.com/cesmma for more information, or follow CES MMA on Instagram at @CESMMA.

5 March 2019 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), recently held the official ONE: REIGN OF VALOR Open Workout at the Transcend Gym last Tuesday, 5 March, featuring main event competitors Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam of Sweden and Georgiy “Knight” Kichigin of Kazakhstan. Also in attendance were ONE Athletes and hometown heroes Phoe “Bushido” Thaw, “The Dragon Leg” Tial Thang and Bozhena “Toto” Antoniyar.

Ticket information for ONE: REIGN OF VALOR is available at www.onefc.com.

Photos: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YL3zINnA_mXYyh5M-RDRmJusFPsY7hTZ

All athletes are set to compete at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR, which takes place this Friday, 8 March at the iconic Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian Kadestam of Sweden will defend his World Title against Georgiy Kichigin of Kazakhstan in the main event.

In the co-main event, Phoe Thaw of Myanmar returns to action to face “The Iceman” Yohan Mulia Legowo of Indonesia. Tial Thang of Myanmar squares off with Cambodian Kun Khmer practitioner Rin Saroth, while Bozhena Antoniyar, also from Myanmar, is slated to face Malaysia’s Audreylaura “Ice Comet” Boniface.

Zebaztian Kadestam, ONE Welterweight World Champion, stated: “I’m beyond honored and excited to be defending my ONE Welterweight World Championship in Yangon on March 8th. This will be my first World Title defense in ONE, and as the saying goes, you aren’t a champion until you have defended your belt. I am fully focused on proving that I am a true champion and that I deserve to have this prestigious belt around my waist. I know that Georgiy [Kichigin] will be a very tough challenger. He has great momentum now and has beaten some very talented opponents, but I have prepared hard. I have trained well for this title defense. In my mind, this is the biggest fight of my career. I will do everything that I can to remain the ONE Welterweight World Champion.”

Georgiy Kichigin, ONE World Title challenger, stated: “This will be the most important fight of my career. I have defeated many big names in the past, but if I can defeat Zebaztian Kadestam and become the new ONE Welterweight World Champion, then that will definitely be the biggest win ever. I am very excited for this fight because this will be the biggest stage that I have been on. If I can become a world champion in just my first time with ONE Championship, then that will put me in the history books as well. I have trained hard for this opportunity, and I will not let it go to waste. My opponent is a great champion and a big test for me, but I am confident that I can pass this test with flying colors.”

Phoe Thaw, ONE Athlete, stated: “It is always an amazing experience to be able to fight at home in Yangon, and I look forward to doing it again on March 8th. I am coming off the first loss of my career, and you can bet that I am more motivated and more determined than ever to get a win and get back on track. I believe that if I win my next fight, I am one of the top contenders in the featherweight division. I know that I am only a few wins away from earning a World Title shot.”

Tial Thang, ONE Athlete, stated: “I absolutely cannot wait to make that walk to the cage in Yangon. This is a dream come true for me, to be able to make my ONE debut in front of my home country. I am seriously pumped for this. It means a lot to me as a mixed martial artist to be able to showcase my skills and put my hard work on display in front of the great fans of Myanmar. I hope that they enjoy what I show them come March 8th. I promise it’s going to be a treat.”

Bozhena Antoniyar, ONE Athlete, stated: “I am heading into this fight with Audreylaura Boniface with a lot of hunger and a lot of motivation, especially after losing my last fight. Now, I’m coming to show, not just my home country of Myanmar, but also the world that I belong in ONE Championship, and that I can become a top name in my division. I fully intend to establish myself as a contender in 2019, and it will all begin with my upcoming bout on March 8th.”

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

1 March 2019 – Las Vegas, NV: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), recently held a ONE Championship Open Workout at Xtreme Couture MMA Gym in Las Vegas featuring ONE superstar athletes Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez, who were accompanied by ONE Championship Vice Presidents and mixed martial arts legends Rich Franklin and Miesha Tate as well as newly-signed ONE Championship athlete Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort.

Official photos of the Las Vegas Open Workout can be downloaded at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3bt4preo362ofud/AABVLX4CdQ9Fhg9O8CSvMTMMa?dl=0

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of Kirkland, Washington, United States is a mixed martial artist and 12-time Flyweight World Champion with a professional record of 27-3-1. With a highly-technical style and world-class skills, Johnson has dominated his division for the past seven years. During this span, Johnson captured the flyweight World Title and ran up a win streak of 13 bouts since 2012. Today, he is widely considered one of the best mixed martial artists in the world pound-for-pound. Johnson now looks to continue his legendary career in the world’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship.

Demetrious Johnson, ONE Athlete, stated: “I’ve been fighting for a very long time. I’ve been champion for six years. There’s no surprise that he (Yuya Wakamatsu) is going to look through my fights and look through my wins and losses, efficiencies and deficiencies. That’s what athletes do. But a fight is a fight. A lot of people, when I get into the ring or cage with them, the first thing they notice is my speed. I’m going to go out there, fight my butt off, use my heart, my technique, and my skill set, and go out there and take it to him.”

Known as “The Underground King”, multiple-time World Champion Eddie Alvarez of the United States is a mixed martial arts legend who has competed for the world’s top mixed martial arts promotions. The experience he has gathered over a stellar 15-year professional career so far is beyond impressive, with wins over some of the biggest names in the sport. Alvarez’ most notable victories have come against the likes of Roger Huerta, Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, Rafael Dos Anjos, and most recently Justin Gaethje.

Eddie Alvarez, ONE Athlete, stated: “I’m not going to lie, I do research on my opponents. I’ve done the same for Timofey Nastyukhin. I know he beat Eduard Folayang, he beat Amir Khan, he beat some of the top guys in ONE Championship. He’s dangerous. He hits hard. He comes to fight and I accept the challenge. I want the most vicious, dangerous guys ONE Championship has to offer. I always show up, so I can’t wait.”

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

1 March 2019 – Bangkok, Thailand: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), recently held an Open Workout at The Motif Boxing BKK Gym in Bangkok, Thailand last Friday, 1 March, featuring Muay Thai superstars Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex and Rodtang “Iron Man” Jitmuangnon. Both men are set to compete in separate bouts at ONE: A NEW ERA, which takes place at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, 31 March.

Ticket information for ONE: A NEW ERA is available at www.onefc.com.

Photo: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1F_gpHWXAZHMNTzXGYPsFjGOAfWACm8Sn

Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex, ONE Athlete, stated: “I am honored and excited to be part of ONE Championship’s first-ever show in Tokyo, Japan, a country with a rich background and love for martial arts. More importantly, I have the opportunity to avenge a previous loss to Andy Souwer, and I get to do it in front of the Japanese fans. I promise to deliver an exciting performance for everyone there.”

Rodtang Jitmuangnon, ONE Athlete, stated: “To be able to compete in ONE Championship means a lot to me, and to be able to compete in their first-ever event in Japan is an absolute honor for me. To be able to compete in a world-class organization such as this, it is not something that every athlete can say. ONE Championship chose me to be part of their show in Japan. It means a lot to me because they believe in my talent as an athlete. I’m really happy to be in this position. I promise that I won’t disappoint the Japanese fans on March 31st.”

Multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex is one of the most popular and accomplished strikers in the world. Born in Northeast Thailand, Yodsanklai won close to 200 professional bouts against many fellow Muay Thai legends. In the process, he captured several prestigious titles, including three Lumpinee Stadium World Championships, two Lion Fight World Championships, two WMC World Championships, and a WBC World Title. The lure of testing his skills amongst the world’s best strikers in ONE Super Series has drawn him to ONE Championship, and he now finds himself competing on the toughest proving ground of martial arts competition. The legendary warrior now looks to continue his dominance in the ONE Championship arena. He returns to action against Dutch World Champion kickboxer Andy Souwer at ONE: A NEW ERA.

Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon is one of the most recognizable names in the world of Muay Thai, capturing the Omnoi Stadium World Championship on two occasions. Known for his exciting Muay Mat style, which specializes in devastating strikes and always looks to charge forward to instantly inflict damage, Rodtang has beaten some of Thailand’s biggest Muay Thai superstars. Following his two impressive performances on the ONE Super Series stage, Rodtang eyes to inch himself closer to a possible ONE World Title shot by testing his mettle against two-time Muay Thai World Champion Hakim Hamech at ONE: A NEW ERA.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

1 March 2019 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), announced today that Brazilian mixed martial arts legend Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort just signed with the promotion.

Hailing from Rio De Janeiro, Belfort is one of the most popular mixed martial artists to ever come out of Brazil. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under the legendary Carlson Gracie, Belfort became one of the earliest stars of the sport, making his professional debut in 1996 at the age of 19. In a career that has spanned over two decades and 41 professional bouts, Belfort has become a Heavyweight Tournament Champion, a Light Heavyweight World Champion in two different organizations, and a perennial top contender in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. While traditionally trained as a grappler, it was Belfort’s lightning-fast hands and devastating knockout power that brought him undeniable success in his mixed martial arts career. Over the years he has collected a remarkable 18 wins via knockout in his 26 professional career victories.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “It is with great pleasure and honor that I welcome Vitor Belfort into the ONE Championship family. Vitor is hands down, one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. He is a legend across the world, and we are thrilled to have him as ONE expands into South America. A World Champion in multiple weight divisions, Vitor is a massive addition to our ever-growing roster of ONE Championship elite athletes. I cannot wait to see his explosive power and his exciting knockout finishes inside the ONE cage.”

A bonafide legend in the sport, Belfort has notable victories over the likes of Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson, twice. Belfort has also faced other big-name stars such as Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Lyoto Machida, among others. He now looks to continue his legendary career with ONE Championship.

Vitor Belfort, ONE Athlete, stated: “I have been in this sport since I was 19 years old, and have been fortunate enough to witness its growth and evolution firsthand. I am grateful to so many for this incredible opportunity. First of all, I would like to thank my wife Joana and my children, Davi, Victoria and Kyara for their infinite love and support. My management, Lloyd Pierson and Ballengee Group, guided me through this process with unmatched expertise.I would like to of course thank Chatri Sityodtong and ONE Championship, who gave me this great honor to fight in front of the Asian audience. ONE Championship is the Home of Martial Arts, and I plan to become a ONE World Champion in front of some of the best martial arts fans in the world.”

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

28 February 2019 – Manila, Philippines: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the initial bouts to take place at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR set for 12 April at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. Once again, the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent will grace the ONE Championship stage and showcase their world-class skills.

In the main event, reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Vietnam and Australia will defend his title against former World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia. In the co-main event of the evening, a highly-anticipated rematch takes place when former World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines challenges reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta of Japan.

Ticket information for ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR is available at www.onefc.com.

Reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen is back in action against former World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa.

The 29-year-old Nguyen has become one of the most prolific Asian martial arts talents over the past few years, winning seven of his last nine contests. In 2015, he embarked on an unprecedented six bout winning streak, along the way capturing both the ONE Featherweight and ONE Lightweight World Titles in the process to become a simultaneous two division World Champion.

After falling to injury however, Nguyen was prompted to vacate the lightweight strap last November. Now, with Nguyen fully recovered, the Vietnamese-Australian stalwart is slated to make his much-awaited return to action against the dangerous veteran Jadambaa.

Jadambaa burst onto the ONE Championship stage in May of 2014, defeating the Philippines’ Honorio “The Rock” Banario. He has since been a winner of six of his last eight contests. In 2014, he captured the ONE Featherweight World Title with a victory over Koji Oishi. Over the years, Jadambaa has defeated some of ONE Championship’s biggest names, with notable victories coming over Kotetsu Boku, Eric and Edward Kelly, and Kazuki Tokudome.

Nguyen and Jadambaa meet for the first time in the main event of ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR, in a five-round World Title tiff that promises loads of action and fireworks.

In the co-main event of the evening, the Philippines’ Joshua “The Passion” Pacio looks to exact revenge over his conqueror Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta of Japan. Saruta scored a monumental upset when he defeated Pacio via extremely close split decision at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY earlier this year to capture the ONE Strawweight World Title.

After Pacio’s initial opponent, Hayato Suzuki, was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury, it was Saruta who was tapped to take his place in the main event opposite the Filipino.

Using his world-class striking and grappling skills, Saruta put together a comprehensive performance, upsetting Pacio to capture the belt. However, the extremely close result was enough to warrant an immediate rematch between the two. Now, the two have the chance to settle the score once and for all to determine who is the true king at strawweight.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

27 February 2019 – Los Angeles, CA: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), recently held a ONE Championship Open Workout at Clube LA Gym in Los Angeles featuring ONE superstar athletes Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez, and “Super” Sage Northcutt, who were accompanied by mixed martial arts legends Rich Franklin and Miesha Tate.

Official photos of the LA Open Workout can be downloaded at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WG1Hx4LXTENA_vRiCZKKg-rqkTSeJ1Ug?usp=sharing

Demetrious Johnson, ONE Athlete, stated: “ONE Championship is not just focused on mixed martial arts but other avenues of martial arts like kickboxing, Muay Thai, and submission wrestling. They had a World Title fight in boxing as well, and I think it brings in more fans from different perspectives and art forms. ONE Championship has some of the best flyweights in the world on their roster. I’ll be competing against Yuya Wakamatsu who is a Pancrase champion, so it’s going to be exciting and I’m looking forward to going out there and mixing it up with those guys.”

Eddie Alvarez, ONE Athlete, stated: “In Asia, it’s always about the way a fighter fights rather than the outcome of fights, and that’s a big difference. I’ve known that for as long as I have been fighting in Asia. One thing that you see with ONE Championship — with Rich Franklin, Miesha Tate, Chatri Sityodtong — the people who run the show behind the scenes are lifelong martial artists. So they understand what it’s like to be a fighter. They can walk in our shoes. It is an honor for me to be a part of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. I’ve never lost a tournament fight and I don’t plan on starting this year. My plan for this year is to beat these opponents in this tournament, and then challenge for the World Title and win the last major World Title that I haven’t gotten yet.”

Sage Northcutt, ONE Athlete, stated: “ONE Championship fighters get treated with respect. There’s also a big difference in how fighters carry themselves. You don’t see fighters in ONE Championship talking smack or talking bad about each other. I think that’s a big thing, that everybody has respect for each other and they understand what it takes to go out there and perform. I’m very appreciative of the fans who want to see fighters give a great performance and give it their all. Coming over to ONE Championship, I’m looking forward to meeting all the new fans. I’m young, I’m only 22 years old. I can envision myself in the future being a World Champion in multiple sports like Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts.”

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of Kirkland, Washington, United States is a mixed martial artist and 12-time Flyweight World Champion with a professional record of 27-3-1. With a highly-technical style and world-class skills, Johnson has dominated his division for the past seven years. During this span, Johnson captured the flyweight World Title and ran up a win streak of 13 bouts since 2012. Today, he is widely considered one of the best mixed martial artists in the world pound-for-pound. Johnson now looks to continue his legendary career in the world’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship.

Known as “The Underground King”, multiple-time World Champion Eddie Alvarez of the United States is a mixed martial arts legend who has competed for the world’s top mixed martial arts promotions. The experience he has gathered over a stellar 15 year professional career so far is beyond impressive, with wins over some of the biggest names in the sport. Alvarez’ most notable victories have come against the likes of Roger Huerta, Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, Rafael Dos Anjos, and most recently Justin Gaethje.

“Super” Sage Northcutt stands tall among the brightest young mixed martial arts stars of today. A lifelong martial artist, Northcutt has been training under the instruction of his father since he was four years old. He won an astounding 77 Karate World Titles as a youth, and was even inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame in 2012. Northcutt then transitioned to mixed martial arts and rose to prominence quickly in top North American promotions. In 2018, he joined ONE Championship on the back of three straight victories, and looks set to continue shining on the global stage with his winning combination of athleticism, skill, and charisma.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

27 February 2019 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete card for ONE: REIGN OF VALOR, set for the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on Friday, 8 March. In the main event, reigning ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam of Sweden will make the first defense of his ONE World Title against Georgiy “Knight” Kichigin of Kazakhstan.

Ticket information for ONE: REIGN OF VALOR is available at www.onefc.com.

Kadestam captured the vacant ONE Welterweight World Championship with a stunning fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten American Tyler McGuire last November. “The Bandit” took the welterweight throne by showcasing his dynamic striking skills, and now he looks to make his first ONE World Title defense against the veteran Kichigin.

Kichigin is a grappling specialist and a Fight Nights Global Welterweight Champion who hails from Almaty, Kazakhstan. He has amassed a stellar 20-5 professional mixed martial arts record, of which 16 victories have come by submission. “Knight” is currently riding an impressive 14-bout win streak, having not lost a match since November 2014. Now, he makes his way to ONE Championship to challenge Kadestam for the ONE Welterweight World Title.

In the co-main event, rising star Phoe “Bushido” Thaw of Myanmar returns to action to face veteran “The Iceman” Yohan Mulia Legowo of Indonesia.

Phoe Thaw, a Lethwei practitioner, burst onto the scene in 2015 in impressive fashion. He won his first six mixed martial arts contests, five of which by knockout in the first round. Last October, he suffered the first setback of his career and now, he is looking to get back on track with a win over a veteran martial artist.

Legowo, on the other hand, is a pioneer of Indonesia’s mixed martial arts scene, having competed extensively in a local promotion before making his way to the global stage of ONE Championship. “The Iceman” aims to prove that his veteran experience will reign supreme against one of Myanmar’s favorite athletes.

In a battle of hard-hitting heavyweights, former Muay Thai and kickboxing World Champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani of Cameroon faces former ONE World Title challenger Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli of Italy.

Ngalani, a Cameroon-born martial artist who trains out of Impakt MMA in his home of Hong Kong, boasts of a terrifying combination of power and speed, and is always looking to end matches early. Ngalani is a four-time Muay Thai and kickboxing heavyweight World Champion. After a short stint in ONE Super Series, Ngalani makes his return to mixed martial arts to take on Mauro Cerilli.

Cerilli is a Cage Warriors Heavyweight Champion and a certified finisher known for his knockout power and submission skills. Prior to his ONE debut, Cerilli was on an impressive five-bout win streak, with four of those wins ending with emphatic knockouts. Cerilli looks to capture his first win under the ONE banner when he meets Ngalani.

In an exciting strawweight contest, former ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Japan takes on surging Filipino contender Rene “The Challenger” Catalan.

Naito is one of the most successful martial artists to ever emerge from Japan, with a remarkable run as the Shooto Flyweight Champion. Since making his ONE Championship debut in 2016, Naito has captured the ONE Strawweight World Championship on two occasions, defeating former titleholders Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and Alex Silva. Now, the former two-time World Champion looks to climb back up the ladder as he faces Catalan.

Catalan is one of the most decorated wushu practitioners ever to make the transition to mixed martial arts, with podium finishes in the Wushu World Championships, the Wushu World Cup, the Asian Games, and SEA Games. The veteran is currently riding an impressive five-bout win streak, two of which have ended in exciting finishes. The Filipino looks to notch the biggest win of his career when he faces former ONE World Champion Naito.

Former ONE World Title challenger Toni “Dynamite” Tauru is making his return to the ONE cage, following a short break from competition. The Finnish athlete, who is the former Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion, has been competing in ONE Championship since July 2015. Eight of Tauru’s 11 career victories have come by submission, proving his craftiness on the mat.

Tauru is set to face Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat of Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada who is making his promotional debut after having competed in regional promotions. Mangat is a well-rounded striker and grappler, and is a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu product. He is widely-considered the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist from India. A winner of his last three bouts, Mangat steps into the ONE cage and looks to extend his win streak against Tauru on the global stage of martial arts.

In a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest, Japanese star Kenta Yamada faces Muay Thai icon Petchmorrakot Petchyindee Academy. Yamada is a former WBC Muay Thai Japan Champion who hails from Tokyo. Petchmorrakot is one of the top Muay Thai practitioners from Thailand.

Making his professional mixed martial arts debut is four-time Chin State Wrestling Champion Tial Thang, who squares off with Cambodian Kun Khmer practitioner Rin Saroth, a former KWC 3 Featherweight Tournament Finalist with a 110-22 record in Kun Khmer. Saroth made his ONE Championship debut in 2015 and has since posted victories over Mission Ali and Mario Satya Wirawan. Tial Thang and Saroth will face each other in a 68-kilogram catch weight bout.

Also sharing the cage in a ONE Super Series Kickboxing bout will be English Muay Thai star Liam Nolan and German former K-1 World Max Tournament Champion Enriko “The Hurricane” Kehl. Nolan is a Roar Combat League World Champion, while Kehl is a K-1 World Champion. The two veteran strikers look to light up the highlight reel at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR with their fan-friendly styles.

The heavyweights will also be throwing leather, as Romanian SUPERKOMBAT Super Cruiserweight World Champion Andrei “Mister KO” Stoica makes his ONE Super Series Kickboxing debut against Moroccan striker Tarik Khbabez. Khbabez is also a two-time SUPERKOMBAT Heavyweight World Champion. The matchup between the two colossal punchers promises to bring the excitement from beginning to end.

The Philippines’ Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres is looking to get 2019 off to a hot start when she faces promotional newcomer Lin “Fighting Sister” Heqin.

After kicking off her ONE Championship career with three straight victories, Torres stumbled in 2018, dropping her last two contests. “The Zamboanginian Fighter,” who trains under head coach and veteran mixed martial artist Rene Catalan at Catalan Fighting System, seeks to return to her winning ways this year. But in order to do that, she will have to get past Heqin.

Heqin is a 25-year-old Chinese martial arts star who is currently on a five-bout win streak. She possesses incredible power in her strikes and has registered multiple knockouts in her mixed martial arts career. “Fighting Sister” aims to make a statement in her ONE Championship debut by taking out the highly-regarded Torres.

In a bantamweight bout, Chinese standout Chen “The Ghost” Rui battles former Trench Warz Featherweight Champion Roman “Sonic Boom” Alvarez.

Rui is the ONE Jakarta Tournament Champion, and is undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career. Alvarez, who hails from Saipan in Northern Mariana Islands, is a promising athlete with solid striking and grappling skills. The two aim to make a lasting impression in a battle of tough young prospects.

Bozhena Antoniyar grew up in Loikaw, the capital city of Myanmar’s Kayah State. She began training in martial arts at the age of 16, and ultimately became a two-time National Boxing Champion. In February 2018, she made her ONE Championship debut and set a record for the fastest finish in ONE women’s history with a 24-second technical knockout victory over Shwe Sin.

Stepping up to face Bozhena Antoniyar is Malaysia’s Audreylaura “Ice Comet” Boniface. Boniface trains out of Sabah’s renowned Borneo Tribal Squad under veteran coach AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor. A Taekwondo black belt, Boniface seeks her first victory in the ONE cage against Bozhena Antoniyar.

Kicking things off on the preliminary card will be a pair of ONE Super Series Flyweight Kickboxing contests, with Japan’s Yuta Watanabe taking on Portugal’s Rui Botelho and Japanese star Kohei “Momotaro” Kodera facing Chinese kickboxer Kenny “The Pitbull” Tse.

27 February 2019 – Tokyo, Japan: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced the complete card for ONE: A NEW ERA, which is set for Sunday, 31 March at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

Ticket information for ONE: A NEW ERA is available at www.onefc.com and on LINE Ticket at https://ticket.line.me/sp/ONEChampionship, as well as Kyodo Tokyo, Ticket Pia, Lawson Ticket, and E-plus.

In the main event of ONE: A NEW ERA, reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines is set to face Japanese martial arts legend and former World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki in a long-awaited rematch.

In November 2016, Folayang captured the ONE Lightweight World Title from Aoki via third-round TKO, but surrendered the belt to Martin Nguyen a year later. This past November, Nguyen vacated the title and the Filipino reclaimed the crown with a dominant five-round unanimous decision over Singaporean knockout artist Amir Khan.

Meanwhile, Aoki is riding a three-bout win streak, having finished Rasul Yakhyaev and Ev Ting by submission, and stopping Shannon Wiratchai by TKO. These three wins have elevated the Japanese icon to another shot at the ONE Lightweight World Title, as well as a chance to defeat his former conqueror.

Also, there will be a trio of co-main events.

In the first co-main event, reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan will defend her belt against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee.

The two martial artists sit at the top of their weight classes, and each has dominated their respective divisions. However, with Lee moving up in weight to challenge Xiong for the strawweight crown, the Singaporean has the chance to become the first two-division women’s World Champion in ONE Championship history. It certainly will not be easy, as “The Panda” represents the toughest challenge in Lee’s career.

In the night’s second co-main event, reigning ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang will defend the middleweight crown against Japan’s Ken Hasegawa.

Aung La N Sang’s first encounter with Hasegawa in June 2018 was a five-round thriller of epic proportions, one which the Myanmar sports icon won in the final moments of the heated battle. The match is considered the “Greatest Bout In ONE Championship History” and was also awarded “Bout Of The Year” honors at the 2018 Global Martial Arts Awards for its nonstop action and dramatic finish. Aung La N Sang and Hasegawa will meet once again in a highly-anticipated rematch that is sure to produce fireworks.

In the last co-main event of the evening, ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines will defend his championship against former titleholder Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil in a trilogy match.

The two competitors first met in January 2016, when the Brazilian made quick work of the Filipino, whom he finished via first-round submission. Belingon was unable to showcase much of his striking, as it was easily nullified by Fernandes’ vaunted grappling.

From there, Fernandes continued to establish himself as the most dominant ONE World Champion in history with eight successful World Title defenses. Belingon, on the other hand, worked his way back up to contention, winning six straight bouts in exciting fashion to earn another shot at the ONE Bantamweight World Title.

Belingon captured the ONE Bantamweight World Championship with a scintillating split decision victory over Fernandes last November at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in Singapore. It was a close match-up, one that saw Belingon’s elite striking take center stage as he overcame Fernandes’ world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Now, “The Silencer” and “The Flash” will meet in the ONE cage for the third time to finally settle the score.

In addition to the aforementioned bouts, multiple-time World Champions Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez are scheduled to make their first appearances inside the ONE Championship cage.

Alvarez joined ONE Championship in October, taking his stellar career back to Asia where he first made a name for himself. A multiple-time Lightweight World Champion, Alvarez seeks to become a ONE World Champion, but will have to go through a bevy of top lightweight contenders in order to achieve his goal. In his first outing for the promotion, Alvarez will face top contender Timofey Nastyukhin of Russia in a quarter-final bout of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix.

Johnson, meanwhile, is widely-considered the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artist in the history of the sport. He joined ONE Championship in late October and, alongside Alvarez, appeared in Singapore the following week for the Global Martial Arts Summit, Global Martial Arts Awards, and ONE: HEART OF THE LION. Johnson’s opponent for his first ONE Championship bout will be Japan’s Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu. It is a quarter-final bout of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

The rest of the quarter-final bouts of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix will be held at ONE: A NEW ERA.

Danny “The King” Kingad of the Philippines is set to take on fellow former ONE World Title challenger Andrew Leone in a quarter-final bout of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

In another tournament matchup, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov of Kazakhstan will lock horns with former ONE World Title challenger Reece “Lightning” McLaren of Australia.

Also in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada of Japan will share the cage with undefeated Brazilian standout Ivanildo Delfino.

There will also be an exciting ONE Super Series showdown on the card, as Muay Thai legend Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex squares off against Dutch World Champion kickboxer Andy Souwer.

Yodsanklai is coming off a stunning performance in Kuala Lumpur at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS. The martial arts veteran finished opponent Luis Regis with three rapid-fire uppercuts that drew a chorus of cheers from the crowd.

Souwer, on the other hand, is one of the most internationally-renowned striking superstars ever to emerge from the Netherlands and is a two-time K1 World MAX World Champion and It’s Showtime 70MAX World Champion.

A tough test awaits Japanese veteran and former ONE World Title challenger Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi in her homecoming bout as she is slated to face submission specialist and debutante Kseniya “White Tiger” Lachkova of Russia.

Lachkova has won four of her last five outings by finish, making her a formidable foe for Yamaguchi, who looks to re-establish herself as a top contender for the coveted ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.

Based out of Jakarta, Indonesia, Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen of the Netherlands aims to place himself back on the winning track against multiple-time BJJ World Champion Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon of the United States.

Tonon is one of the world’s most decorated grapplers, having won multiple tournaments across the globe. He is a former IBJJF World Champion, two-time IBJJF World No-Gi Champion, and four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational Champion. He made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2018, winning his first three assignments in impressive fashion. Tonon now makes his way back to square off with Engelen in his fourth ONE Championship bout.

On the other hand, Engelen made a successful return to the ONE Championship stage in 2018, finishing both Meas Meul and Jimmy Yabo in the first round. “The Archangel” looks to regain his momentum at the expense of Tonon after falling short in his first match this year.

Rodtang “Iron Man” Jitmuangnon is one of the most recognizable names in the world of Muay Thai, capturing the Omnoi Stadium Muay Thai World Championship on two occasions. Known for his exciting Muay Mat style, which specializes in devastating strikes and always looks to charge forward to instantly inflict damage, Rodtang has beaten some of Thailand’s biggest Muay Thai superstars.

Following his two impressive performances on the ONE Super Series stage, Rodtang eyes to inch himself closer to a possible ONE World Title shot by testing his mettle against two-time Muay Thai World Champion Hakim Hamech. Hamech made quite an impression in his ONE Super Series debut in September 2018, scoring an emphatic first-round knockout victory over Japan’s Yukinori Ogasawara.

In another ONE Super Series contest, two-time Muay Thai World Champion Panicos Yusuf of Cyprus is booked to lock horns with Mohammed “Jordan Boy” Bin Mahmoud of Malaysia.

After his sensational debut against Australian Josh “Timebomb” Tonna this past January, Japanese striker Hiroki Akimoto looks to establish his first win streak in ONE Super Series. He takes on former WBC Muay Thai World Champion Joseph Lasiri of Italy.

Tasked to set the tone for the evening is a three-round lightweight encounter between South Korea’s Yoon Chang Min and India’s Bala Shetty.

26 February 2019 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that it has signed women’s wrestling sensation Ritu Phogat of India to a multiple-bout contract.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “At ONE Championship, we are constantly on the lookout for the world’s greatest martial arts talents, especially in Asia. Women’s wrestling sensation Ritu Phogat embodies the true values of martial arts and is a great fit for our organization. I would like to personally welcome Ritu to the ONE Championship family. I’m excited to share Ritu’s story with the world and to showcase Indian martial arts at the highest level, on the biggest global stage of martial arts competition in ONE Championship.”

Ritu Phogat, ONE Athlete, stated: “It is both an honor and a privilege to join ONE Championship, the best and biggest martial arts organization in the world. Wrestling will always be my first love, but I feel that it is time to expand my horizons. I am excited to compete against the best mixed martial artists in the world and to bring glory and pride to my home country. I also look to prove that Indian martial arts is truly world-class. Thank you, ONE Championship, for the opportunity to share my talent on the global stage.”

24-year-old Ritu Phogat is a champion wrestler and top women’s mixed martial arts prospect who hails from India. She comes from a family of martial artists and began training in wrestling at the age of eight under the guidance of her father Mahavir Singh Phogat. Ritu is a Commonwealth Wrestling Championships Gold Medalist, World U23 Wrestling World Championships Silver Medalist, Asian Wrestling Championships Bronze Medalist, and multiple-time Indian National Wrestling Champion.

Hailing from Haryana, Ritu is widely-regarded as one of India’s top sports superstars and one of the most talented wrestlers in the world. Her sisters Geeta, Babita Kumari, and Sangeeta, as well as cousin Vinesh, are also wrestling champions.

In 2016, Ritu bagged a gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship held in Singapore. In 2017, she took home India’s first silver medal at the prestigious World U23 Wrestling Championships held in Poland. In 2018, she placed 5th at the Wrestling World Championships despite only being 24-years-old. Ritu now joins ONE Championship and looks to embark on a promising professional career in women’s mixed martial arts.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

22 February 2019 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), delivered another amazing spectacle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, delighting the packed crowd with a display of world-class martial arts action. ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS featured 11 exciting bouts. In the main event, Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex defeated Janet Todd of the United States to capture the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title.

Visit the official ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS photo gallery by clicking: https://bit.ly/onephotos

In the main event, reigning ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand defeated Janet Todd of the United States via unanimous decision to also become the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion. Stamp implemented a solid game plan as she pushed the pace and punished Todd with a punch-heavy attack. After five grueling rounds, Stamp was declared the winner on all three of the judges’ scorecards to make history as the first-ever two-sport World Champion in ONE Championship history.

Costa Rican submission specialist Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton grappled his way into the Semi-Finals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix after submitting former ONE World Title contender Amir Khan of Singapore with a rear-naked choke in the third round. Sexton managed to survive a number of precarious situations and remained relentless in his pursuit to take the action to the ground. Early in the third round, Sexton easily took Khan down and immediately fastened the submission to force Khan to tap.

Turkey’s Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev punched his ticket into the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Semi-Finals after knocking out former ONE World Title challenger Ev “E.T.” Ting in just 25 seconds. One shot was all Arslanaliev needed, as he landed a massive left hook that immediately dropped Ting to the mat. “Dagi” finished the job with a series of thunderous ground strikes to earn the stunning knockout win.

Dutch kickboxing star Nieky “The Natural” Holzken was clinical in his approach as he dominated Italian striker Mustapha “Dynamite” Haida to earn a unanimous decision win. Holzken was a step ahead for the majority of the three-round contest, catching Haida with precise punches and well-placed kicks. Haida attempted to mount a comeback late in the match, but his rally came up short, as Holzken was hailed victorious on all of the judges’ scorecards.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke of Thailand avenged a prior loss to Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado, defeating the Filipino via technical knockout in the second round. It was an exciting opening round between Dejdamrong and Miado, as the two strawweight contenders traded ferocious combinations. It was all Dejdamrong in the second round however, as the Thai legend stuffed a takedown from Miado and proceeded to unload a barrage of unanswered knees to earn the stoppage victory.

Thailand’s Petchdam Petchyindee Academy turned in a tremendous striking performance to defeat Masahide “Crazy Rabbit” Kudo of Japan in a ONE Super Series kickboxing contest. Operating behind his southpaw stance, Petchdam torched Kudo with his piston-like left roundhouse kicks right off the bat. The Muay Thai star fished for the finish in the second round, knocking out Kudo with a solid left straight.

China’s Zhang Chenglong emerged triumphant against Kong Sambo of Cambodia by way of split decision. In an exciting three-round affair, the two world-class strikers stood toe-to-toe and went back-and-forth as they traded blistering combinations. In the end, Zhang did enough to earn the decision on two of the three judges’ scorecards to come out victorious in his maiden ONE Championship appearance.

Regian “The Immortal” Eersel of the Netherlands authored a jaw-dropping victory in his second appearance on the ONE Super Series stage, defeating Nigeria’s Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani. Eersel patiently waited for the right moment to pounce on his hard-hitting counterpart. When he saw a good opening to strike in the second round, Eersel delivered a hard right hand and a follow-up knee to the midsection to send Njokuani to the canvas. Njokuani failed to answer the count of ten, compelling the referee to halt the bout.

Ayaka Miura of Japan left a lasting impression in her ONE Championship debut, defeating former ONE World Title contender Laura “La Gladiadora” Balin of Argentina. Miura showed off her impressive grappling prowess as she locked in a wrenching Americana to force her opponent to tap in just under two minutes, announcing her arrival in the talent-filled women’s strawweight division.

Japanese legend Masakazu “Ashikan Judan” Imanari marched to a highlight-reel victory early in the evening, submitting “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il of South Korea in just 53 seconds. Imanari coerced Kwon to wave the white flag with his patented heel hook, registering his 27th career win by way of submission.

Setting the tone for an action-packed evening was Indonesian standout Rudy “The Golden Boy” Agustian’s quick work of Cambodian striker Khon Sichan. Driven to claim his third consecutive victory in the promotion, Agustian caught Sichan with a rear-naked choke midway through the first frame. With Sichan in no position to escape, Agustian applied pressure on the submission and forced the tap.

Official results for ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS
ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship bout: Stamp Fairtex defeats Janet Todd by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds
ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarter-Final bout: Ariel Sexton defeats Amir Khan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:13 minutes of round 3
ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarter-Final bout: Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev defeats Ev Ting by Knockout (KO) at 0:25 minutes of round 1
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Lightweight bout: Nieky Holzken defeats Mustapha Haida by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Catch Weight bout (56.9kgs): Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke defeats Jeremy Miado by TKO (Strikes) at 2:38 minutes of round 2
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Flyweight bout: Petchdam Petchyindee Academy defeats Masahide Kudo by Knockout (KO) at 0:35 minutes of round 2
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Bantamweight bout: Zhang Chenglong defeats Kong Sambo by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds
ONE Super Series Kickboxing Lightweight bout: Regian Eersel defeats Anthony Njokuani by Knockout (KO) at 1:03 minutes of round 2
Women’s Strawweight bout: Ayaka Miura defeats Laura Balin by Submission (Americana) at 1:13 minutes of round 1
Bantamweight bout: Masakazu Imanari defeats Kwon Won Il by Submission (Heel Hook) at 0:53 minutes of round 1
Flyweight bout: Rudy Agustian defeats Khon Sichan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:14 minutes of round 1

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

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Montreal, Canada – UFC® legend and former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre announced his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA) today at a press conference in Montreal. Widely considered the greatest welterweight champion of all time, he holds the record for the most 170-pound title defences at nine.

“It takes a lot of discipline to become and stay champion. It also takes a lot of discipline to stop while still feeling that you’re in the best physical and mental shape of your life but I’ve always planned to leave the sport when I’m at the top and in good health,” said St-Pierre (26-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada). “I want to thank my family, my fans, my coaches, trainers and training partners, my sponsors and my agents for their indefectible support during all these years. I will forever be grateful for the work of Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, as well as Dana White and all UFC employees for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills before the world, from UFC 46 to UFC 217. I also want to thank each of my opponents. All of them are incredible athletes who brought out the best in me. I retire from competition with great pride at having had a positive impact on my sport. I intend to keep training and practicing martial arts for as long as I live and I look forward to watching the new generation of champions carry our sport into the future.”

During his time at the top of the weight class, St-Pierre earned spectacular victories over Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, B.J. Penn (twice) and Josh Koscheck (twice). He also avenged his sole losses to both Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. In November 2017, St-Pierre captured the middleweight championship with a thrilling third-round submission win against Michael Bisping.

“Georges has cemented his legacy as one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters ever,” UFC President Dana White said. “He beat all the top guys during his welterweight title reign and even went up a weight class to win the middleweight championship. He spent years as one of the biggest names in MMA and remains one of the best ambassadors for the sport. He put Canada on the MMA map.”

Born in the small municipality of Saint-Isidore, Quebec, St-Pierre was frequently bullied by older and stronger students throughout his childhood. However, he used this conflict as fuel to dedicate himself to martial arts. After working his way up the ranks through Quebec regional promotion TKO MMA, he debuted on the big stage with a unanimous decision win over Karo Parisyan at UFC 46 in 2004. He won his first welterweight championship via knockout over Matt Hughes at UFC 65 in 2006. After losing the title to Matt Serra, he later recaptured the belt via TKO in their rematch at UFC 83 in Montreal. He then went on to secure nine consecutive defences before stepping away from competition indefinitely. Following a four-year hiatus, St-Pierre returned in November 2017 to defeat Michael Bisping at UFC 217 to become a two-division champion.

In 2011 St-Pierre set the largest UFC gate outside the U.S. at $12,075,000 when he headlined UFC 129 at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The event currently holds the second largest attendance in UFC history with 55,724 fans. St-Pierre won Sports Illustrated Fighter of the Year in 2009. He was named Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He was nominated for best fighter at the ESPY Awards in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2018. Outside the Octagon®, St-Pierre was featured in films Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Kickboxer: Vengeance.

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About UFC®

UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. UFC boasts 278 million fans worldwide and has produced over 460 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to 1.0 billion TV households worldwide in over 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

21 February 2019 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that Japanese mixed martial arts legend Yushin “Thunder” Okami has joined the promotion.

With a professional record of 35 wins and 12 losses, Okami is one of the most prolific martial artists to emanate from Japan over the last two decades. With a career that began in 2002, Okami has competed in numerous weight classes — from light heavyweight all the way down to welterweight — in various Japanese promotions including Pride and Pancrase.

Okami has defeated some of the biggest names in the industry, athletes such as Ryuta Sakurai, multiple-time mixed martial arts World Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, Evan Tanner, Mike Swick, Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz, multiple-time Pancrase Middleweight World Champion Nate Marquardt, and former Bellator World Champion Hector Lombard, among others.

A black belt holder in Judo, Okami has also taken part in numerous high-profile grappling tournaments including the famed ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2003.

Okami is highly-skilled in all areas of martial arts, featuring world-class grappling skills paired with tremendous knockout power. He brings his veteran experience over to ONE Championship, instantly becoming a top contender.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

19 February 2019 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), held the official ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS Open Workout at Evolve Far East Square in Singapore. In attendance was ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand and her opponent Janet Todd of the United States, as well as ONE Championship athletes Amir Khan, Ariel Sexton, former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, and Jeremy Miado.

Ticket information for ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS is available at www.onefc.com.

Photo: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1umm2xJdq39wUV0s8lqWKon93bT0nLlYw
Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0l0oduu1rti9fkf/ONE%20Singapore%20V2.mov?dl=0

The athletes are set to compete at ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS, which takes place this Friday, 22 February at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. In the main event, Stamp Fairtex faces Janet Todd for the inaugural ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship. In the co-main event, Singapore’s Amir Khan takes on Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton of Costa Rica in the quarter-finals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix.

Stamp Fairtex, ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion, stated: “This is the most important fight for me right now. I represent Thailand, where Muay Thai originated. I don’t plan on disappointing my fans back home. My opponent is strong and has a lot of power, but I have the warrior heart of Thailand inside of me. I will represent my culture and I vow to win the fight this Friday night.”

Janet Todd, ONE World Title contender, stated: “I always want to challenge myself everytime I go into a fight. The World Title is so important to me. This is my chance to become a World Champion. Fans can expect to see my hands, knees, elbows, and everything good that comes with a Muay Thai fight. I’m going to bring my best this Friday night and I can’t wait to put on a show for everybody.”

Amir Khan, ONE Athlete, stated: “I am going to focus on what I do best, which is to finish people. I am young and aggressive, and I always go for the finish. It is an honor to be part of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. Ariel Sexton is a worthy opponent and I am not taking him lightly. Fans should stay glued to the screen when we climb up the ring because I’m sure this bout is not going the distance.”

Ariel Sexton, ONE Athlete, stated: “Thank you all for having me here today. It is a pleasure to showcase my skills in front of you all. Being a part of this ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix is an honor, especially competing amongst the world’s best. I vow to give the best performance of my career and do my best to win the tournament.”

Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, ONE Athlete, stated: “Competing in Singapore again, I am looking forward to getting the victory. I have trained very hard for this match and I’m prepared to put on a show. Jeremy Miado is a tough warrior and I can’t underestimate him. I will give a better performance in this rematch and make my fans in Singapore and Thailand proud.”

Jeremy Miado, ONE Athlete, stated: “I know we are both very well-prepared for this fight. So I invite everyone to come and watch us perform. We’ll do our very best. It’s going to be an explosive contest and I expect to emerge the victor once again. I have the greatest respect for Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, but I am coming for the win and I am confident I can do it again in this rematch.”

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.

18 February 2019 – Singapore: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that Hua Fung Teh has been promoted to Group President of ONE Championship.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “It is an honor and a privilege to announce today that Hua Fung Teh has taken on a new role as Group President of ONE Championship. Hua Fung has helped ONE Championship enormously across multiple departments with his leadership, strategic thinking, and execution. I am full of gratitude and appreciation for his important contributions to our sacred mission. Hua Fung is now the senior-most leader after myself and Saurabh Mittal, and the second-in-command executive leader at ONE.”

Hua Fung Teh, Group President of ONE Championship, stated: “I am deeply honored to be named Group President of ONE Championship, and am humbled that Chatri and my teammates have entrusted me with this responsibility. I will continue to serve them, our fans, our athletes and our partners with all my heart in our quest to bring authentic martial arts action to the world and unleash real-life superheroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams and inspiration.”

Teh was previously the Chief Financial Officer and Chairman, Greater China of ONE Championship. He was responsible for various aspects of the company’s operations including finance, human resources, corporate development, media rights and digital partnerships. He also led key strategic projects globally and oversaw the company’s Greater China business.

Prior to ONE, Teh was a Principal at global private equity firm TPG Capital (TPG), where he was a senior member of the Southeast Asia investment team. He also served on TPG’s China and US teams. Prior to TPG, Teh was an aviator with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and held leadership positions both at the RSAF and at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, where he was a key member of the team that brought the Formula One Grand Prix (F1) to Singapore and organized the first night race in F1 history in 2008.

A Taekwondo black-belt holder, Teh graduated from Harvard Business School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a member of the men’s varsity basketball team. He also sits on the Global Steering Committee of the Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle and is a member of The Forum of Young Global Leaders at the World Economic Forum.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

About ONE Championship™
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history, and the largest producer of millennial live sports content in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the Home of Martial Arts, and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia. ONE eSports, a subsidiary of ONE Championship, runs Asia’s largest global eSports Championship Series with some of the biggest blockbuster game titles in the world. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7 billion potential viewers across 138 countries with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, Great Sports, Tencent, and more.