The Top 50 Events In ONE History Part 2: #40-31
In the lead-up to ONE Championship’s momentous 100th event, ONE: CENTURY, the world’s largest martial arts organization is celebrating the top 50 shows in the company’s history.
Since 2011, ONE has been home to the most exciting martial arts action on the planet as it has taken its unforgettable events and world-class athletes across Asia to some of the globe’s most vibrant cities.
The countdown will continue for the next month until the global stage returns to Tokyo, Japan on 13 October for the biggest World Championship martial arts event of all time.
If you missed the first part, check it out using the link below.
Now, the list continues with 10 more events from throughout the past eight years that show why ONE is The Home Of Martial Arts.
#40 ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS
A monumental night for Thai martial arts came thanks to the coronation of one of the nation’s own athletes as the undisputed king of its national sport. Nong-O Gaiyanghadao lived up to all the hype and his reputation as a legend of “the art of eight limbs” by claiming the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title.
#39 ONE: KINGS AND CHAMPIONS
Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki made his ONE debut in October 2012, and by April 2013, he was ONE Lightweight World Champion. The Japanese icon’s classic performance put a bow on a great night of action at the Singapore Indoor Stadium that saw athletes from 14 nations produce mostly finishes.
#38 ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS
By October 2016, The Home Of Martial Arts was starting to be a regular fixture in Yangon, Myanmar, and its third visit to the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium matched the excellence that had come before, and has come since. The highlight was the main event, in which Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito put on arguably the performance of his career against then-undefeated Joshua “The Passion” Pacio in a ONE Strawweight World Championship match.
#37 ONE: HERO’S DREAM
In November 2017 the likes of Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit’s terrific TKO and Saw Darwait’s lightning submission were just appetizers for a colossal main event in Myanmar. National hero Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang took on the hulking Alain “The Panther” Ngalani in a marquee non-title open weight bout, that caused the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium to come unglued.
#36 ONE: BATTLE OF THE LIONS
Singapore played host to the fastest finish in ONE World Title history back in November 2014 as Igor “Lionheart” Svirid won the inaugural ONE Middleweight World Title with an unbelievable KO in just 17 seconds. That was typical of the action in “The Lion City“ as all but one bout ended via highlight-reel stoppage.
#35 ONE: HERO’S ASCENT
ONE’s first visit to Manila, Philippines this year was packed to bursting with highlights, but the prestige of the main event could not be matched. The first trilogy in The Home Of Martial Arts got a fitting conclusion as Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes challenged Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio in an unforgettable, five-round clash for flyweight gold.
#34 ONE: RISE OF HEROES
Another banner night for martial arts in the Philippines ended with one of the most gripping World Title match-ups the global stage has ever seen. For five rounds, Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes went at it with ONE Bantamweight Grand Prix winner Masakatsu Ueda, who pushed him as hard as anyone had done in his ONE career.
#33 ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST
A collection of young Singaporean stars including “Unstoppable” Angela Lee and Amir Khan made early appearances on this night in May 2015, but the headlines belonged to a pair of World Title bouts at the top of the bill – including an all-Japanese clash as Shinya Aoki defended his ONE Lightweight World Title against Koji “The Commander” Ando.
#32 ONE: WARRIOR’S WAY
The Filipino crowd gave its customary raucous ovation to the national heroes on this card, but a special level of appreciation was saved for Bibiano Fernandes, who put on one of his best performances in the Circle to defeat skilled South Korean challenger Dae Hwan Kim in style to defend his belt.
#31 ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY
Some of the brightest young guns in mixed martial arts were out in force in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, including the Philippines’ Danny “The King” Kingad and homegrown hero Gianni Subba, who stepped up to the plate in the main event to take on top flyweight contender Reece McLaren.
ONE: CENTURY is the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history with 28 World Champions featured across various martial arts. No organization in history has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events on the same day.
The Home Of Martial Arts will break new ground as it brings multiple World Title bouts, a trio of World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and several World Champion versus World Champion matches to the famous Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on 13 October.
