ONE Championship Announces 45-event Schedule in 2019

Following a monumental 2018 in which the world’s largest martial arts organization hosted 24 shows, ONE Championship is set to up the ante even further.

Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Championship’s Chairman and CEO, announced on Facebook that the promotion is set to host 45 events in 2019.

The company’s 24 flagship ONE Championship events had already been announced and scheduled, including forays into new territories such as Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

In addition, Rich Franklin’s ONE Warriors Series will see double its number of 2018 live shows with six in 2019.

The groundbreaking documentary series kicked off with three thrilling cards held in Singapore, and saw ONE Vice President Rich Franklin unearthing Asia’s finest burgeoning talent.

This includes the likes of Thai sensation Stamp Fairtex, who captured the ONE Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship en route to being named ONE’s 2018 Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.

Furthermore, ONE will host 12 ONE Hero Series events in the coming year, with further details on the new format to be announced at a later date.

On top of the elite combat sports that are set to light up Asia in 2019, ONE Esports will also get underway. There will be three of the colossal gaming events on offer, held alongside the martial arts shows in weekend spectacles.

ONE Championship kicks off its 2019 with an event in Jakarta, Indonesia for ONE: ETERNAL GLORY on 19 January, which pits ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio against Yosuke Saruta of Japan.

Six days after ONE: ETERNAL GLORY, ONE Championship makes its return to Manila, Philippines to stage ONE: HERO’S ASCENT, featuring the much-awaited rubber match between ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes.

More big news is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Christian Lee To Rematch Edward Kelly at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY

Former ONE Featherweight World Title challenger Christian “The Warrior” Lee of Singapore is set to face the Philippines’ Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly in a highly-anticipated rematch at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY, set for the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on 19 January. The two warriors have met each other before, with Lee dropping a disqualification loss to Kelly after an illegal suplex.

The two featherweights are tops in their division, whose champion is none other than Australia’s Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen. A victory for Lee or Kelly would certainly bring either closer to a shot at the ONE Featherweight World Title.

The first time they met at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON last September, it started off as a heated battle. Kelly had his moments early, tagging Lee with a couple of hard shots, while the young Singaporean dominated the grappling exchanges. An ill-fated suplex ultimately led to the disqualification ruling, with Kelly landing on his head and the referee calling a halt to the contest shortly after.

Matters are expected to be resolved in the do-over bout, and this time, fans expect a more decisive finish.

The 20-year-old Lee is one of ONE Championship’s top prospects. Even at such a young age, “The Warrior” has shown incredible poise and polish. Guided by his father Ken Lee at United MMA in Hawaii, and by the world champions at Evolve MMA in Singapore, Lee is a martial arts prodigy.

He is the younger brother of reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee and often trains with her. In May 2018, Lee was on the wrong end of a split decision when he challenged Nguyen in his first shot at the ONE World Title. This championship experience however has made him a better fighter.

Kelly, on the other hand, is a prominent member of the famed Team Lakay, one of the top martial arts outfits in the world. The stable includes World Champions such as Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Geje Eustaquio, and Kevin Belingon, who Kelly trains with on the regular.

ONE: ETERNAL GLORY features a headline bout between ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio and Japanese challenger Yosuke Saruta.