Because of the course of events, my opinions are most likely biased. But ONE champion formerly known as ONE Fighting Championship, ONE FC, was the first fight promotion I began to watch regularly. The main reason I became indulged in the broadcast was my own interest in kickboxing and Muay Thai. During this time, ONE championship offered airing of these categorical bouts. Of course there were other promotions such as Glory Kickboxing, K-1, and Max Muay Thai. However, I found ONE Championship broadcasts to be the most accessible current to watch.
Notably, ONE has Friday Fights and ONE Fight Nights which airs on YouTube and Amazon Prime respectively. And these are good fights. The show pits newcomers, all-stars, and veterans in the squared ring. And from the start of the bell, the attack begins. I am not an avid watcher of mixed martial arts fights, mainly due to a lack of understanding of grappling and how this could change the dynamics of a fight. However, much to my preference the ONE Friday Fights are mainly kickboxing or Muay Thai bouts.
So, the ONE championship promotion was founded on July 14th, 2011, and debuted its first event on September 3rd, 2011. ONE Fighting Championship was founded by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui uniting Asia through the sport of martial arts. Though ONE Championship originally started as a mixed martial arts platform it quickly added kickboxing, Muay Thai boxing, and submission grappling to its category of bouts.
ONE Championship has different rules per category of bouts. In mixed martial arts, bouts last up to three 5-minute rounds, or if it is a title fight, it can extend to five 5-minute rounds. The fights are fought with four-ounce MMA gloves. And victory can be achieved through knockout, submission, verbal tapout, technical knockout, disqualification, or judges’ decision. Judges will prioritize near-finishes, damage, striking and control, takedowns, and aggression.
In Kickboxing and Muay Thai, the glove sizes can vary from eight-ounce gloves to four-ounce gloves. Matches again are three rounds for non-title fights and up to five rounds for title fights. However, the rounds are sustained for three minutes at a time. In Muay Thai, elbows, clinches, sweeps, and throws are allowed. A fighter can win by Knockout, technical knockout, judges’ decision or disqualification. Judges at ONE Championship use a 10-point must system, meaning no ties, and prioritize knockdowns, damage, clean strikes, and aggression.
And added to the categories of bouts in 2022, submission fighting only has one 10-minute round. Fighters can win by submission, verbal tapout, or referee or corner stoppage. Judges decide based on submission attempts and aggression.
ONE Championship currently has 10 weight divisions and are broadcasting fights weekly.