5 biggest differences between ONE Championship and other fight leagues

#4. ONE Championship will feature special rules matches

ONE Championship recently ventured into the unknown by announcing its brand-new experiment: a special-rules match. The first bout was supposed to feature MMA great Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson and current ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon on December 5, 2021. However, the fight was postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases in Singapore and is expected to take place early next year.

The blockbuster fight, if and when it happens, will have a hybrid ruleset. Rounds 1 and 3 will be contested under Muay Thai rules, while rounds 2 and 4 will be under MMA rules. The sheer ambition of putting together a fight of this nature harkens to the glory days of former Asian MMA giant Pride FC.

The courage and willingness to showcase fights outside the norm makes ONE Championship a different breed from the rest.

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#3. ONE Championship follows Global Martial Arts Ruleset

According to the official website, ONE Championship uses what they call 'Global Martial Arts Rule Set for Competition,' which combines 'Best Practices from Asian and Non-Asian Rules.'

There are several differences from the more famous Unified Rules used by the UFC. However, what separates ONE Championship's ruleset the most is its permission to use two moves banned in the Unified Rules.

ONE Championship's MMA fights allow 12-to-6 elbows and knees on a grounded opponent's head. The Asian promotion also allows kicks to the head, but only when both fighters are grounded.

Such differences have become a thorn in the side of fighters coming to ONE Championship from other promotions. This year, former UFC champ Demetrious Johnson suffered his first KO loss due to a knee on the ground:

It can be argued that allowing these moves into MMA fights can add more excitement to the bout. The fighter on the bottom needs to actively defend themselves at all times. Banning these strikes also limits the opportunity of the fighter on top to really push home the advantage.

Though they banned elbows on the ground, the now-defunct Pride FC created some of the most memorable moments in MMA due to their implementation of the grounded knee strikes. It seems the legendary Japanese promotion has inspired ONE Championship.