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ONE Championship has proven itself to be a major league in the combat sports world. Showcasing fights across Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA, the Singapore-based promotion now houses some of the most lethal athletes on the planet. The fact that some fighters from the UFC, often considered the best in the world, struggled to make it in ONE proves this point resoundingly.
Take Sage Northcutt, a former high-profile prospect in the UFC, as an example. The 155-pound fighter's debut ended in disaster as he suffered multiple fractures to his face due to a devastating KO by Cosmo Alexandre.
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There are, however, successful ones such as former ONE heavyweight champ Brandon 'The Truth' Vera, current heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar, and bantamweight slugger John 'Hands of Stone' Lineker. Those three can say that they are better off in ONE Championship than in the UFC.
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Once we count the numbers, however, we see the story. The three biggest signings of famous UFC fighters to the ONE roster, Eddie Alvarez, Sage Northcutt, and Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson, have totaled a disappointing 4-4-1 record. Three of those four losses came by way of knockouts.
Some say it's because ONE Championship completely abolished weight cutting. The rule has forced some former UFC fighters to compete in a weight class above what they're used to fighting at. This means bigger bodies and bigger opponents. However, it can also be as simple and obvious as the level of competition, something ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong affirms.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Chatri had this to say:
“I genuinely believe that the best roster in the world is ONE and the UFC depending on the weight class. I do believe the UFC has better heavy weight classes so the heavyweight, light heavyweight divisions but I genuinely believe lightweight and below, ONE would dominate any organization in the world. We’re seeing that.”
Watch Chatri's full interview here:
As another ex-UFC fighter in Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks makes his ONE debut at ONE: NEXTGEN III, let's look at some ex-UFC fighters who struggled in ONE Championship.
#5. Yushin Okami (UFC record: 15-5; ONE Championship record: 1-2)
Former UFC title challenger Yushin 'Thunder' Okami didn't have the greatest start in ONE Championship. His debut match ended with a KO loss to Kimrian Abbasov and he followed that with a decision loss to James Nakashima.
In his most recent outing, a close split decision win against Agilan Thani, Okami showed some potential to get back in the win column. Here's to hoping that he turns his career back around.
#4. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC record: 2-5; ONE Championship record: 1-1)
Though one might say that Yoshihiro 'Sexyama' Akiyama's ONE Championship run is better than his UFC stint, it could be better. While his UFC record shows 2-5, the talented Judoka won three 'Fight of the Night' awards. Akiyama knew how to put on a show and gave his UFC opponents major problems. His fights with Alan Belcher, Chris Leben, and Michael Bisping proved Akiyama is the owner of one of the toughest chins in MMA.
His ONE debut, however, tells a different story. The muscle-bound 'Sexyama' got dominated and rag-dolled by Agilan Thani. The Japanese-Korean Judo expert had no answer to Thani's aggressive attacks in both the striking and grappling departments.
His most recent ONE Championship match shows some hope for the 46 year-old Akiyama. Knocking out Sherif Mohamed in the first round, the former K-1 Grand Prix champion proved that he still has it. Only time will tell, however, if Akiyama can make a career comeback, considering his age and mounting injuries.
#3. Demetrious Johnson (UFC record: 16-2-1; ONE Championship record: 3-1)
This entry is the most shocking in this list. Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson, widely considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, has the all-time record for most consecutive UFC title defenses. His achievements may never be surpassed by anyone, ever. Upon signing with ONE Championship, the general consensus was that 'Mighty Mouse' would steamroll the competition and win the gold.
His ONE debut against Yuya Wakamatsu, however, wasn't the dominant win everyone was expecting. Early on, Wakamatsu surprisingly matched Johnson's insane speed and agility, giving the former UFC champ some significant problems.
Johnson came out on top with a devastating guillotine choke in the second round. His second match was also far from perfect. Tatsumitsu Wada exemplified superb grappling skills as he masterfully took Johnson's back and controlled him there for significant parts of the match. Johnson inched a close decision victory.
His fourth fight shocked the MMA world. Johnson was knocked out for the first time in his career by Brazilian ONE Championship flyweight king Adriano 'Mikinho' Moraes. The magnitude of this dominant knockout win can't be overstated:
Though this was his only loss in the ONE Circle, Johnson's run in ONE so far is not as pristine and clean as it was in the UFC. Let's see how he'll fare against ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang in a special rules match this December.
#2. Sage Northcutt (UFC record: 6-2; ONE Championship record: 0-1)
ONE Championship fighter 'Super' Sage Northcutt had the makings of a bonafide MMA star. Discovered by Dana White on his show 'Looking for a Fight', Northcutt showed tremendous potential to be the next UFC cash cow. His supermodel looks and insane skills brought him from the prelims to the main card in just his second UFC fight.
Though his overall UFC record isn't clean, one might say that Northcutt was mounting some momentum with three consecutive UFC wins before signing with ONE.
That's where it all went wrong for 'Super' Sage. The former UFC fighter was matched up against former 7-time world kickboxing champion Cosmo 'Good Boy' Alexandre. Instead of using an obvious advantage on the ground, Northcutt chose to test his might against the striking specialist. In a little over 30 seconds, Alexandre knocked out the American with a right hand that broke multiple bones on his face.
Watch the full fight here:
#1. Eddie Alvarez (UFC record: 4-3-1; ONE Championship record: 1-2-1)
Of all the ex-UFC fighters who have ventured to ONE Championship, no one has had a rougher go at it than Eddie Alvarez. The former UFC lightweight champion was welcomed to the ONE Circle in brutal fashion by the relatively unknown Timofey Nastyukhin via devastating TKO.
During his second bout, 'The Underground King' was getting chewed up on the feet by wushu specialist Eduard 'Landslide' Folayang. Alvarez barely survived if not for his come-from-behind submission win.
In his third bout, Alvarez was initially disqualified after allegedly hitting Iuri Lapicus in the back of the head. The decision was later overturned into a no contest after a careful review of the incident. Still, it's not a good look for the former UFC star.
In his fourth bout, Alvarez was handed his second loss in the promotion by Ok Rae Yoon via unanimous decision. Let's see how the former world champion bounces back from his rollercoaster of a run in ONE Championship.
