OPINION: ONE Championship is the best striking organization in the world and why it's not even close

ONE Championship has been in a myriad of conversations among combat sports fans as of late. The promotion’s Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong made recent comments about why his product is head and shoulders above the UFC in terms of striking, naturally causing a torrent of debate.

This came shortly after the promotion’s return to Singapore on September 30 for a female-led ONE Fight Night 14 card that saw Stamp Fairtex finally lay claim to an MMA world title with a vicious third-round TKO of No.2-ranked contender Ham Seo Hee.

Sityodtong said:

“What you see in, let’s say the UFC, is very sloppy, mediocre-ish striking because they’re not strikers. A typical UFC fighter is a D-1 college wrestler, 7-0 in the minor leagues, and then they do a little bit of striking, then they enter the UFC.”

He added:

“At ONE, all these are world champions before they arrive, and they’re already multiple [time] world champions at their peak of their career when they arrive. Anyone from an Anissa Meksen to a [Jonathan] Di Bella, a Rodtang [Jitmuangnon], or Tawanchai [PK Saenchai], or Superbon [Singha Mawynn] ... or any of these legit killers.”

Sityodtong is no doubt confident in his roster, and fans agree ONE Championship has some of the best strikers in the world among their ranks.

A large chunk of the martial arts world seem to agree, including veteran UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.

The American television personality and standup comedian expressed his love for Muay Thai shortly after Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 slugged it out for nine minutes inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

He had this to say in an Instagram post, after ‘The Kicking Machine’ handed ‘The Iron Man’ defeat in a monumental champion-versus-champion clash that exploded on all fronts:

“Out of all the combat sports out there Muay Thai has the biggest untapped potential in the western world. The talent is there, the excitement is off the charts. I think it’s just going to take the right organization with deep pockets to make it as huge as it deserves to be over here. Absolutely amazing fight between two masters of the art at @onechampionship!”

With ONE’s expansion into the United States, and a heavily rumored Qatar card in the works by the end of the year, the world’s largest martial arts organization features some of the best strikers across all disciplines.

Is ONE the best? They very well could be. Here are three reasons why ONE Championship could be considered the best striking organization in the world.

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#3. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Without a doubt, ONE Championship has some of the most decorated strikers in all of martial arts — across all eras — among their ranks, with a grocery list of accolades that goes on and on.

The world’s most imposing stand-up fighters have impressed with their striking dexterity inside the circle.

Striking legends and multi-time Muay Thai and kickboxing legends such as Liam Harrison, John Wayne Parr, Nieky Holzken, Nong-O Hama, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, and Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, account for a combined 100 years of experience and 1,000 bouts. These elite strikers and more have continuously left their mark each time they took to the ring.

Moving into a more modern-day perspective, the benchmark of striking comes in the form of Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Superlek Kiatmoo9, Jonathan Di Bella, Jonathan Haggerty, Chingiz Allazov, and Tawanchai PK Saenchai, all of whom possess a ONE world title and have many years at the top of their game.

From a mixed martial arts aspect, Christian Lee, Fabricio Andrade, Tang Kai, Xiong Jing Nan, Anatoly Malykhin, John Lineker, and newly crowned ONE women’s atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex are certified masters of the striking arts.

The list of assassins in this department can go on forever. But, as of now, it’s safe to say the ONE Championship athletes mentioned above can wreak havoc against anyone, across any promotion in their respective weight classes, when it comes to striking.

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#2. Technical skills of the highest order

ONE Championship’s flagship numbered events across major cities in the world, the ONE Fight Night on Prime Video in US primetime, and the weekly ONE Friday Fights inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium all have one thing in common — they feature athletes with technical brilliance.

Fighters across all disciplines have shared the circle alongside proven wizards with magic in their hands. With quick knockouts, fights that go the distance, and back-and-forth slugfests, these events stand as proof as to why ONE Championship is the frontrunner when it comes to striking — and it’s not even close.

Let’s take Tawanchai for example, a fighter described as a shining light of the new breed of Muay Thai.

The 24-year-old phenom has made a name for himself in the promotion with seven wins in eight fights, including a decisive victory over Jo Nattawut at ONE Fight Night 15 earlier this month.

While his bone-shattering shots are a thing of beauty, the manner in which Tawanchai methodically broke down Nattawut inside the Thai capital last week was clinical, and it showed why he’s one of the best-ever Muay Femurs – the thinkers of the Muay Thai world.

Beyond ‘the art of eight limbs’, there are more recognized names with similar fight IQs – Giorgio Petrosyan and reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Chingiz Allazov. The pair can slice open opponents' defenses with their brain power, and they are guaranteed to put on a show each time out.

On the MMA front, you have technical strikers like the legendary Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, who knocked out rival Adriano Moraes with a flying knee, survived a full round with Muay Thai phenom Rodtang, and is one of the greatest fighters of all time.

You have wushu artist Joshua Pacio, who is known for his precision as well as his power, and taekwondo stylist, ONE interim featherweight MMA world champion Thanh Le, kicking up a storm in the circle.

Russian mauler Anatoly Malykhin absolutely obliterates his opponents in two weight classes and has proven to be a knockout artist in every sense of the word, even while being predominantly a wrestler.

Needless to say, when you want to see world-class striking, you come to ONE Championship to get your fix.

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#1. One-punch KO machines

Nothing attracts the eye in martial arts more than exciting knockouts, and ONE Championship is rife with them. In fact, the promotion has arguably the highest finishing rate out of all martial arts organizations globally.

Whether you look at the upper echelon or even up-and-coming talent in ONE Championship, there’s no shortage of dynamite-fisted monsters.

In the lighter weight divisions, world champions Fabricio Andrade, John Lineker, Tang Kai, Rodtang, Superlek, and Superbon have repeatedly proved that they are always one strike away from sending a rival to the shadow realm.

Moving up to the lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight ranks, two-division king Regian Eersel is a man who never fails to pack his venomous power in his suitcase. Another double-champion Christian Lee, who has 12 knockouts in 17 career wins, is an example of an absolute power sensation in ONE.

Then you have names like Timofey Nastyukhin, Dagi Arslanaliev, Nieky Holzken, and Roberto Soldic, who have shown that their striking acumen is a class above anyone in their division.

At the top of the mountain, a quick peek into the track record of heavyweight goliaths Anatoly Malykhin, Roman Kryklia, Guto Inocente, Rade Opacic, and others show you just why ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong’s claims about ONE having a far more complete striking roster than others isn’t something that needs a lot of explanation.

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Conclusion: ONE Championship is the king of the striking realm

When you take a deep dive into ONE Championship’s stacked roster, one thing starts to become more and more apparent – ONE truly has a roster packed to the brim with only the very best from the striking realm across MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing.

As such, it’s an absolute no-brainer when trying to dissect how ONE stacks up to the others, especially considering the promotion’s growing list of monsters who have delivered striking clinics week in and week out on the global stage of the organization.