As promised, the show will go on for ONE Championship amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Starting April 17 through May 8, 2020, ONE Championship has lined up four events with inspirational show titles to lift the spirits of martial arts fans worldwide and provide the same outstanding entertainment. ‘Hope’, ‘Strength’, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Inspiration’ will be held on April 17, 24, May 1 and 8, respectively, behind closed doors, but will be livestreamed for free to a global audience.
All shows will take place in Singapore, just like last February 28 during King of the Jungle — ONE’s first-ever closed-door event.
“COVID-19 is an excellent example of how great Singapore is. It is literally leading the entire world in the containment of the virus through process, policy, vigilance, execution, and transparency,” said ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
“With so much uncertainty surrounding the global economy during the pandemic, it’s good to see that we can continue to create jobs and opportunities.”
Although no one knew quite what to expect during King of the Jungle, the result was an absolute sizzler that saw Janet Todd wrench the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Title away from young superstar Stamp Fairtex in the main event. Tiffany Teo also defeated Japanese star Ayaka Miura via unanimous decision. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Filipino striker Denice Zamboanga earned herself a shot at Angela Lee’s Atomweight strap with a glorious decision victory over veteran Mei Yamaguchi.
What’s next?
Perhaps a Todd-Fairtex trilogy in the near future? Tiffany Teo getting a crack at Xiong Jingnan’s Strawweight Title soon? A Denice Zamboanga-Angela Lee fight somewhere down the line? Those are possible forward scenarios ONE could pursue.
Besides non-stop fights, ONE has one more positive up its sleeve.
The announcement that “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” is happening in Asia in the second half of 2020 created a sea of social media buzz with candidates flooding in from around the world to vie for the ultimate prize of a once-in-a-lifetime US$250,000 job under the mentorship of Sityodtong.
