As the dust settled on ONE Championship’s epic debut event on U.S. soil, the stars of “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III” had plenty to say about it.
Highlight-reel finishes and dominant performances rocked Denver, Colorado’s 1STBANK Center last Friday, May 5, and those involved were left with plenty to think about in the aftermath.
Here are some of the best quotes from the ONE Fight Night 10 post-fight press conference.
Chatri Sityodtong
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was in a reflective mood as he looked back on the sold-out event, and his overriding emotion was gratitude toward the American fanbase and ONE’s global audience.
“I just want to thank the fans all over the (United) States. Man, I’m just so full of gratitude and appreciation. Like I said, America gave me the opportunity to escape poverty and live the American dream. To come back here – it just blows my mind the energy today in the stadium,” he said.
“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart – to all the American fans. Also, of course, we we’re broadcast live to 179 countries all over the world, so thank you to the fans around the world. I’m sure the numbers are going to be record breaking for ONE.”
Sage Northcutt
Sage Northcutt (12-3) made a triumphant return to the ONE circle after four years away this past weekend when he tapped out Ahmed Mujtaba (10-3) with a heel hook inside the first minute of their lightweight mixed martial arts battle.
The American superstar discussed future plans at the press conference and expressed his desire to revisit a matchup he had booked before contracting COVID-19 in 2021.
“You know, I did have a fight set up with Shinya Aoki. I think that would be a super exciting one. Looking through my finish now, you can see that my grappling has improved a lot, and I got to show some grappling. He’s a great grappler. I think that would be a really exciting match,” Northcutt said.
Tye Ruotolo
Tye Ruotolo emerged victorious after a grueling submission grappling battle with ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder on the ONE Fight Night 10 main card.
The 20-year-old prodigy was honest about how he thought he performed against The Dutch Knight and said he’s looking forward to his next assignment inside the ONE circle.
Constantly seeking the best challenge, Ruotolo named three-time IBJJF world champion Nicholas Meregali as a possible opponent.
“My goal every time I step on the mats is to inspire people to do jiu-jitsu, you know? It’s such a sick sport, with so many different reasons to enter, and I feel like, in my performance tonight, I didn’t really show what I was capable of; I didn’t feel like I inspired the way I should have. So, I’m just going to look back on my match tonight and make sure that I fix all my mistakes so I never win in that fashion again. I’m not super stoked on the win,” he said.
“That being said, I want to fight (Nicholas) Meregali next – no matter what. I feel like I showed that I can take bigger guys, and he’s the guy I want to take.”
Mikey Musumeci
ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci was clinical in his world title defense against Osamah Almarwai in the ONE Fight Night 10 co-main event, and that approach led him to a dominant win over the Yemeni star.
“Darth Rigatoni” confessed he had felt a lot of pressure to represent his sport in the lead-up to the bout, and he was relieved with the response on the night.
“It was definitely good feedback. I felt the energy from the crowd. Being here in America was amazing. It was definitely exciting – the submission grappling match. That’s the first thing I asked (Chatri) when he came to the cage, ‘Was it exciting? Was it fine?’” he said.
“I was so nervous, because submission grappling can be boring for the viewership if they don’t know what it is. So, I really wanted to make sure that the fans could appreciate and enjoy it just like the other martial arts on the ONE card.”
Stamp Fairtex
One of the biggest audience pops of the evening was reserved for Stamp Fairtex (10-2).
The three-sport superstar oozed charisma and endeared herself to the fans, even after defeating hometown hero Alyse Anderson (6-3) by second-round knockout in their atomweight MMA tilt.
Looking back, Stamp said that she fed off the buzz of the American crowd.
“I was very surprised – and very inspired – when the crowd was going crazy as I came out. They gave me so much energy to perform,” she said.
Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson (25-4-1) hinted at his future plans at the ONE Fight Night 10 post-fight press conference – after he retained the ONE flyweight world title against Adriano Moraes (20-5) in the evening’s main event.
“Mighty Mouse” had teased retirement leading into the historic trilogy matchup, and he admitted he was still undecided after the win.
“We’ll see. I’m still young. Talking to my peers. Talking to Urijah Faber. I’m going to reach out to GSP. I’m going to reach out to Khabib Nurmagomedov. I’m going to talk to these guys, like, ‘Why did you guys stop?’ Those guys could’ve kept on fighting,” Johnson said.
“There comes a point in time. I’m 36 years old. Do I just keep giving other athletes an opportunity to beat me and add to their legacy? So, there’s a lot of stuff that I’ve got to muster up, you know?”
Rodtang Jitmuangnon
Rodtang Jitmuangnon retained his ONE flyweight muay Thai world title with a crushing second-round knockout of Mexican debutant Edgar Tabares in the ONE Fight Night 10 co-main event.
The 25-year-old was quick to call out newly crowned bantamweight muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty in the ONE circle after the fight, but he had another couple of names in mind at the press event.
“I’m willing to fight anybody, including (ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion) Superlek. But from a Thailand perspective, Superlek is a muay Thai athlete holding the kickboxing belt, while I hold the muay Thai belt. It’s better for Thailand (to have more champions),” Rodtang said.
“I’m willing to fight anybody, but I really want Haggerty and (new ONE signing) Takeru right now.”
