ONE Championship has shown again and again that it is the most innovative martial arts promotion on the planet.
That trend will continue at “ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham” on Prime Video on September 29, when ONE women’s strawweight MMA world champion Xiong Jing Nan faces off against multi-sport star Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak in a special rules bout that will be contested in four-ounce gloves but will allow hand strikes only.
Xiong vs. Jaroonsak is the latest in a series of new and re-imagined rule sets rolled out by ONE, and here is a look back at what other innovative moves the promotion has made in the world of combat sports.
Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Demetrious Johnson: Mixed rules superfight
Perhaps the most peculiar match the world’s largest martial arts organization has showcased so far was the blockbuster, mixed rules showdown between ONE flyweight muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and American MMA legend Demetrious Johnson at ONE X in March 2022.
The two superstars were pitted against each other in a four-round affair, with each frame alternating between muay Thai and MMA rules.
The opening round was pulsating to witness. Rodtang hunted “Mighty Mouse” in the hopes of landing a bout-ending strike.
He was unable to do so before the three were up, however, so Johnson went to his bread and butter when the rules flipped to MMA. The grappling great took the Thai superstar to the mat and secured a fight-ending rear-naked choke midway through the frame, handing Rodtang his first loss in ONE.
Muay Thai re-imagined
ONE Championship has taken the ancient sport of muay Thai to the global stage in recent years, and its tweaking of the rules has endeared Thailand’s national sport to a whole new audience.
Muay Thai under the ONE banner is contested in four-ounce MMA gloves in lieu of the traditional eight-ounce boxing mitts. The length of the rounds is also reduced from the customary five minutes to three, bringing an intense level of action to the already thrilling sport.
Martial arts fans worldwide have surged toward muay Thai as a result, and ONE has been praised for its approach. Matchups now regularly feature at the top of the lineup at ONE events, and the sport is undoubtedly on par with MMA in terms of popularity in the promotion.
“The art of eight limbs” will next take center stage at ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6, when Thai phenom Tawanchai PK.Saenchai puts his ONE featherweight muay Thai world title on the line against former featherweight kickboxing king Superbon Singha Mawynn in the main event.
Bringing submission grappling to the global stage
ONE has also brought the sport of submission grappling to a new level.
Since its first submission-only meeting between Garry Tonon and Shinya Aoki in 2017, the promotion has been gradually making the art a regular fixture at events.
Submission grappling was legitimized further in 2022 and 2023, when ONE introduced world titles for its canvas-based contests. Superstars like Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo now stand amongst the other world champions in ONE who hold 26-pound gold belts over their shoulders.
It will be a case of the old guard vs. the new at ONE Fight Night 15, when flyweight submission grappling king Musumeci faces off with Japanese legend Aoki in an openweight submission grappling contest.
Xiong Jing Nan vs. Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak
All eyes will be on Xiong and “Wondergirl” at ONE Fight Night 14 when they take part in the first special rules bout of its kind in ONE.
China’s Xiong is one of the most devastating female strikers on the planet, and she has reigned over the women’s strawweight MMA division since 2018.
Jaroonsak, on the other hand, is a two-time Thailand national muay Thai champion who has 54 professional fights to her name, so she is no stranger to throwing hands.
While there is always an experimental element and an air of unpredictability with new rule sets, one thing can be guaranteed when the pair face off in their hand strikes-only battle: fireworks.
