Rating programs should not new in fight sports activities, and ONE championship is now not a brand new promotion. This raises the query of whether or not we should always maintain the ONE championship to an ordinary just like that of the UFC or top-level boxing. If we had been to carry them to that, an appropriate rating system can be the minimal we might ask of them.
Nonetheless, they’re failing in that regard and failing badly.
The MMA fighters signed to ONE Championship appear dissatisfied with their inactivity and being outright ignored by the matchmakers. Prime-ranked flyweight Reese McLaren would go on to say in an Instagram publish.
“with the promotion shifting its focus in the direction of Muay Thai and kickboxing, together with being ghosted by a matchmaker and an absence of communication, I really feel it’s time for me to maneuver on. As a competitor, I want to remain lively and proceed rising.“
McLaren isn’t the one MMA fighter to talk as even the likes of Reinier De Ridder, two weight divisions for the promotion. I’d additionally inform different fighters to keep away from signing with ONE Championship.
“This is something that’s hard for me to talk bad because I had a couple of good years at ONE as well. In the beginning they treated me well, but over the last couple of years it’s been really bad.”
“This is something I feel I have to do for other fighters, if you think of signing with ONE Championship, don’t. It’s that simple, you should not, there’s nothing there, there’s no fights, you’re just wrong if you do this. If you sign there it’s a bad mistake.”
That is simply on the MMA aspect of the issue, however you could ask, ” What does this must do with the rankings?” That’s query. The reply is that there are barely any rankings within the first place.
ONE Championship’s rating system: A better look.
If we had been to go to the fighter rankings web page for ONE, the issue would instantly grow to be obvious: the rankings are barren. They’re so barren that there aren’t any rankings for all fight sports activities after the featherweight division.
This implies there are basically simply the champion and some fighters. Together with rankings, solely observe 5 fighters per division and a really missing quantity in comparison with different promotions.
That’s unacceptable not solely in MMA but additionally in Kickboxing and Muay Thai. One has had a stranglehold on Muay Thai, as its variation has made it as mainstream as ever.
Particularly since ONE is a promotion working out of Singapore and owned by Thai nationwide Chatri Sityodtong, together with the corporate holding almost all of its occasions in Thailand and renting out Lumpinee Stadium each Friday for its Muay Thai occasions.
So the truth that ONE has but to fill out even their Muay Thai rankings within the lighter divisions in a nation identified for Muay Thai is frankly insane.
This situation additionally notably plagues kickboxing as Pound for Pound Quantity kickboxer on the planet, Chingiz Allazov, would infamously sever his ties with ONE over disagreements on the era’s nice profession and, most not too long ago, even Muay Thai. Russian Muay Thai Light-weight Dmitry Menshikov is making an attempt to depart ONE utilizing authorized motion.
Evidently, this can’t persist. As these issues will solely serve to harm ONE sooner or later if doesn’t type out these points plaguing its promotion and consequently system of rating fighters.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: UFC CEO Dana White is seen on stage in the course of the UFC 311 press convention at Intuit Dome on January 16, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Picture by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)
Classes ONE can be taught from the UFC.
The UFC, for the issues one can criticize them for, is superb at making a comparatively easy-to-follow product. As for those who had been to go to their fighter rankings web page. It will present that they observe 15 fighters per division, which exhibits that even in additional stagnant divisions like the present heavyweight division.
There are nonetheless narratives to be informed and thrilling matchups to be made, which can repay in thrilling fighter journeys, rivalries, and, in fact, title photographs. This additionally provides status to the belt, as all the fighters within the division are marketed as having the potential to someday grow to be champions; thus, the title of champion within the UFC means a lot greater than an MMA champion in ONE.
This can be a moderately straightforward drawback to repair for ONE as they’re now a worldwide powerhouse in martial arts and have come the closest to creating kickboxing and Muay Thai mainstream in ways in which Glory and k-1 haven’t been capable of obtain for a while now.
So, for one, the pathway is evident, however it’s not clear whether or not they make the proper decisions for the great of Muay Thai and Kickboxing, which we don’t. As a man who loves these two sports activities essentially the most, I certain hope they do.
