ONE Championship Announces The Launch Of ONE Samurai Monthly Events
The ghosts of PRIDE and K-1’s peak years hung heavy over Wednesday’s press conference at Tokyo’s Kanda Myojin Hall, where ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stood before Japan’s martial arts elite and declared ONE Championship would resurrect what decline had stolen from the country that gave mixed martial arts its global stage.
“In the past, Japanese martial arts organizations like K-1 and PRIDE were at their peak and were number one in the world. However, as they declined, the Japanese martial arts scene has been declining as well,” he said while announcing ONE Samurai, the organization’s new monthly event series launching April 29 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
“ONE will create a new future for martial arts for Japanese fighters and fans. We will create Japanese martial arts heroes.”
Creating heroes requires infrastructure that matches ambition. ONE committed to producing 60 events over five years, with U-NEXT’s 12 million subscribers gaining exclusive streaming access to every ONE Samurai card featuring Japan’s most popular stars and next-generation athletes across MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling. The inaugural event represents more than entertainment — it’s validation that Japan’s combat sports scene deserves the same monthly showcase that Thailand enjoys through ONE Friday Fights.
Standing before media, ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya Wakamatsu understood the weight of representing modern samurai values through championship excellence.
“I can embody the dream of becoming ‘the modern samurai,'” Wakamatsu said. “I think this is the best stage to continue defending and proving that Japanese [athletes] are strong. I want fans to enjoy the battles and feel the courage at ONE Samurai.”
ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka Yoshinari witnessed firsthand how Japan’s hunger for martial arts’ return manifested through crowd reactions at previous events. The twice-yearly shows proved demand existed — monthly cards transform occasional excitement into sustained cultural momentum.
“Last year, I appeared twice at events held in Japan, and I saw the excitement for martial arts’ return. I’m looking forward to seeing how much more excitement Japanese events will generate with ONE Samurai,” Yoshinari noted. “In Muay Thai, I believe I’m world-class, so no matter which opponents challenge me, I will show complete fights and firmly defend this belt.”
But perhaps no voice carried more symbolic weight than Takeru Segawa, the former three-division K-1 Champion whose retirement fight will grace ONE Samurai 1. His career bridged eras — competing when K-1 dominated global kickboxing consciousness and now ending as ONE reclaims that cultural space for Japanese combat sports.
“Now that ONE’s major Japanese events will be held here, the world’s strongest fighters will gather. I think ONE Samurai will be a major event that proves Japanese strength and puts martial arts at the center in Japan,” Takeru said. “I’m only one fight in, but I want to elevate ONE Samurai and connect it to the next generation. Even though my next fight is my retirement fight, I will prove my world-class strength and cap off ONE Samurai’s first major event in the best form.”
Connecting generations requires younger fighters seizing opportunities that previous stars created. Former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza arrives carrying ambition that extends beyond defeating international opposition — he aims to surpass the seniors who built the stage he now occupies.
“I want to elevate ONE Samurai not just by challenging foreign fighters, but by surpassing my seniors,” Yoza declared. “Since Takeru is retiring, I want to become the ace of ONE Samurai.”
Shuntaro Tanaka, ONE’s CEO of Japan and Group Chief Commercial Officer, embraced the opportunity precisely because it aligned with creating value beyond revenue projections. Chatri’s philosophy about building heroes and revitalizing martial arts resonated with someone who’d always loved combat sports but recognized infrastructure determines whether passion translates into sustainable cultural impact.
“It’s not all about stories and heroes – that’s Chatri’s philosophy of creating value. I listened to Chatri’s words about creating world-class heroes, about revitalizing martial arts and creating future plans, about wanting to work together to inspire and move people,” Tanaka explained.
April 29 determines whether ONE Samurai delivers on promises made Wednesday at Kanda Myojin Hall. Sixty events over five years means monthly opportunities for Japanese fighters to prove Wakamatsu’s declaration that modern samurai still exist, monthly chances for Yoshinari to defend world-class status, monthly stages for Yoza’s generation to surpass legends like Takeru. The infrastructure exists. The commitment is public. Now comes the execution that separates ambitious press conference declarations from sustainable martial arts renaissance.
“I also accepted his offer because personally, I have always loved martial arts,” Tanaka concluded.
READ MORE: Sean Strickland Promises Knockout Finish of Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston Showdown
Recent posts
