- In the first of a series of new ONE Championship rankings by the Post, we take a look at the top 10 men’s MMA fighters across all weight divisions
- Here are our selections, including flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, and two-division champs Christian Lee and Anatoly Malykhin
ONE Championship was founded in 2011, and in the intervening years, has assembled one of the deepest rosters of mixed martial arts talent of any promotion on earth.
Some of the Singapore-based martial arts promotion’s top MMA fighters, like Demetrious Johnson and John Lineker, were signed from other organisations, like the UFC.
Yet many of ONE’s fiercest competitors, such as Christian Lee, Adriano Moraes, and Fabricio Andrade, are home-grown, having spent the bulk of their career competing under the promotion’s banner.
1. Demetrious Johnson (24-4-1) – Former UFC champ “Mighty Mouse” was already considered one of the best fighters on the planet when he arrived in ONE in 2019, but his flyweight title-winning knockout of Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 1 last August cemented him as one of the greatest of all time – maybe even the best, full stop.
The American, who also won ONE’s flyweight Grand Prix in 2019, will be back in action soon, as he looks to settle a 1-1 tie with Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 in Denver, Colorado – the promotion’s debut on US soil.
2. Christian Lee (17-4) – Were it not for the existence of Demetrious Johnson, “The Warrior” would undoubtedly be the No 1 fighter on this list.
The Canadian-American has spent the entirety of his career with ONE, and has been impressive for the duration, but has bloomed into a world-class talent in recent years, twice winning the lightweight title, and most recently capturing the welterweight belt with a stoppage of Kiamrian Abbasov.
Unfortunately, he is currently out of competition indefinitely following the tragic death of his younger sister last December.
3. Jarred Brooks (20-2) – American “Monkey God” Jarred Brooks solidified his place among ONE’s elite MMA fighters last December, when he captured the strawweight title with a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory over Filipino striker Joshua Pacio.
However, his status as a top fighter has been clear for some time. He has only lost twice in 22 fights – once via controversial split decision to former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, and the other time after he accidentally knocked himself out attempting a slam in the same promotion.
He does not currently have a fight booked.
4. Adriano Moraes (20-4) – Brazil’s “Mikinho” is not currently in possession of a ONE title, but he is a three-time champion at flyweight, and has recorded four title defences over the course of his reigns. One of those defences came when he knocked out our pound-for-pound king, “Mighty Mouse” – a feat no other fighter has accomplished.
Moraes will look to reclaim the belt from Johnson in the main event of ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 in Denver.
5. Fabricio Andrade (9-2) – ONE fans have long sensed “Wonder Boy’s” potential, and at ONE Fight Night 7 in February, the Brazilian finally lived up to it with a fourth-round stoppage of his notoriously durable countryman John Lineker.
The win made the former kickboxer ONE’s bantamweight MMA champ, and perhaps even more significantly, cemented him as one of the promotion’s very best fighters, in any division.
He does not have a fight booked, but is expected to defend his title against Filipino contender Stephen Loman next.
6. Anatoly Malykhin (12-0) – “Sladkiy” has not been in ONE Championship for long, but after a hugely successful 2022, there is no questioning his place among the promotion’s best MMA fighters.
The Russian started the year by winning the interim heavyweight title with a second-round KO of Kirill Grishenko and then, even more impressively, dropped down to light heavyweight, where he captured a second title with a devastating first-round knockout of Reinier de Ridder.
He was set to take on undisputed heavyweight champ Arjan Bhullar at ONE Fight Night 8 last month, but the bout was postponed, and is now expected to occur in the summer.
7. Reinier de Ridder (16-1) – “The Dutch Knight” suffered his first pro loss last December, when he was knocked out by Malykhin and lost the light heavyweight belt in the process. However, he still holds the title at middleweight – his natural weight class – where he has beaten an impressive list of foes including former championss Aung La N Sang, Kiamrian Abbasov and Vitaly Bigdash.
He will return to action at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 in Denver, when he meets fellow BJJ black belt Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling match.
8. Tang Kai (15-2) – Tang Kai’s featherweight title-winning defeat of Thanh Le last August – a lopsided unanimous decision – made him the first male Chinese fighter to win a major MMA belt. That historic feat cemented him as one of ONE’s best fighters, but after he won his first six bouts with his promotion – including four knockouts – his skill was already undeniable.
Tang, whose stardom is growing in his home country, has not fought since he beat Le, and does not have a fight booked.
It was a tough way to start 2023, but it did little to change his status among ONE’s best fighters, which he cemented with a title-winning knockout of bantamweight legend Bibiano Fernandes last year.
The former UFC contender does not have a fight booked, as we’re still just removed from his title loss. However, he has already set his sights on a trilogy with Andrade, whom he first met last year in a fight that ended as no contest due to a low blow.
10. Joshua Pacio (20-4) – “The Passion” lost a unanimous decision to Brooks in his last fight, and lost the strawweight belt he had defended three times in the process. However, the fight was competitive, and despite the disappointing outcome for the Filipino, it reaffirmed that he is one of ONE’s top MMA fighters.
