ONE launches Super Series for stand-up martial arts

ONE Championship is continuing its innovation of the sport of mixed martial arts with the launch of ONE Super Series that will pit stand-up artists against each other.

ONE Chairman Chatri Sityodtong said in a conference call that introducion the ONE Super Series is a “massive, game-changing moment for the world of martial arts.”

The ONE Super Series is exclusive to strikers who practice either of the following disciplines, Muay Thai, Lethwei, Silat, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Sambo, Kung Fu, Sanda, and Wushu.

And these strikers could either fight inside a kickboxing ring and would follow the sport’s rules or inside the cage under hybrid rules.

“ONE Championship has been a celebration of Asia’s greatest cultural treasure—martial arts—and the values of integrity, honor, respect, humility, discipline, courage, and compassion,” said Sityodtong.

“Why is ONE Championship launching another league? In the same way that Starbucks offers many flavors of coffee and tea, we offer all martial arts.”

It’s not the first time that ONE Championship veered away from the hybrid rules of MMA as it already had two bouts in the Grappling Super-Match that was exclusive to grapplers.

Shinya Aoki won the last Grappling Super-Match against Marat Gafurov in January of 2018 but was on the losing end of the first one against Garry Tonon in May 2017.

Sityodtong said fighters under the ONE Super Series can also fight in the main MMA cards of the promotion and vice versa.

ONE Super Series will have its first bouts on April 20 and will share the card with MMA fights.