ONE Championship forges partnership with Japanese promotion Pancrase

MANILA, Philippines—ONE Championship continued strengthening its reach in the mixed martial arts world.

Following a partnership with Shooto this January, ONE has now partnered with Japanese promotion Pancrase.

As part of the partnership, Pancrase athletes will compete in the ONE stage and also take part in the ONE Warrior Series.

Selected Pancrase amateur athletes will also receive an opportunity to train at Evolve MMA in Singapore for a year.

“Following our partnership with Shooto, ONE Championship is excited to offer the same opportunity to Pancrase athletes and World champions to compete on the world’s largest stage for martial arts,” said ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

“We are fully committed to developing Japan’s martial arts ecosystem from the amateur up to the professional level. Our partnership with Pancrase once again marks the world’s top martial arts organizations coming together to create a new era of martial arts in Japan,” added Sityodtong.

Even before the partnership was set, though, some athletes from Pancrase have already competed in ONE with former World champions Daichi Abe and Kazuki Tokudome having fought under ONE’s banner.

Yuya Wakamatsu, a Pancrase World flyweight champion, will face Demetrious Johnson in the upcoming ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix on March 31 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

“We believe this partnership is the start of a long-term relationship with ONE Championship, and we look forward to shaping the future of martial arts both in and outside Japan together,” said Pancrase President Masakazu Sakai.