MANILA, Philippines—The staging of ONE Championship’s Atomweight Grand Prix has been postponed following a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Singapore, the promotion announced Friday.
ONE: Empower was supposed to be the start of the Atomweight Grand Prix where strawweight World champion Xiong Jing Nan was set to defend her title against Michelle Nicolini in the main event that was originally set on May 28 at Singapore Indoor Stadium
Denice Zamboanga, the no.1 atomweight contender, was supposed to take on former UFC fighter Seo Hee Ham in their Grand Prix bout.
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, ONE: EMPOWER has been postponed 🙏 Thank you for all your support; we hope to reschedule soon! @AnissaMeksen @_itsuki_h_ #ONEEmpower #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/PI8IkCxfTu
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 21, 2021
“ONE: Empower, ONE Championship’s live event scheduled for 28 May at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, has been postponed due to the current COVID-19 situation,” announced the promotion in a statement.
“As always, the health and safety of our athletes, staff, and fans is our top priority. A new date for the event and other details will be announced at a later date.”
ONE has yet to announce a new schedule for the fight card.
The show goes on with a prerecorded lineup of all-action bouts on 28 May! 🔥 Don’t miss Saemapetch and Kulabdam’s Muay Thai main event clash and MORE at ONE: FULL BLAST! #ONEFullBlast #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/963DdrGd4p
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 21, 2021
Taking the air time for May 28 would be ONE: Full Blast, a tape-delayed event with Saemapetch Fairtex against Kulabdom Sor. Jor. Pick Uthai in a bantamweight muay thai contest for the main event.
Singapore, which was one of the most successful countries in curbing the spread of COVID-19, recently had a surge in cases tallying 444 infections from May 7 to 20.
As per BBC.com, Changi Airport turned into a COVID cluster after Singapore authorities discovered that infected airport staff was working in a zone that received travelers from high-risk countries including those in South Asia.