Last man standing: Johnson, Alvarez banner ONE Grand Prix tournaments

Demetrious Johnson. Photo from ONE

SINGAPORE —ONE Championship is showing no signs of slowing down in its drive to become the top MMA organization in the world.

After another successful year that saw the Singapore-based promotion branch out to a wider audience punctuated with the signing of two world-renowned warriors in Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez, ONE has a lot more in store for next year.

Apart from its grand venture into eSports, ONE announced it will hold a pair of grand prix tournaments in the flyweight and lightweight divisions that will also act as the coming out party for their prized recruits.

READ: ONE Championship launches eSports tournament 

ONE bared its plans to stage grand prix tournaments on Wednesday during its Heart of the Lion press conference at Marina Bay Sands Convention Center here.

Chatri Sityodtong, chairman and CEO of ONE, said the Grand Prix tournaments slated next year will feature the eight best flyweights and lightweights with the last man standing in each division winning the world title.

Eddie Alvarez. Photo from ONE

Johnson is known to many as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time with the most UFC title defenses with 11 while the explosive Alvarez is a former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion.

“The goal is to win the gold and I’m not here to make any shortcuts,” Johnson, who arrived in Singapore just a few hours before the presser started, said.

Filipino Geje Eustaquio currently holds the flyweight belt while another Filipino in Eduard Folayang and Singaporean Amir Khan will dispute the vacant lightweight crown on November 23 in Manila.