ONE Championship has officially announced the launch of ONE Samurai, a new monthly event series set to run in Japan. The promotion held a press conference at Kanda Myojin Hall in Tokyo on Wednesday, February 18. It unveiled the series, which will heavily feature Japan’s biggest martial arts stars across MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling. International superstars will also appear on each card, with multiple World Title fights guaranteed per event.
The inaugural ONE Samurai 1 goes down at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Wednesday, April 29. U-NEXT, Japan’s leading streaming service with 12 million subscribers, will exclusively broadcast all ONE Samurai events. ONE Championship is committed to producing 60 events over five years. Tickets are on sale now. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong framed the series as a direct answer to what he sees as the decline of Japanese martial arts since the peak years of K-1 and PRIDE.
“In the past, Japanese martial arts organizations like K-1 and PRIDE were at their peak and were number one in the world,” Sityodtong said. “However, as they declined, the Japanese martial arts scene has been declining as well. ONE will create a new future for martial arts for Japanese fighters and fans. We will create Japanese martial arts heroes.”
Japanese stars Takeru Segawa, Yuya Wakamatsu, Nadaka Yoshinari, and Yuki Yoza back ONE Samurai
Four of Japan’s most prominent martial arts figures were present at the Tokyo press conference. Each spoke to what ONE Samurai means for the future of combat sports in Japan. ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya Wakamatsu was there. ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka Yoshinari was also there. Those two, with former three-division K-1 Champion Takeru Segawa and former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza, all pledged to lead the charge on the new platform.
Takeru, who confirmed that ONE Samurai 1 will serve as his retirement fight, made clear he intends to go out on his own terms. Yoza, meanwhile, positioned himself as the next standard-bearer for Japanese striking once Takeru steps away. The presence of two reigning ONE World Champions in Wakamatsu and Nadaka adds immediate championship credibility to the series from its very first event.
“I want to elevate ONE Samurai not just by challenging foreign fighters, but by surpassing my seniors,” Yoza said. “Since Takeru is retiring, I want to become the ace of ONE Samurai.”
