ONE Championship launches monthly ONE Samurai event series in Japan

ONE Championship has officially announced the launch of ONE Samurai, a new monthly event series taking place in Japan. The promotion held a press conference at Kanda Myojin Hall in Tokyo on Wednesday, February 18. She unveiled the series, which will feature Japan’s biggest martial arts stars from MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing and submission wrestling. International superstars also appear on each card, with multiple world title fights guaranteed per event.

The first ONE Samurai 1 will take place on Wednesday, April 29 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo. U-NEXT, Japan’s leading streaming service with 12 million subscribers, will exclusively broadcast all ONE Samurai events. ONE Championship aims to produce 60 events over five years. Tickets are on sale now. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong framed the series as a direct response 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 such as K-1 and PRIDE were at their peak and were number one in the world,” Sityodtong said. “But as they have declined, the Japanese martial arts scene has also declined. ONE will create a new martial arts future for Japanese fighters and fans. We will create Japanese martial arts heroes.”

Japanese stars Takeru Segawa, Yuya Wakamatsu, Nadaka Yoshinari and Yuki Yoza support ONE Samurai

Four of Japan’s most prominent martial arts figures attended the press conference in Tokyo. They all talked about what ONE Samurai means for the future of martial arts in Japan. ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya Wakamatsu was there. ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka Yoshinari was also there. These two, featuring former three-division K-1 champion Takeru Segawa and former K-1 champion Yuki Yoza, all vowed to take the lead on the new platform.

Takeru, who confirmed that ONE Samurai 1 will serve as his retirement fight, made it clear that he plans to leave on his own terms. Yoza, meanwhile, positioned himself as the next standard bearer for the Japanese attack once Takeru steps away. The presence of two reigning ONE World Champions in Wakamatsu and Nadaka adds instant championship credibility to the series from the very first event.

“I want to take ONE Samurai to the next level, 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.”