ONE is heavily investing into the Japanese combat sports scene.
ONE Championship announced a new Japan-centered event series on February 18 in Tokyo, unveiling “ONE SAMURAI,” a monthly platform designed to spotlight Japanese fighters.
The series will launch on April 29 at Ariake Arena and run at a pace of 12 events per year. Each card is expected to feature either a title fight or bouts involving Japan’s top athletes. The event was originally scheduled as part of ONE’s numbered series but has been rebranded, with the numbered show postponed to year-end.
U-NEXT will stream the events exclusively in Japan, while global distribution plans will be announced later.
Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Fans have already seen the shift taking shape, with ONE steadily building momentum in Japan and signing several of the country’s kickboxing mainstays in recent years. Takeru, Masaaki Noiri, Yuki Yoza, and Rukiya Anpo are among the notable additions, alongside the growing wave of Japanese talent regularly featured at ONE Friday Fights.
The inaugural ONE SAMURAI event is set to feature Takeru’s retirement fight, with his opponent to be revealed at a major press conference in late March.
Speaking in Japanese, CEO Chatri Sityodtong explained the vision behind the project:
“During the PRIDE and K-1 era, Japan was number one in combat sports content. It pains me to ask why, over the past 30 years, the fans have disappeared and the level has changed so much. I truly want to energize Japan. ONE SAMURAI will hold events every month. We want to properly invest in Japan. For the fighters, for the fans, we want to create a new future. We want to share Japan’s culture — Bushido, the samurai spirit, Yamato-damashii, and the history of martial arts — with the world. ONE wants to properly create Japanese heroes. We want to build hero stories.”
Takeru fans.
ONE Championship Japan CEO Shuntaro Tanaka emphasized a collaborative approach. “Japan has many attractive combat sports organizations. We respect them and want to contribute to the industry together.”
Sityodtong also teased upcoming announcements, stating, “We will make presentations in late March that will surprise everyone.”
Fighters welcomed the initiative. Yuya Wakamatsu described it as “the perfect stage” for Japanese athletes, while Nadaka Yoshinari expressed confidence that the series would further energize Japan events. Takeru, preparing for the final fight of his career, said, “I want to help build momentum for ONE SAMURAI and pass the torch.” Yuki Yoza added, “With Takeru retiring, I want to become the ace of ONE SAMURAI.”
AloJapan.com