Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya voiced their admiration for ONE Championship’s efforts to shine the spotlight on Muay Thai and kickboxing.
On a recent episode of Rogan’s popular podcast, the two discussed ONE’s bold move to expand its offerings beyond MMA. They highlighted its success in elevating striking-based martial arts to a global audience.
“I like how ONE has everything. They have grappling matches, they have kickboxing matches, they have Muay Thai matches, and they have MMA matches. I think that is the way to go,” Rogan said.
ONE Championship made waves when it opened its doors to various stand-up disciplines in 2018.
Now, six years later, ONE has cemented its status as the premier destination for elite strikers.
Its roster consists of the who’s who in both Muay Thai and kickboxing. This list includes the likes of Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Superlek Kitamoo9, Jonathan Haggerty, Superbon, Tawanchai PK Saenchai, Takeru Segawa, and Kana Morimoto.
Adesanya, a former UFC Middleweight World Champion and an accomplished kickboxer himself, expressed his hope that outfits in North America could emulate ONE’s strategy.
“They (ONE) just did one in Denver. The fights were crazy, a lot of knockdowns and a lot of action-packed stuff. If it were marketed the right way, with the UFC’s marketing machine, easily, it would be one of the biggest things,” Adesanya said.
Rogan echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that the American audience would likely embrace the intensity and explosiveness of striking disciplines.
“Everybody loves KOs; everybody loves stand-up fights. You’re going to get real KOs because no one can grapple. Then you will attract the greatest strikers in the world like what ONE is doing,” Rogan said.
