Tag: ONE Championship TNT series

Video: Tougher to watch Demetrious Johnson KO’d or Eddie Alvarez DQ’d?

Both former UFC champions suffered heartache in their long-awaited returns at ONE on TNT I but in different ways.

ONE on TNT I last week saw the returns of [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] in their first fights since well before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was a tough night to say the least.

In the main event, Johnson was finished for the first time in his career when he was knocked out by flyweight champion Adriano Moraes with a vicious grounded knee. And in the co-main event, Alvarez was hastily disqualified in his fight Iuri Lapicus for landing illegal punches that the referee deemed were to the back of the head just 1:02 into the first round.

Long waits to get back in action for both Johnson and Alvarez – 18 and 20 months, respectively – only to see the former UFC champions suffer heartache but in different ways. Alvarez was visibly distraught after his fight.

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And so, we ask: Was it more difficult to watch Johnson KO’d or Alvarez DQ’d? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, and host John Morgan answer.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and this week’s full episode below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5c9imTwPio

Sage Northcutt withdraws from ONE on TNT IV bout vs. Shinya Aoki; Eduard Folayang steps in

Sage Northcutt has withdrawn from ONE on TNT IV due to lingering effects from COVID-19.

[autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag]’s highly anticipated return to ONE Championship has been delayed.

Northcutt (11-3) is out of his April 28 welterweight fight vs. [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] (46-9) at ONE on TNT IV due to lingering effects from COVID-19, officials announced on Monday morning after an initial report from ESPN.

Northcutt, who tested positive for COVID-19 in January, hasn’t competed since May 2019 when he suffered a 29-second knockout to kickboxer Cosmo Alexandre at ONE Championship 96. The damage sustained in the knockout loss to Alexandre was heavy, forcing Northcutt to undergo surgery to repair eight facial fractures.

Stepping in for Northcutt to face Aoki will be [autotag]Eduard Folayang[/autotag] (22-10), who was scheduled to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama on the same card, but Akiyama was forced out due to injury.

Aoki and Folayang have already competed against each other twice, splitting their two appearances. Folayang captured the ONE lightweight title from Aoki in November 2016 when he scored a third-round TKO win. But Aoki exacted his revenge less than three years later when he took his title back by submitting Folayang in the first round at ONE Championship 92 in March 2019.

Aoki would go on to lose his title to Christian Lee, but has since won three straight, most recently submitting James Nakashima in the first round in January. Meanwhile, Folayang dropped four of his past five, including stoppage losses to Aoki and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.

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How to watch ONE on TNT II: Fight card, start time, odds, live stream for Lee vs. Nastyukhin

Here’s how to watch the Christian Lee vs. Timofey Nastyukhin ONE Championship welterweight title bout from Singapore.

ONE Championship continues the most prolific month in its history this week with the second of four straight events on TNT.

Here’s how to watch the [autotag]Christian Lee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Timofey Nastyukhin[/autotag] welterweight title bout from Singapore.

 

Heartbreaking video shows Eddie Alvarez distraught after he was disqualified at ONE on TNT I

It was tough to see Eddie Alvarez hurting after he was disqualified for illegal strikes on Iuri Lupicus.

[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] hadn’t fought since August 2019, and he entered ONE on TNT I rejuvenated and ready to make a run at another title.

Alvarez’s fight with [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] was going well on Wednesday night, too. In the early going, the former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion had secured a dominant top position and began raining punches on Lapicus. The only problem is that, while Alvarez believed his punches landed to the side Lapicus’ head, the referee ruled they were striking the back of his head.

The result was a disqualification at the 1:02 mark of the first round. Not a warning, not a point deduction, the referee was quick to disqualify Alvarez.

Afterward, ONE Championship shared video of a Alvarez absolutely distraught backstage at Singapore Indoor Stadium (via Twitter).

It’s absolutely tough to see Alvarez in this emotional state, and we could only imagine the frustration and heartbreak he must’ve been feeling in that moment. To lose more than a year of his career because of the COVID-19 pandemic only to come back and have his first fight end in this fashion? Brutal. It also may not have helped to see Lupicus getting carted off on a stretcher. Being so emotional about the situation was understandable.

In his post-fight interview, Alvarez made it clear that he would like ONE Championship to overturn the result.

“I just need to sit down and talk to ONE, make sure they correct this,” Alvarez said. “It’s not right. What happened was not right.”

Hard to disagree.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Demetrious Johnson still wants to see knees to grounded opponents despite knockout loss at ONE on TNT I

Demetrious Johnson still thinks the rule of kneeing a downed opponent should be legal despite being on the receiving end at ONE on TNT I.

Despite the clear damage one such strike did to him, [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] still thinks kneeing a downed opponent should be legal.

The rule is illegal in the UFC, where we recently saw Petr Yan lose his bantamweight title to Aljamain Sterling after he kneed him while he was grounded, resulting in a disqualification.

However, in ONE Championship, where Johnson currently competes, the strike is legal. “Mighty Mouse” tweeted his support of the ruleset right after the Yan vs. Sterling fight, suggesting that the strike should be allowed.

Ironically, Johnson (30-4-1) was on the receiving end of a knee to the head while downed when he was knocked out by ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes (19-3) at ONE on TNT I on Wednesday. It was the first time Johnson has been stopped in his career, but despite the loss, has no problems with ONE’s ruleset.

“I like these rules,” Johnson said following the fight. “Like I said, it’s a progression of a fight. I went down on my back. I was coming up for an underhook, Adriano had me posted, he blasted a knee, the fight’s over, it’s done, I don’t get anymore concussions. It’s just done, and it was a different position than I’ve been in. Adriano did a good job of using his length. He fully extended me and landed the knee.”

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He continued, “Like I said, it ended the fight. I wasn’t stalling one bit. I was trying to get up and fight, and I got blasted with a knee. My very first fight in ONE Championship, I did it to Yuya Wakamatsu and ended up getting the finish. The rule is meant to be there to keep the fight progressing and end the fight. So if Adriano wasn’t able to land that knee, yes, I would have still been in that fight, so he would have had to do something totally different. I’m totally content with what happened. I’m not like, ‘That rule should be taken out.’ That’s what the rule was, Adriano used it to his advantage, and I was on the other end of the stick.”

After the loss, Johnson expressed his interest in potentially dabbling in a kickboxing match. While he hasn’t necessarily given up on his quest for the belt, the former UFC flyweight king likes that he’s able to experiment with different alternatives at ONE.

“One of the reasons that I came to ONE Championship is that I have options,” Johnson said. “If I want to do a kickboxing match, I can do that. Obviously yes, I can go back into mixed martial arts and work my way back up to a title shot, but I’m just going to go home and just chill and relax and ‘What do I want to do next; would you like to try your hand at kickboxing?’

“Maybe I try kickboxing and I go out there and get the brakes blown off me, but at the end of the day, it’s about trying and exploring. You get one career. You get one career, and I want to make the best of it and to be able to say I’ve done a professional kickboxing under ONE Championship would be dope. So I’m going to go home, relax, let my body heal, and go from there.”

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Eddie Alvarez wants ONE on TNT I disqualification overturned: ‘It was a bad call’

After taking time to review the tape of his fight at ONE on TNT I, Eddie Alvarez believes the result needs to be overturned.

After taking time to review the tape of his fight at ONE on TNT I, [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] believes the result needs to be overturned.

“I was able to watch the clip of the fight and see everything, and it was a bad call from the referee’s side,” Alvarez said following Wednesday’s event at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

In the opening round of the first ONE event to ever air in the U.S. live in primetime, Alvarez (10-3) took opponent Iuri Lapicus (15-1) to the canvas. Once there, Alvarez was able to take top position and control the legs, at which point Lapicus pressed his face against his opponent, leaving only the back of his head exposed.

Alvarez threw a few right hands that seemed to land to the back of the head, and referee Justin Brown issued a verbal warning. At that point, Lapicus fell back to the canvas, and Alvarez unleashed a few big hammerfists that ended the fight. However, rather than a TKO finish, Alvarez was issued a red card.

“If I was punching him in the back if the head, then you stand him up, right?” Alvaez asked. “And I get a point (deducted)? You don’t let me knock the guy out. I knocked the guy out. He turned his head, and they just let me keep hammerfisting him. Stand it up. If there’s illegal shots going on, stand the fight up.”

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Alvarez, who was clearly emotional immediately following the fight, said Lapicus’ health is really of primary importance for now, but once that’s settled, he believes there’s only one proper course of action to take.

“I just need to sit down and talk to ONE, make sure they correct this,” Alvarez said. “It’s not right. What happened was not right.

“It shouldn’t have been a DQ. It was a mistake. Whoever made the final decision made a mistake, and I’m going to respectfully try to get it reversed. That’s all. I don’t want to get in a fight with anyone. I don’t want to be mad at anyone. I just want everything to go back and get looked at. I just want the truth. That’s it. I just want the truth.”

To see highlights from Alvarez’s post-fight media scrum, check out the video above.

Tyler McGuire: ‘Amazing opportunity’ to fight alongside Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez

Check out Tyler McGuire’s full virtual media day session with reporters ahead of ONE on TNT I.

Ahead of ONE on TNT 1, [autotag]Tyler McGuire[/autotag] spoke with reporters during a virtual media day.

McGuire (12-1) talked about taking a more efficient approach after his first-career loss, the implications of his matchup with Raimond Magomedaliev, sharing the card with former champions Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez, and more.
You can watch the full interview in the video above.

ONE on TNT I takes place Wednesday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The main card airs on TNT following prelims on B/R Live.

Eddie Alvarez: Eventual ONE title would make me best lightweight in history

Eddie Alvarez came to ONE Championship with a big goal, no doubt. A win Wednesday could put him back on the cusp of it.

[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] came to ONE Championship with a big goal, no doubt. A win Wednesday could put him back on the cusp of it.

At ONE on TNT I, former UFC and Bellator champion Alvarez (30-7) takes on 25-year-old Moldova-born standout Iuri Lapicus (14-1), a recent welterweight title challenger whose loss to champ Christian Lee was the first setback of his career.

A win over Lapicus would be two straight for Alvarez in ONE after an upset loss in his promotional debut – and could put him next in line for a shot at Lee.

Put simply, if Alvarez got a title shot and won, he thinks it would catapult his legacy beyond just one of the best to ever do it.

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“For me, personally, I’d be the greatest lightweight to ever grace the sport of MMA. That’s how I feel about it,” Alvarez said during a recent virtual media day for ONE on TNT I in Singapore. “It’s easy to be great for five years or 10 years and have that energy to be able to do that, just take on the sport. … But this is almost two decades, traveling all parts of the world, fighting champion after champion after champion from all over – not staying in one place and taking on all challengers.

“At the end of the day, my resume will speak for itself – and anyone who wants to debate it, just check the scoreboard.”

That scoreboard includes lightweight titles for Bellator and the UFC, as well as other minor promotions earlier his in career. But having three major titles would be a milestone, to be certain.

Alvarez said he’s not sure if just beating Lapicus will guarantee he’s next in line, but also said it won’t impact how he goes into the fight either way.

“A statement with a big win will do it, (but) I’m not the promoter,” Alvarez said. “For me, it’s about going in there and always making a big statement. I’m not here just to win. Wins are for me; being spectacular is for the fans. I step in the cage and the idea always is to be spectacular. Winning is usually just a byproduct of that.”

Although Alvarez turned 37 in January, he was dismissive of any notion that his career is winding down.

Statistically, he may be in the latter half of his career. But Alvarez said the time he lost in 2020 due to the pandemic worked to his advantage for a bit of a restart.

“I don’t have a limited window,” he said. “This is almost my second decade in this sport, and I love what I do. It hasn’t been frustrating (being off). I got a chance to heal, and I’ve been fighting two decades. A little bit of time off never hurts anybody. It wasn’t just my problem; it was the world’s problem. … In my eyes, I got a chance to see my family, see my kids, and work that part of my life. I’m a father and a husband first who just happens to fight. I got a chance to be a better father and a better husband.”

ONE on TNT I takes place Wednesday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The main card airs on TNT following prelims on B/R Live.

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How to watch ONE on TNT 1: Fight card, start time, results, odds, live stream for Moraes vs. Johnson

Here’s how to watch the Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson flyweight title bout from Singapore.

ONE Championship kicks off the most prolific month in its history this week with the first of four straight events on TNT.

Here’s how to watch the Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson flyweight title bout from Singapore.

Eddie Alvarez unfazed by Iuri Lapicus’ threat to end his career at ONE on TNT I

Eddie Alvarez isn’t impressed by rival Iuri Lapicus’ threat to end his career at ONE on TNT I, and said he’s ready to challenge Christian Lee for the ONE lightweight belt.

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If you come at [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], you better not miss.

The former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion is preparing to face former title challenger [autotag]Iuri Lapicus[/autotag] at ONE on TNT I, and noted comments from the Moldovan contender during their pre-fight conference call, where he stated his intention to end the career of “The Underground King” career in Singapore.

Reacting to the comments, Alvarez pulled rank on the 25-year-old and told the young contender to slow his roll with the pre-fight trash talk.

“I think if you ever threaten me with ending of my career, at first, you have to get a career,” Alvarez laughed. “You haven’t been around long enough to even have a career to threaten to take mine away. That’s how I feel about that. I think he’s green, I think he’s young, and I don’t think he’s been through the situations in my career in fourth and fifth rounds where I just think the experience level is too much. If I drag him into any kind of a fight (like) that I’ll beat him.”

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Lapicus (14-1) surged into title contention with an unbeaten record and a string of first-round finishes but was TKO’d in the first round by champion Christian Lee at “ONE Championship 121: Inside the Matrix” last November. Now he’s looking to bounce back into title contention by defeating Alvarez (30-7), whose last outing saw him defeat former two-time lightweight champion Eduard Folayang in 2019.

Alvarez has captured championship gold in every major organization he’s fought for and plans on continuing that remarkable trend by adding the ONE Championship lightweight title – which is contested at 170 pounds – to his already packed trophy cabinet. He also said his pedigree speaks for itself and that, once he gets past Lapicus, he should be next up to challenge lightweight champ Christian Lee.

“I don’t feel I need to prove myself to anyone,” Alvarez said. “I can beat any champion in the world, just give me my title shot. I don’t know why we’re wasting time. After I beat Iuri Lapicus, then I’ll get my title shot. If this promotion sincerely thinks Christian Lee is the best welterweight in the world and that he can beat me, then prove it.

“I always thought champions came from everywhere, and I’m the guy who proved that right. I went to every organization and became champion. So the best in the world, as far as I’m concerned, it’s where I’m at.”

ONE on TNT I takes place Wednesday, April 7 at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The event airs on TNT and B/R Live.

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