Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for March.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel discusses the hottest topics in the world of MMA on this week’s show.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week, our panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells, and Danny Segura discuss these five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia:
“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.
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Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,246, the fellas discussed the mayhem at the Oscars, results from UFC on ESPN 33 and ONE X. They also discuss Khabib Nurmagomedov wanting Colby Covington blacklisted from MMA, and more. Tune in!
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
Check out the top Twitter reactions to Demetrious Johnson’s technical submission finish of Rodtang in their mixed rules bout at ONE X.
Former UFC champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] ventured into the unknown at ONE X, and he came out with a slick submission finish over [autotag]Rodtang Jitmuangnon[/autotag].
Johnson, a former UFC flyweight titleholder, has spent the past few years working his craft with ONE Championship in Asia. He was placed in a unique special rules fight with Rodtang in Saturday’s co-main event, which alternated muay Thai with MMA rules through each round. After surviving the fire of Rodtang’s sensational striking in the opening frame, he turned the tables in the MMA rules by taking the fight to the ground, locking in a rear-naked choke and putting his opponent to sleep.
Check out the top Twitter reactions to Johnson’s win at ONE X.
Follow along with complete results of ONE Championship’s massive 10-year anniversary event in Singapore.
ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary event, ONE X, takes place Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, with a 20-fight lineup that includes 11 MMA bouts and a special bout involving one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
In the main event, atomweight champion [autotag]Angela Lee[/autotag] returns from a two-and-a-half year absence to defend her tile against [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag]. And in the co-main event, former UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] steps into an unknown realm against muay Thai champion [autotag]Rodtang Jitmuangnon[/autotag] in a mixed-rules bout scheduled for alternating rounds of muay Thai and MMA.
Also on the main card, flyweight champion [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] puts his title on the line against [autotag]Yuya Wakamatsu[/autotag], while Japanese legends [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] and [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] square off in a highly anticipated 170-pound matchup.
Recaps of the four main card MMA bouts (beginning at 8 a.m. ET) and full results can be seen below.
Angela Lee wasn’t surprised to see Stamp Fairtex emerge as her next title challenger.
[autotag]Angela Lee[/autotag] wasn’t surprised to see [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] emerge as her next title challenger.
Fairtex (8-1) defeated Alyona Rassohyna, Julie Mezabarba and Ritu Phogat to win the ONE atomweight world grand prix and earned her shot at reigning champ Lee (10-2) in Saturday’s ONE X main event, which takes place in Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
“I thought she would be a strong contender in the grand prix tournament,” Lee told MMA Junkie Radio. “And obviously I followed her journey in the tournament and she did super well and she ended up winning so it was just a matter of time and I was super excited to know who my opponent was, and I just wanted to know when it was gonna go down.”
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Lee, who recently gave birth to a baby girl, will return to competition for the first time in more than two years. At 25, Lee has already accomplished a lot, but being a mother has given her a new added drive going into fight night.
“Definitely now that I’m a mom life and what I fight for is different,” Lee said. “I’m not just fighting for myself, I’m fighting for my daughter, my family, and I definitely want to show her what I love to do, what I’m good at and what I can accomplish. I want to set a good example for her. When she grows up, I want to be someone she can be proud of and say, ‘That’s my mom,’ so I’m just gonna go out there on Saturday night and I want to do my best for her.”
Check out Lee’s complete ONE X pre-fight interview with MMA Junkie Radio above.
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Check out the photos from the ONE X pre-fight press conference and highlight photo gallery.
Fight week for ONE X is underway ahead of Saturday’s 10-year anniversary event.
On Wednesday, competitors of the event, which features muay Thai, kickboxing, submission grappling, mixed rules, and MMA fights, came face-to-face after the pre-fight press conference.
In MMA competition, the main card features two title fights. In the main event, [autotag]Angela Lee[/autotag] will defend her atomweight championship against [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] and [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] will put his flyweight title on the line against [autotag]Yuya Wakamatsu[/autotag]. Also, a long-standing rivalry between Japanese legends [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] and [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] will be settled as they meet in a lightweight contest.
Also in action is former UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag], who will compete in a hybrid rules fight against [autotag]Rodtang Jitmuangnon[/autotag]. Rounds will be alternated between muay Thai and MMA rules.
Watch the full pre-fight press conference staredowns in the video above and check out the photo gallery below.
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ONE Championship is back Saturday to commemorate its 10-year anniversary with “ONE X,” which includes two MMA title fights.
ONE Championship is back on Saturday to commemorate its 10-year anniversary with “ONE X,” which includes two MMA title fights.
Here’s how to watch the “ONE X” card from Singapore, where women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee (10-2) puts her title on the line against Stamp Fairtex (7-1) and flyweight champion Adriano Moraes (19-3) defends against Yuya Wakamatsu (14-4).
After calling him out, Shinya Aoki will get his opportunity to face Yoshihiro Akiyama in March.
ONE Championship continues to stack its March event by adding an exciting welterweight matchup between two legends of Japanese MMA.
At ONE X on March 26, [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] will get his wish by facing [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The two men will meet at 170 pounds, ONE officials confirmed with MMA Junkie.
After a grappling event in Tokyo, Aoki (47-9) directly confronted Akiyama (15-7) and asked him why he declined a previous fight offer. Akiyama explained there was an injury and other circumstances that prevented the fight from coming together, but also stated he was open to taking the matchup at a later time.
The stars have aligned for the bout to take place at ONE X, the date Aoki suggested.
Aoki, 38, will bring a wealth of experience from 56 professional bouts along with his grappling prowess to put his four-fight win streak on the line against a fellow legend. Aoki will enter on the heels of a first-round armbar finish of Eduard Folayang last April.
Akiyama, 46, affectionately known as “Sexyama,” will enter on the momentum of a first-round finish of his own. The seven-fight UFC veteran knocked out Sherif Mohamed at ONE: King of the Jungle in February 2020.
With the addition, the ONE X lineup includes:
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Demetrious Johnson, Bibiano Fernandes and Angela Lee will be back in action for the first time in a long time.
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong on Wednesday announced the dates for two upcoming events that will feature the return of former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson, as well as three title fights.
Sityodtong delivered the news during an appearance on “The MMA Hour.”
On Feb. 11 at ONE Championship: Bad Blood, bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes will defend his title against former UFC standout John Lineker.
On March 26 at ONE X, the promotion’s 10th anniversary event, Johnson will take on Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a previously announced special rules bout. Also on the card, two title fights will take place, with Angela Lee defending her atomweight title against Stamp Fairtex, while flyweight champ Adriano Moraes takes on Yuya Wakamatsu.
Fernandes vs. Lineker and Johnson vs. Rodtang originally had been slated to happen last December at ONE X, which was postponed because of COVID-19.
Both ONE: Bad Blood and ONE X are expected to take place at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Below is a closer look on each fight.
