ONE Championship to air live shows in US, inks deal with Turner Sports

ONE Championship, the world’s largest martial arts organization, announced a three-year deal with Turner Sports to air live programming and specials in the United States beginning in 2019.

The partnership will get underway on Saturday, 19 January as the promotion kicks off its calendar year with ONE: Eternal Glory in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In the main event, ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio defends his belt against the last man to defeat him — Japan’s Hayato Suzuki.

B/R Live, which serves as Turner’s live sports streaming service, will be the primary destination for ONE. Also, TNT will televise 12 one-hour taped-re-airs.

Lenny Daniels, President of Turner Sports, described the deal as a perfect partnership alongside the organization’s ambition.

“ONE Championship is one of the most popular mixed martial arts organizations in the world, with a high concentration of passionate, millennial fans that make it a perfect fit for B/R Live and TNT,” he said.

“We will leverage every opportunity within our portfolio to partner with ONE Championship and help further expand its footprint in the U.S.”

Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Chairman and CEO, announced the news via Twitter late Thursday night.

“We are thrilled to partner with Turner Sports, a truly iconic industry leader of premium sports content, to bring authentic, world-class martial arts action to American fans,” he said.

“As The Home Of Martial Arts, ONE Championship has a simple formula of values, heroes, and stories that have resonated deeply across the globe. We look forward to showcasing the greatest martial artists in the world.”

Details on scheduling and distribution information will be announced at a later date, but this significant deal showcases ONE’s strength in the market following a record-breaking 2018, which included an entertaining addition to its roster, ONE Super Series.

The year could not have gone better for the Asia-based organization, as it also announced the signing of multiple-time World Champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and the sport’s most dominant World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

READ: Former women MMA world champ Meisha Tate appointed as ONE Championship VP

ONE also welcomed another World Champion to the fold in Miesha Tate, who will serve as one of the company’s Vice Presidents.