UFC vs ONE championship: Key Differences Explained
UFC is the most popular MMA promotion and it has been like that since the early days of the sport. But in recent times, a lot of new ones have emerged with the potential to compete head to head with the UFC in the future. One such is the ONE championship, the leading promotion in the Asian market.
What makes ONE championship different and in some ways better than others is the fact that its leaders have decided to adopt a unique concept. Instead of copying the UFC, ONE championship is bringing new methods and formats which is the main reason why it is rising so fast.
Keep reading this article to learn more about ONE championship and UFC, and how these two promotions differ from one another.
UFC vs ONE championship — Key differences
Following is a list of all the major differences between these two promotions:
History
UFC has been around for much longer and its story has begun in 1993. The initial event was held on November 12, 1993, in “McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. Since then, the company has held over 500 shows worldwide, far more than any other promotion.
ONE championship falls into a group of “young” promotions and it emerged in 2011. The initial event took place on September 3, 2011, in Singapore. Over the years, ONE championship has held over 200 events with most taking place in Singapore.
Concept and format
UFC focuses only on promoting the sport of mixed martial arts under the strict “Unified Rules”. You won’t find Muay Thai or boxing matches during the events since the entire emphasis is on MMA only. It has always been like that and the UFC never changed its format.
ONE championship differs a lot here because the company has decided to adopt a slightly different concept. Apart from MMA matches which are the main priority, there are Muay Thai matches as well. In fact, these Muay Thai matches are quite unique as fighters compete inside the MMA steel cage while wearing small open-fingered gloves. Though mixing MMA and Thai boxing together sounds awkward, this concept is really unique. In some way, it makes each event more dynamic and the fans love every second of it.
Values
Like most entertainment companies in the west like WWE, for instance, the UFC focuses on the show. Though this is a bit controversial to say, it embraces stuff like rivalries, trash talk, fake drama, and people throwing chairs and bottles at each other. In fact, they put a lot of resources into promoting these dramatic rivalries. Not to mention how trash talkers get a lot of media space to say what they want to say. They also tend to receive better opportunities as well. In some way, this is understandable as these things create a lot of attention which later converts into PPV sales and profit.
ONE championship, from what we have seen thus far, differs a lot here as the emphasis is on honor, respect, and that famous Asian warrior spirit. Yes, there are rivalries and people calling each other out, as in any other combat sport. But the company is doing a good job of keeping it all within the boundaries of culture, moral values, and ethics. You won’t see fighters going over the line by bringing the opponent’s family into the conversation, being racist, going into politics, or throwing objects at each other.
Weight cutting
Each UFC fighter has to go through a brutal process of losing up to 30 pounds, or close to 15% of their body mass, in a week leading up to the fight. They do this to compete in a weight class below their natural one which gives them an advantage in size and strength, or that’s how it’s supposed to be on paper.
During the week, they would decrease the intake of salt, and carbs (to 50g a day), and dehydrate their bodies. Around 24 before the event starts, they would hit the scale within the limits of their weight class, and then use these 24 h to gain back the majority of the weight. It is a process fraught with danger that has led to deaths in the past.
ONE championship has decided to move past weight cutting and focus on improving the safety of the fighters. Their solution was quite simple: do not give fighters enough time to gain the weight back by organizing weigh-ins just two hours before the event. Though simple, this approach is revolutionary in some way, notably when it comes to the safety of the fighters. As a result, you won’t see fighters looking drained on the scale or fights fall apart because someone has missed weight.
Weight classes
UFC has 12 weight classes in total out of which 8 are for men and 4 are for women. The unified rules created in 2000 enable promotions to use 14 weight classes. But for some reason, UFC has adopted “only” 8 for men, which is the reason why the gap between the divisions ranges between 10–20 pounds.
ONE championship, on the other side, has 10 weight classes in total out of which 4 are for female fighters. However, since the promotion has not adopted unified rules, the upper and lower limit of each weight class differs from the same one in the UFC. Here is how that looks:
Scoring system and judges criteria
Back in 2000, the UFC adopted the famous 10-point must system from boxing. The winner of the round gets 10 points, while the loser gets 9,8, or 7, depending on how dominant the winner was. Each event sees three judges sitting beside the cage and scoring the fight round by round using the following criteria (in this order):
- Effective striking or grappling
- Effective aggression
- Fighting area control
ONE championship differs a lot here because they haven’t adopted the unified rules. Or in other words, they have their own methods of determining the winner of the round. Like in the UFC, there are three judges scoring the fight using a 10-point must system. But, they score the match in its entirety, not round by round using the following criteria:
Knees and kicks the grounded opponent
- Attacks that contributed to the finish of the match like knockdowns or near submission finishes
- Damage
- Striking combinations and ground control (superior position)
- Completed takedowns
- Effective aggression
UFC fighters are not allowed to strike the grounded opponent with the knee or a kick to the head. They are also not allowed to throw 12–6 elbows, which is a very controversial rule.
ONE championship enables its fighters to do damage with knees while the opponent is grounded. This is how the great Demetrious Johnson got KO’d in 2020 at ONE On TNT 1. As for the kicks, they are allowed to throw them only in case when both fighters are grounded.
Is ONE championship better than the UFC?
No, ONE championship is a leading promotion in the Asian market and it is growing at a high rate. But, it is not bigger than the UFC by any means. In fact, the American-based promotion is better, bigger, and stronger in just about every aspect, which on the other side, does not make ONE championship bad or less entertaining. Here is a brief comparison of different factors:
Strength of the roster
UFC has over 800 fighters on their roster who compete across 12 different weight classes. Since it is a leading promotion in the world, each MMA fighter who wants to become a world champion has to win the UFC belt. This is just one of the reasons why UFC is home to only the best fighters in the world. One championship roster is much weaker and divisions are not as packed as the same ones are in the UFC.
Marketing and promotion
UFC is marketing machinery that does a really good job of hyping each event and fighters with high-quality content. From the countdown series to getting an insight into fighters’ daily lives and their stories, the content UFC produces is top quality and addictive in some way. ONE championship also has its own way of promoting its product, but it is nowhere near the same quality.
Strength of the brand
UFC is, in some way, synonymous with the sport of MMA. Back in the early 90s, UFC was the first form of modern MMA that you are watching now, which is the main reason why their brand is so strong. In fact, there are still people who mix UFC and MMA with one another. ONE championship has been around for quite some time, but the strength of its brand is simply not as strong.
