ONE Championship is the fastest-growing MMA promotion in the world. It is generally considered as the third-best MMA promotion, only behind Bellator and the UFC, and their roster of fighters attests to that.
Joining ONE Championship as a fighter is not an easy task, although would be easier than the UFC. This article is to guide you on your goal of being a fighter at ONE FC.
If you are asking this question, it is expected that you already train MMA so I would go straight to the point.
1. COMPETE IN AMATEUR FIGHTS
Firstly, you have to compete in amateur MMA. Competing in amateur fights gives you experience and makes you aware of what is to be expected in professional MMA.
It is best to go amateur first so you can get a feel of being in the cage, and get an understanding of what skills of yours need improvement way before you decide to become a professional MMA fighter.
Some people take only 3 or 4 amateur MMA fights. Some take 6+. It is recommended to stay amateur until you feel comfortable enough to go pro.
2. FIND AN AGENT/MANAGER
Once you decide to go pro, it is necessary that you get a manager who will handle all the administrative work, such as booking fights, picking the opponents, having your name on the map for bigger promotions, and helping with your progress.
Your agent, manager, or trainer should be the one helping with booking your fights unless you somehow can do that yourself.
3. JOIN A TOP GYM
Iron sharpens iron is the saying. You need to join a gym with connections to ONE Championship and other top MMA promotions. Find a coach that already has fighters competing in ONE FC.
Examples of gyms that have strong relationships with ONE Championship:
- American Top Team
- Alliance MMA
- Jackson-Wink
- Elevation Fight Team
- City Kickboxing
These gyms are some of the top MMA gyms in the world and being a member of these gyms increases your chances of being signed to ONE Championship.
In 2019, Evolve welcomed athletes from all over the world to apply for the famed Evolve Fight Team and offered recruits direct paths to compete in leading promotions across the world, including the largest one of all, ONE FC.
4. GO THROUGH LOWER LEAGUES
Starting at the bottom and working your way up describes this journey. It is recommended that you go through local leagues, smaller promotions and then work your way up to ONE championship.
Most times you don’t get to fight in ONE until you have a proven track record in a smaller MMA league.
There are good promotions and local leagues where you can start all around the world. There are promotions like ACA (Absolute Championship Akhmat) in Russia or SBC in Serbia.
Also, Rizin FF, KSW, Combate Americas and Cage Warriors are popular leagues with a history of talented fighters recruited by the UFC, ONE and other top promotions.
5. WHERE TO APPLY
If you have a good record, or simply you are a popular fighter that can bring new eyes to the promotion, you would be contacted.
https://www.onefc.com/ows-athlete-registration-form/ is the page where you can register to be an athlete for ONE FC.
Or simply, if you feel you are good enough to be a ONE FC accredited athlete, you should email info@onefc.com for more details.
You can also contact ONE FC for athlete inquiries at https://www.onefc.com/contact-us/
