ONE Championship’s debut on Amazon Prime Video went down on Friday, August 26, and delivered one of the year’s most spectacular events with ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II.
The company’s return to U.S. primetime delivered in every way, and the night ended with Demetrious Johnson taking home the ONE Flyweight World Championship against Adriano Moraes.
With the lights turned off inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, it’s time to reflect on the event that dazzled fans on the final weekend of August and think about what we learned from it.
Here are four captivating things we learned following ONE on Prime Video 1.
ONE Is Here
The ONE and Prime Video partnership could not have gotten off to a better start. ONE’s arrival on the U.S. scene was filled with finish after finish between elite martial artists.
The pacing of the event moved quickly between bouts, so there was not much dead space between the action. Fans got a good cross-section of sports and athletes. It was exceptionally fun, which is what sports should be about for the fans.
All five main card bouts ended in a finish.
After the event, ONE was trending worldwide on Twitter. It ranked #1 in the United States. The sports world was talking about everything that had transpired throughout the night. ONE resonated with the audience, and Prime Video’s platform was easy for fans to locate the promotion.
ONE Prime Video 1 did exactly what it needed to accomplish: to excite fans about ONE, martial arts, and crave ONE on Prime Video 2.
Johnson Is A Generational Talent
Demetrious Johnson’s legacy in mixed martial arts was already set before ONE on Prime Video 1. He was already considered by many to be the greatest of all time.
But his fourth-round knockout over Adriano Moraes may have closed the door on that argument. “Mighty Mouse” is a once-in-a-generation talent that we should be appreciating the same as we do art in the Louvre.
What a masterful performance it was inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium. After falling behind due to the top control of Moraes in the first two rounds, the Washington native began taking over with his striking and movement.
Finally, he stung Moraes with a lead right and followed it up with a show-stopping knee. It was yet another highlight-reel finish, and it netted him another major World Championship. He is unparalleled.
Johnson is the greatest of all time. That much is now sure.
Muay Thai Shines In Primetime
One of ONE’s calling cards is the fact they put kickboxing, Muay Thai, and submission grappling on a larger platform. At ONE on Prime Video 1, Muay Thai took center stage with the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix semifinals and the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship co-main event.
In each instance, the athletes delivered in a huge way.
Superlek Kiatmoo9 took out Walter Goncalves with a first-round knockout, and Panpayak Jitmuangnon followed suit with a second-round knockout of Savvas Michael to set up their final match.
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao continued to show why many considered him the greatest ever to do it in Muay Thai as he rendered Liam Harrison unable to continue with multiple brutal leg kicks.
The final three Muay Thai bouts on the card showed why the sport, in four-ounce gloves, is one of the most exciting martial arts bar none. The showcases laid the groundwork for the future of Muay Thai in the domestic landscape.
Is Buchecha The Best Heavyweight In The World?
Multiple-time BJJ World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida pulled off another seamless first-round finish in his mixed martial arts career against Kirill Grishenko, but perhaps more importantly, he was able to show off his developing striking.
There is no question he is unparalleled on the ground just by entering the Circle. However, as he adds in his striking, he may become the best heavyweight in the world. And he may be already.
It is not about developing world-class striking. That won’t happen. But his defense can shut down others, and his offense could open opportunities to employ his grappling. He is already proving that to be the case.
He still has to prove the theory correct in his upcoming matches as he nears a title shot, but it is not a wild claim to suggest he is the best heavyweight talent in the world. His credentials speak loudly that he is already among the elite, and his record to date shows he is a major player on the scene.
