ONE Championship has looked to make inroads into Japan over the last several years, and has now announced the launch of a new series of events in the country: ONE Samurai.
In a press release distributed on Wednesday, ONE officials revealed that the inaugural event in the series will take place on April 29, 2026 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
ONE Samurai events will take place monthly, airing on streaming service U-NEXT in Japan, with international broadcast details to be announced shortly. The promotion will host 60 events over a five year span, per Wednesday’s announcement.
As with all other ONE Championship cards, fans can expect to see action in multiple disciplines including MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and submission grappling. Each event is expected to “showcase multiple World Title fights with a strong focus on Japanese talent,” the promotion stated.
A press conference held in conjunction with the ONE Samurai announcement also introduced Shuntaro Tanaka as ONE Championship’s CEO, Japan & Group Chief Commercial Officer.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, many of ONE Championship’s flagships events were held in Singapore. In more recent years, Thailand has become the company’s main territory, with their ONE Friday Fights series held exclusively at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
The company last visited Japan in November, with ONE 173 held at the Ariake Arena. March 2025 also saw a super-fight between Rodtang and Takeru held at the Saitama Super Arena.
