Eddie Alvarez’s debut in ONE Championship at A New Era this weekend did not go according to plan. That’s probably an understatement. Alvarez was knocked out in the first round of his lightweight grand prix bout with Timofey Nastyukhin. While the loss was a shock to some, Nastyukhin (13-4) has the ability to be, well, nasty. Ten first round finishes heading into A New Era. Five via KO/TKO. And notable wins over Koji Ando, Amir Khan, and Eduard Folayang.

Alvarez (29-7, 1NC) was certainly knocked out Sunday, but he’s far from finished. The Underground King released a statement via Instagram Tuesday — as well as shocking photos of his injured eye.

“Hey guys First and foremost congrats to Timofey in his victory, He is very deserving of everything that comes with victory and I wish him the best in the continued tournament,” Alvarez wrote.

“Honestly speaking how I fought my One Championship debut is not a reflection of my training, my coaches, my team, it’s not even a reflection of my beliefs,” he continued. “I am sincerely disappointed and confused in my inability to not pull the trigger and my hesitancy on recent fight nights, it’s been quite confusing to figure out the past year or so. Coach Mark always stresses “hesitancy is Death” and it’s not something that is even in my character to do. In this particular fight I waited too long for an opening and paid the ultimate price . The punch that hit me, instantly blinded me and split both eyelids in half. It felt like my eye exploded from the inside and the pain was instant.”

Yikes. That should give you some idea of what Alvarez was contending with at the finish. “From an outsider watching myself I should of have expected the result considering my actions. You have to punch, kick, takedown and pressure to win a fight, I waited. I simply waited too long for the correct timing and opening that never came. Fighting continues to teach me life lessons thru my victories and even more through tough defeats. Victory and defeat are by products of putting it on the line, they have been inescapable throughout my whole life. I hope to be judged on how I adjust and pivot from defeat and behave in victory rather than the result of a small moment in time.”

Alvarez went on to thank his family, friends, coaches and fans before adding that “I will make adjustments and come back true to form.”

His full statement and additional photos are available in the original post below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvwtZ3wn1yI/

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Kicking off the next stage in their evolution, ONE Championship hosted its biggest card to date over the weekend with A New Era. The event, topped by four title fights, wowed audiences in Asia, including Japan (the event was the promotion’s first in the nation, and took place in Tokyo), as well as those who got up early in the west.

Eddie Alvarez was knocked out. Demetrious Johnson continued to be the best flyweight in the world. Angela Lee failed to claim a second title against Xiong Jing Nan. Aung La N Sang defended one of his two belts, while Shinya Aoki got the better of Eduard Folayang to win back his old lightweight title.

There was a lot to digest on Sunday, and clearly, fans ate it up. Whether ONE can continue to stack cards this way remains to be seen, but they’ve still got a few aces up their sleeve, including the pending debuts of Sage Northcutt, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Vitor Belfort.

For now, check out highlights from all the action at ONE Championship: A New Era below!

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Following a huge night for ONE Championship, the stars of A New Era will assemble for the post-fight press conference in Tokyo, Japan. It was a night of surprises Sunday, and anyone expecting a cakewalk for newcomers Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez was mistaken. While ‘Mighty Mouse’ did indeed get the win, pulling off a second round submission, Alvarez was stopped in his tracks by Timofey Nastyukhin. That first round KO loss for ‘The Underground King’ was certainly a shocker.

A couple of other surprises went down at A New Era as well. In a thrilling co-main event, Angela Lee had a near-finish in the fourth round. She’d moved up in weight to take on strawweight champ Xiong Jing Nan. Lee, the atomweight champ, had Jing Nan in a nasty looking arm-bar at the end of the fourth. The Chinese fighter gutted it out, however. Then, in the fifth, she began lighting up Lee, who appeared to be out of gas. That led to a TKO victory for Xiong Jing Nan.

The main event was no less surprising, with Shinya Aoki reclaiming the lightweight title from the man who took it from him in 2016, Eduard Folayang.

The press conference kicks off at roughly 9:15AM ET, you can watch the live stream above!

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In the main event at ONE Championship: A New Era, Japan’s own Shinya Aoki challenged for lightweight gold against Eduard Folayang. It was one last chance at glory for the veteran Japanese fighter, and in the end, he made the most of it. Against the very man who took the championship from him in 2016.

Aoki moved forward immediately, throwing a high kick but nearly losing his footing. He’d follow up with a couple of kicks to the body. Folayang would answer with a right hand that landed. Going to the ground, it was Aoki on top, in guard. He quickly slipped to mount, locking in an arm-triangle choke. Aoki didn’t have a ton of room to work against the fence, but the veteran wisely pushed off the cage, creating the space necessary. Tightening his grip, Aoki refused to let go. Soon enough, Eduard Folayang was forced to tap! Shinya Aoki, in his native Japan in front of thousands of supportive Japanese fans, had won a major title, putting the icing on the cake that has been his storied career!

“Still tomorrow, I will go on like this. Every day!” Aoki exclaimed after the fight, with more left to give.

Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 2:34

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Angela Lee challenged Xiong Jing Nan for ONE Championship’s strawweight title on Sunday in Toyko, Japan. In a fight that served as the co-main event of the stacked A New Era card, atomweight queen Lee came out early and took the fight to the Chinese champ. After a brief exchange on the feet, Lee briefly got the fight to the ground, looking for a front choke. In the clinch as the champ worked her way back up, Lee was able to fire off a knee or two.

Lee was pushing the pace, closing the distance with strikes while the strawweight champ countered. In the next clinch, Xiong, a.k.a. ‘The Punching Panda,’ was able to muscle her way free and fire a knee off the break. In a subsequent exchange, her right hand found a home on Lee, and through the first five minutes, the co-main event was a spirited affair with both fighters landing.

Round two saw Angela Lee once again initiating a clinch along the fence, looking for a trip. Xiong Jing Nan fired a few knees, then escaped, and landed a leg kick. Lee continued to push forward as the strawweight champ stayed on her horse, circling out of harm’s way. As the round progressed, and notably in the final minute, Xiong Jing Nan seemed to find her range. However, in the clinch, Lee found a home for elbows and knees, and through two rounds, it was a close bout.

Lee opened round three with a hip toss, getting the fight to the ground. Xiong Jing Nan utilized a high guard, then tried for an arm-bar, which allowed her to escape. However they went down again, this time with Lee seeking out the arm bar. She couldn’t find it, and instead they tied up in a clinch going back to the feet. The Chinese champ landed a push kick to the mid-section, forcing Lee back. A spinning back kick later connected as well. She began setting up her combos with kicks, and soon had Lee on her heels after eating several shots. Suddenly Xiong Jing Nan had Lee backed up against the fence, covering up, eating another combination. Lee escaped, reversed and fired back, but Jing Nan was beginning to take control, and at the end of the round she was lighting the champ up again, tagging her with several clean punches.

Lee ate a right to start round four, then wisely took the fight to the ground. With Jing Nan up against the fence, Lee moved to half guard. The strawweight champ tied Lee up, giving the challenger little space to work. Lee found herself back in a closed guard, but managed to move to side control. Lee looked to isolate an arm, and while Jing Nan nearly slipped out the back, Lee caught her with a triangle, which led to an arm-bar attempt. In an awkward position right on the cage, Lee managed to extend the arm, wrenching it back. Xiong Jing Nan refused to tap, however, then stepped over her oppnoent, out of harm’s way. But Lee re-established the submission on the other side, going belly down! The champ refused to tap, and escaped the round, just barely.

The fifth and final round opened with champ and challenger trading. Again, Xiong Jin Nan had the advantage on the feet, getting the better of Lee in the striking department. She had Lee up against the fence, landing several times and punctuating the assault with a kick. Lee escaped out of harm’s way, but she looked exhausted. Jing Nan landed more and more as Lee gasped for air. A body shot hurt her, a straight right, and she backed up against the fence as Jing Nan continued the assault, tagging her again and again. Lee looked ready to crumple, and soon enough, the ref waved it off! The Unstoppage Angela Lee had been stopped by Xiong Jing Nan!

Xiong Jing Nan def. Angela Lee by TKO, Round 5, 1:37

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Demetrious Johnson is simply one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. After starting his UFC career as a bantamweight and being unsuccessful in a title fight against Dominick Cruz, the Flyweight division was adopted and Mighty Mouse found his home. Johnson won the title after defeating Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez, then defended the belt a record 11 times before falling to Henry Cejudo in a rematch. He’ll be making his debut at ONE Championship: A New Era.

Yuya Wakamatsu was 10-2 when he joined ONE Championship after going 9-1 in Pancrase. The Japanese Fighter was defeated in his promotional debut in September.

Johnson shoots for a takedown early but is stuffed by Wakamatsu. Johnson lands a big right and takes Wakamatsu down. Wakamatsu does a great job to get back up from the takedowns, but Johnson is able to take Wakamatsu down again. Wakamatsu just misses a big kick to the head of Johnson. Both fighters exchange jabs and kicks with about a minute left in the round. Johnson is able to secure another takedown with just under a minute in the round. Pretty close round.

Wakamatsu comes out swinging in round two. Wakamatsu lands a counter and follows it up with another big jab at the beginning of the round. Johnson is smart and shoots for the takedown and gets it. Johnson now in control from the back of Wakamatsu looking for a rear-naked choke. Wakamatsu was able to get out, but Johnson is still in control from side position as he looks for a possible arm-triangle. Wakamatsu tries to get back to his feet, but Johnson gets Wakamatsu in a guillotine choke. Johnson has the choke in deep and there is the tap.

Demetrious Johnson makes a STATEMENT in his ONE debut, submitting Yuya Wakamatsu with a tight guillotine choke at 2:40 of Round 2! @MightyMouse #WeAreONE #ANewEra #Tokyo #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/K4yOpTfmQJ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2019

Demetrious Johnson def. Yuya Wakamatsu by Submission (Guillotine Choke) in Round 2

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Eddie Alvarez was rightfully known as The Underground King prior to joining the UFC, going 25-3 and winning titles in three different promotions including Bellator. His Bellator reign was remarkable, winning the lightweight title twice and going 9-1. After falling to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut, Alvarez took split decisions against Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez to earn a title shot. Alvarez knocked out then-champion Rafael dos Anjos in the first round and added another promotion’s title to his mantle. Since then, however, he is 1-2 with one no contest, and will be making his promotional debut at ONE Championship: A New Era.

Timofey Nastyukhin went 7-1 on the Russian circuit before signing with ONE Championship. He made his debut in a huge way with a first-round knockout of current champion Eduard Folayang. Since then, Nastyukhin is 4-3 and is looking to rebound from a loss he suffered in September.

A lot of punches and kicks thrown by Nastyukhin early but nothing lands for him. Alvarez very patient early and showing great defense in the first round. Nastyukhin knocks Alvarez down with a counter about two minutes into the round. Both fighters exchange shots as the round goes on. Nastyukhin lands a big left towards the end of the round. Nastyukhin follows it up with another left hand. Alvarez is knocked down and Nastyukhin is quick to close in on Alvarez. Alvarez is covering his head but it looks like it may be over. After a couple more shots the ref jumps in to stop the fight.

Timofey Nastyukhin SHOCKS THE 🌏! The Russian warrior knocks out Eddie Alvarez at 4:05 of Round 1 to advance in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix! #WeAreONE #ANewEra #Tokyo #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/YxUV0TSnFR

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2019

The win for Nastyukhin helps him bounce back after being knocked out in his last fight in September of last year. For Alvarez, this is his second straight loss and his third in his last five fights. Not the ONE Championship debut Alvarez was hoping for. Nastyukhin advances in the ONE Championship lightweight world grand prix.

Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eddie Alvarez by TKO (Punches) in Round 1

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ONE Championship really was ushering in the dawn of a new era in Tokyo on Sunday. With that in mind, the name of the event was, fittingly, A New Era. Featuring four title fights plus the debuts of Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson, both former UFC champions, the event would have a lot of eyes on it. That, even with the early Sunday start time for viewers in the west.

But the west, as MMA fans should know (Pride, Dream, Heros) isn’t everything. Asia has long been a hotbed of MMA, and while RIZIN FF is currently the standout in Japan, overall, ONE Championship dominates Asia as a whole. With A New Era in Tokyo, they were looking to make inroads into one of the few Asian markets they weren’t already entrenched in.

U.S. viewers can watch the preliminary card below. The main card stateside will air on B/R Live.

ONE Championship: A New Era Results:

Main Card

Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang (c) by Submission (Arm-Triangle) in Round 1 (2:34) – For the ONE Lightweight Championship
Xiong Jingnan (c) def. Angela Lee by TKO (Body Kick and Punches) in Round 5 (1:37) – For the ONE Women’s Strawweight Championship
Aung La Nsang (c) def. Ken Hasegawa by TKO (Punches) in Round 2 (4:41) – For the ONE Middleweight Championship
Bibiano Fernandes def. Kevin Belingon (c) by DQ (Elbows to Back of Head) in Round 3 – For the ONE Bantamweight Championship
Demetrious Johnson def. Yuya Wakamatsu by Submission (Guillotine) in Round 2 (2:40) – Flyweight Grand-Prix Quarter-Finals
Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eddie Alvarez by TKO (Punches) in Round 1 (4:05) – Lightweight Grand-Prix Quarter-Finals
Yodsanklai Fairtex def. Andy Souwer by KO (Punch) in Round 2 (0:51) –ONE Super Series Kickboxing

Preliminary Card

Danny Kingad def. Senzo Ikeda by Unanimous Decision – Flyweight Grand-Prix Quarter-Finals
Kairat Akhmetov def. Reece McLaren by Unanimous Decision – Flyweight Grand-Prix Quarter-Finals
Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Hakim Hamech by Split Decision – ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Joseph Lasiri def. Hiroki Akimoto by Majority Decision – ONE Super Series Kickboxing
Mei Yamaguchi def. Kseniya Lachkova by Submission (Armbar) in Round 3 (3:18)
Garry Tonon def. Anthony Engelen by TKO (Ground-and-Pound) in Round 1 (4:12)
Panicos Yusuf def. Mohammed Bin Mahmoud by Unanimous Decision- ONE Super Series Muay Thai
Yoon Chang Min def. Bala Shetty by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 1 (4:16)

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Staff Writers	Alvarez vs. Nastyukhin	Wakamatsu vs. Johnson	Belingon vs. Fernandes	N Sang vs. Hasegawa	Nan vs. Lee	Folayang vs. Aoki
Jason Payne (53-12)
Drake Riggs (51-14)
Heath Harshman (50-15)
Joe McDonagh (48-17)
Mike Straus (46-19)
Paarth Pande (46-19)
Gabriel Gonzalez (44-21)
Jay Anderson (44-21)
Josh Evanoff (44-21)
Dan Doherty (43-22)
Mike McClory (29-15)
Shawn Bitter (42-23)
Cory Groeneveld (5-1)
Keith Shillan (4-2)
Ryan Fortune (4-2)

The main event of ONE Championship: A New Era is Eduard Folayang defending his lightweight belt against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki. Folayang originally defeated Aoki for the lightweight belt in 2016 and is in the midst of his second title reign. Aoki, a former DREAM and Shooto champion, has stopped his last three opponents to earn this title shot. All but one writer picked Folayang.

The co-main event is a superfight between champions Angela Lee and Xiong Jing Nan. Lee is undefeated at 9-0 and has defended her atomweight title three times. Nan comes in with a 13-1 record, defending her belt twice. Angela Lee was favored slightly with nine picks to six.

Aung La N Sang defends one of his two titles against Ken Hasegawa. N Sang owns both the light heavyweight and middleweight belts, having defended his middleweight belt twice during his 9-1 run with ONE Championship. Hasegawa is a former DEEP champion whose only fight in ONE was a loss to N Sang. N Sang was unanimously picked.

Kevin Belingon defends his bantamweight title in his long-awaited rubber match with Bibiano Fernandes. Belingon is on a seven-fight win streak, having defeated Fernandes in November. Fernandes defended his bantamweight belt seven times before falling to Belingon in the aforementioned fight. 10 of 15 writers believe Fernandes will reclaim his title.

Demetrious Johnson makes his promotional debut at ONE Championship: A New Era against Yuya Wakamatsu in the first round of the flyweight grand prix. Johnson is one of the consensus greatest mixed martial artists of all time, defending his UFC belt a record 11 times before falling to Henry Cejudo. Wakamatsu is 10-3 in his career with one fight in ONE in his career. Mighty Mouse was unanimously picked.

Opening up the main card and the lightweight grand prix will be the promotional debut of Eddie Alvarez against Timofey Nastyukhin. Alvarez, a former Bellator and UFC champion, joins ONE after going 4-3 with one no contest in the Octagon. Nastyukhin is 12-4 in his career and 5-3 in ONE with a win over Eduard Folayang. Alvarez was unanimously picked.

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ONE Championship hosted a press conference on Thursday to promote this Sunday’s A New Era card in Tokyo. In just about every way imaginable, it promised to be just that: a new era. For MMA, with another major player on the scene, capable of stacking cards with talent capable of selling out arenas around the globe. A new era for the company itself, as it slowly moved more towards mainstream popularity outside Asia.

How far could Chatri Sityodtong and the rest of the promotion take things? Time would tell. But A New Era also marked the company’s first stab at one of the only markets it Asia it had yet to touch, Japan. A successful outing there could be a game changer, with Japan’s own RIZIN FF possibly needing to watch their back.

The full press conference video can be viewed below, along with a gallery of all the face-offs between fighters on the stacked card, courtesy of ONE Championship!

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