Demetrious Johnson, Adriano Moraes, Christian Lee, Aung La N Sang and more headline US four weeks of MMA fights on US primetime TV.
The “ONE on TNT” series will air every Wednesday from April 7 to April 28. Each week will include a preliminary card digitally streamed exclusively on the Bleacher Report App and B/R Live from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, followed by three main card fights televised exclusively on TNT in the US at 10 p.m. ET.
“We are absolutely thrilled to kick off 2021 with the announcement of our first season of ‘ONE on TNT’,” said Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship.
“We look forward to introducing our unique brand of martial arts to the US on prime time. American fans can expect something fresh, new and completely different from anything that is currently available in the US. As always, we will feature some of the greatest world champions across various martial arts alongside a few familiar, legendary names.”
“ONE on TNT I” kicks off the series on Wednesday, April 7, with a main event world title bout between reigning ONE flyweight world champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes and ONE flyweight World Grand Prix champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
The stacked card will also feature Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez against number 2-ranked lightweight contender Iuri Lapicus in the co-main event. Reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon takes on the UK’s Jacob Smith in a non-title bout.
“ONE on TNT II” airs April 14 and will feature the return of reigning ONE lightweight world champion Christian “The Warrior” Lee, as he defends his world title against number 3-ranked lightweight contender Timofey Nastyukhin.
“ONE on TNT III” airs April 21 and will see former ONE middleweight world champion and current ONE light heavyweight world champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang face former ONE middleweight world champion Vitaly Bigdash in a trilogy bout to determine the number 1 contender in the middleweight division.
“ONE on TNT IV” airs April 28 and will cap off the series with more high-stakes bouts to be announced at a later date.
“ONE Championship has a passionate global fan base and this next step in our partnership elevates the exposure for its top martial arts events in the US,” said Tina Shah, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Turner Sports.
“This multi-faceted approach combines two leading platforms in Bleacher Report and TNT as we further expand the reach of these premier events and drive additional engagement with a broader audience.”
ONE Championship (ONE) is the largest global sports media property in Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, ONE is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and more.
ONE hosts the biggest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and World Champions on the largest global media broadcast in Asia.
In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts across 150+ countries with some of the largest global free-to-air and digital broadcasters, including Star Sports, Tencent, TV5, Astro, ClaroSports, Startimes, Fox Sports, Thairath TV, Turner Sports, Skynet, Mediacorp, Great Sports, Mediaset Italia, ProSiebenSat.1, Dubai Sports, and more.
Turner Sports, a division of WarnerMedia, is an industry leader in the delivery of premium sports content across all platforms, widely recognized for its long-standing partnerships with the NBA, Major League Baseball and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.