KEY POINTS

  • ONE Championship will regularly reward its fighters based on performance, starting this Friday at ONE: Heavy Hitters
  • Angela Lee and Aung La N Sang are among the short list of fighters who received performance-based bonuses in the past
  • Competitors booked for ONE: Heavy Hitters are expected to sport their A-game with the implementation of the new reward system

Singapore-based ONE Championship continues to make strides, and it appears the promotion is bound to make bigger ones starting with ONE: Heavy Hitters.

South China Morning Post reported that company head honcho Chatri Sitydotong will start awarding a $50,000 performance bonus at their 2022 kick-off event on Friday, January 14.

The report also specified that a minimum of one bonus will be given on each show and the most to be handed out would be five.

All this will be based on the performance of fighters, with athletes on the losing end also having a chance to be rewarded as well.

ONE Championship has been handing out the bonus policy in the past. The last one handed out was at the ONE: Winter Warriors extravaganza last December, where Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev and Timofey Nastyukhin earned $50,000 each.

Their fight was hailed as one of the best fights in 2021 with the No. 2-ranked Arslanaliev winning over Nastyukhin via TKO in the third round.

Despite the loss, the Russian still came out as a winner by taking home $50,000 for his efforts.

Other than Arslanaliev and Nastyukhin, there were others in the past who went home with a $50,000 bonus. That list included Eric Kelly of the Philippines who received the bonus in 2014 following a come-from-behind win over Rob Lisita, per combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano.

There was also Aung La N Sang and Ken Hasegawa who were rewarded for their great match by Sityodtong in 2018.

According to the ONE Championship chairman and CEO, the performance of the two gladiators embodied the extraordinary display of warrior spirit.

In 2016, Angela Lee also received a bonus when she won the inaugural ONE women’s atomweight title.

Only 19 years old at that time, Sityodtong revealed that Lee would be earning more than what then-UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk or former Invicta FC featherweight titleholder Cris “Cyborg” Justino was getting, MMA Weekly reported.

No figures were revealed, but estimates made ranged around $60,000–broken down as $30,000 for show and the other $30,000 as a win bonus.

With ONE: Hard Hitters happening on Friday, fighters booked for the event now have more reason to come out fighting and give it their best.

Win or lose, some could go home with a big consolation of at least $50,000 for their efforts.

"We are living through the most extraordinary of times" -- One Championship chairman and chief executive Chatri Sityodtong
"We are living through the most extraordinary of times" -- One Championship chairman and chief executive Chatri Sityodtong AFP / ROSLAN RAHMAN
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