ONE Championship Announces Hybrid Muay Thai-MMA Match For December 5

Singapore-based promotion ONE Championship continues to push the envelope and is experimenting with a new type of hybrid match-up.

Chatri Sityodtong, the company chairman and CEO, revealed the news to famed mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani on a recent episode of The MMA Hour.

During the episode, Sityodtong announced that former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will be facing Muay Thai great Rodtang Jitmuangnon in an MMA-Muay Thai hybrid fight at ONE X on December 5.

The special rules for the fight are as follows, according to Sityodtong:

1. The fight is scheduled for four rounds, with three minutes each.
2. A Muay Thai and MMA bout are both scheduled to happen within those four rounds.
3. Muay Thai rules will be enforced for the first and third rounds, while an MMA bout is set to happen during the second and fourth rounds.

Combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano gave his thoughts on the matter via a Facebook post.

“To say that ONE Championship is jumping on the ‘crossover fights’ gravy train, it's partly true. Can't blame the company. It's the hottest trend in combat sports today, whether you like it or not,” he wrote.

“But come to think of it, they're actually setting up a good example as to how you should treat a crossover fight. Look, you have two athletes from two different sports who are still pretty much at the peak of their prime fighting each other under a hybrid rule-set that invokes intrigue and anticipation without tarnishing the reputation and legacy in their respective fields.”

Crossover fights have become a trend in recent months like when MMA star Tyron Woodley stepped into the ring for a boxing match against Jake Paul, among many others.

Many have lambasted Paul and other personalities for taking this route as they see it as an unfair advantage because one fighter is not as skilled as the other in their stipulated fight.

There may be more crossover bouts coming in the next months as more and more celebrities as well as other athletes from the different sports will test their mettle inside a ring.

But ONE Championship’s proposal of a hybrid bout looks to set a standard for crossover fights.

Two world title fights have also been announced for the ONE X card.

Bibiano Fernandes will defend his bantamweight title against John Lineker, while Thanh Le will also make his return to the Circle to defend his featherweight belt against Garry Tonon.

ONE X on December 5 is the tenth anniversary of the organization.