Year-End Sports Recap: Best Moments, Fighters From ONE Championship's Incredible 2022

ONE Championship ramped up its lineup of events in 2022 after dealing with a global pandemic for the better part of the past two years.

Here are the best moments and fighters of the Singapore-based promotion this year.

Male Fighter of the Year: Demetrious Johnson

Kicking off the list is mixed martial arts (MMA) icon and newly-crowned ONE flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and though he may have only fought twice this year, the argument for such a massive honor is definitely in his favor due to the magnitude of both fights.

On March 26, Johnson participated in the high-profile hybrid MMA–Muay Thai exhibition against Thai superstar and ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X.

It was the first-ever occurrence of such an event and it surely helped draw eyes to ONE Championship's massive 20-fight card.

Johnson hung tough in the Muay Thai-only first round where Rodtang completely excelled, but the Thai striker eventually fell to "Mighty Mouse" in the second round under MMA rules by way of a rear-naked choke.

His second fight at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August saw him exact revenge on Adriano Moraes to claim the ONE flyweight title and regain the only knockout loss that he has ever had on his otherwise sparkling resume.

Johnson's next fight will see him complete his trilogy with Moraes, and fans will surely be treated to another guaranteed finish.

Honorable Mention: Tang Kai

Female Fighter of the Year: Xiong Jing Nan

Reigning ONE women's strawweight queen Xiong Jing Nan may have only fought twice this year, but her matches were truly something to watch.

"The Panda," last fighting at ONE: Empower in September 2021, met her first challenger of the year in the form of Japanese judo expert Ayaka Miura at ONE: Heavy Hitters in January of this year.

Xiong took Miura to her absolute limit for the better part of five rounds and despite the latter being a dangerous fighter up close, the champion was simply unmatched on that night.

With barely anyone left to challenge her reign, a third collision course with ONE women's atomweight titleholder Angela Lee was inevitable and the pair fought in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 2 last September.

The fight would be Lee's second attempt at the women's strawweight title and just like their initial meeting, it was Xiong who would come out victorious after another five-round masterclass that featured tons of back-and-forth action.

Four years into her reign, "The Panda" is as unchallenged as they come in the division and it remains to be seen if anyone can ever dethrone her in 2023.

Honorable Mention: Tiffany Teo

ONE Super Series Male Fighter of the Year: Tawanchai PK.Saenchai

ONE Championship has always had a deep love for the sport of Muay Thai and no other male athlete had seen his star reach greater heights than Thailand's very own Tawanchai PK.Saenchai.

The 2018 Lumpinee Stadium Fighter of the Year kicked off his 2022 with monstrous knockouts of countryman Saemapetch Fairtex in January and a star-making performance against Danish Niclas Larsen in June.

Tawanchai overwhelmed Larsen early in their affair and dropped him twice, the second one having Larsen fall onto his back like a tree and being unable to continue as he lost his balance on the way up.

At ONE 161 in September, Tawanchai closed out his 2022 campaign by forcefully taking the ONE Muay Thai featherweight title off the highly respected shoulders of Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy, flexing his full striking arsenal for the better part of five rounds.

No other Muay Thai fighter came close to the 23-year-old Pattaya, Thailand native's romp through the featherweight division, and it is only right to expect even more big performances from him in the coming years.

On February 10, Tawanchai is set to slug it out with Jamal Yusupov as part of the highly-anticipated ONE on Prime Video 7.

ONE Super Series Female Fighter of the Year: Smilla Sundell

Women's Muay Thai also had their time in the limelight in 2022, but it was Smilla Sundell who took that spotlight and shined it onto herself.

Sundell had a lot to prove to the Muay Thai community as many believed that she was still extremely raw after only having a few fights under her belt before making the jump to ONE Championship.

But when she did debut, she immediately showed the fruits of her labor with the famed Fairtex Academy in Thailand where she has trained with big-name fighters like Wondergirl Jaroonsak and Muay Thai practitioner turned MMA star Stamp Fairtex.

Sundell showed her potential by utterly dominating Diandra Martin at ONE: Full Circle this past February, forcibly taking the victory by technical knockout after flooring Martin thrice.

The Swedish prodigy would reach the mountaintop after putting on a stellar five-round war with 25-year-old Filipino-American Jackie Buntan at ONE 156 in April, claiming the inaugural ONE Muay Thai women's strawweight title.

Entering ONE 156 at 17 years and five months, Sundell etched her name in the ONE Championship record books by also becoming the youngest fighter to win a title–a distinction that will likely stand the test of time.

Male Submission Grappler of the Year: Mikey Musumeci

In 2022, ONE Championship put an emphasis on developing a formidable grappling division and it comes as no surprise to anyone that Mikey Musumeci deserves to hold the ONE flyweight submission grappling title.

Among the slew of grapplers that the promotion had brought in over recent years, "Darth Rigatoni" showed his quality early after pulling off a submission victory against legendary Japanese grappler Masakazu Imanari at ONE 156 in April by locking in a rear-naked choke.

At ONE on Prime Video 2 last September, Musumeci followed up that performance with an extremely fun-to-watch matchup with longtime rival Cleber Sousa to close out their trilogy of fights, two of which happened outside of the promotion.

Sousa found himself in trouble early and often as the American grappler repeatedly threatened him with leg locks and heel hooks throughout the 10-minute affair, coming away with the unanimous decision win and the title.

On January 13 at ONE on Prime Video 6, Musumeci will be returning to the Circle to defend his gold-plated strap against Sayan Khertek.

Female Submission Grappler of the Year: Danielle Kelly

The same can be said for the women's division as Danielle Kelly was an utter force of nature in 2022.

Kelly, 27, made her debut at ONE X in March and faced Japanese grappling veteran Mei Yamaguchi and though it took a while for the action to ramp up, possibly due to both participants being wary of the other's skill, it inevitably turned into a highly interesting affair–but was deemed a draw.

Her next match at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November featured more action from both the American and her opponent, Mariia Molchanova.

There is an argument for the Russian grappler to be seen as the aggressor during the matchup, but it was quickly apparent that Kelly knew exactly what she was doing by starting the fight on the ground.

After hooking her legs around the waist of Molchanova, Kelly worked her way to securing a rear-naked choke in just three minutes, solidifying the young female grappler as the promotion's future star.

Knockout of the Year: Demetrious Johnson def. Adriano Moraes at ONE on Prime Video 1

Demetrious Johnson already secured Male Fighter of the Year honors on this list, but he also owns the best knockout of 2022 thanks to the history that came with it.

"Mighty Mouse" and Adriano Moraes previously fought one another in the main event of ONE on TNT 1 in April 2021, and it was the latter who left the Singapore Indoor Stadium after catching Johnson with an uppercut before turning off his lights with a knee to the face in the middle of the second round.

Because it was the first time Johnson was ever finished, the pair ran it back at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August, and it was nothing short of beauty for Johnson.

The two fought a bitter war for the better part of the encounter, but Johnson caught Moraes with a fake-out punch to the face and poetically put "Mikinho" to sleep with a meteoric left knee to the face in the fourth round.

With a trilogy bout scheduled for May 5 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, it would not be surprising to see it also come to an end by way of another stunning knockout.

Honorable Mention: John Lineker def. Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: Lights Out

Submission of the Year: Reinier de Ridder def. Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159

At ONE 159 in July, Reinier de Ridder sought to prove himself as the ultimate pound-for-pound king of the men's division by finishing his opponents with ease, and none were as highlight-reel worthy as his extremely impressive submission victory against Vitaly Bigdash.

De Ridder put up his ONE middleweight title on the line and while the Russian appeared to have gotten "The Dutch Knight" in a guillotine choke, the champion proved his quality and got out of it with ease.

The sequence leading up to de Ridder's finish of his latest challenger for the middleweight strap featured ground-and-pound strikes and a near-finish via kimura.

However, de Ridder went deep into his bag of tricks and pulled off a stunning inverted triangle on Bigdash, putting him to sleep with an inverted triangle choke.

With the many submission finishes that ONE Championship saw in 2022, de Ridder's stands out from the rest mainly due to the rarity of seeing such a finish happen.

Honorable Mention: Mikey Musumeci def. Masakazu Imanari at ONE 156

Fight of the Year: Angela Lee vs. Stamp Fairtex at ONE X

A ton of marquee fights graced the ONE Championship cage in 2022, but it was the main event fight of ONE X in March between women's atomweight strawweight titleholder Angela Lee and challenger Stamp Fairtex.

Lee had spent a total of almost three years on the sidelines due to being a first-time mother, and her return fight was already set against the Thai vixen which had many onlookers counting her out.

When fight night came, fans were treated to an exciting back-and-forth of epic proportions as both women went guns blazing as soon as the bell rang–the aspect of the fight that Stamp had an arguable advantage in.

Stamp appeared to have taken some pages out of Xiong Jing Nan's playbook as she rocked the champion with a body shot midway through the first round, the same gameplan "The Panda" had when she fought Lee in 2019.

However, Lee was able to weather the early storm and get back in the fight before threatening a rear-naked choke and armbar finish to close out the round.

The second round saw Lee pour out everything in her grappling arsenal as she threatened Stamp with a kimura and a triangle choke in quick succession, even attempting to pull off the notoriously-difficult twister submission.

Stamp's fighting spirit was on full display throughout the round, but it eventually gave way to Lee's perseverance in getting the finish, forcing the Thai export to tap out via rear-naked choke in the dying seconds to remain the queen of the women's atomweight division.

All in all, it was an exciting fight for the ages and further showcased why both Lee and Stamp deserve the praise that they have been receiving.

Honorable Mention: Eduard Folayang vs. John Wayne Parr at ONE X

Breakout Fighter of the Year: Stephen Loman

Stephen Loman had been a dominant bantamweight champion in BRAVE Combat Federation, but he eventually vacated the title and eventually joined ONE Championship.

The move turned out to be a great one for his career.

Though he debuted at ONE: Winter Warriors II in mid-December of 2021, "The Sniper" proved that he belonged in the Singapore-based outfit's stacked bantamweight division.

Loman further built upon his first-round TKO victory over Yusup Saadulaev in his debut and battered Shoko Sato en route to a unanimous decision win at ONE X.

However, his extremely convincing win over former ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes at ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 17 showcased why he deserves to be ranked No. 3 in the division–just behind title contenders John Lineker (No. 2) and Fabricio Andrade (No. 1).

With Loman waiting in the wings for a shot at the title, Filipino fans may have a new champion following Joshua Pacio's heartbreaking loss to Jarred Brooks at ONE 164.

Male Prospect of the Year: Shamil Gasanov

Shamil Gasanov entered ONE Championship as an unknown undefeated fighter from Russia, but he is entering 2023 as a must-watch fighter.

His first fight in the promotion at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October could not have been any easier as he was matched up with South Korea's Kim Jae Woong–ranked as the No. 2 featherweight at the time.

Despite being a newcomer, Gasanov lived up to his nickname of "The Cobra" as he put "The Fighting God" in trouble when he shot for a takedown and eventually put him on the mat then locking in a rear-naked choke in just two minutes and nine seconds into the fight.

It is important to note that Kim had been pegged as one of the next up-and-coming title contenders in the featherweight division and for Gasanov to effortlessly finish him off showcased massive potential.

The hype train is on for Gasanov, and it will be up to him to live up to his potential next year.

Female Prospect of the Year: Noelle Grandjean

2022 featured a ton of new names gracing ONE Championship's roster, and one name that MMA fans will need to keep an eye on in 2023 is Noelle Grandjean.

The French MMA fighter started off her career as a judo practitioner and kickboxing enthusiast before later transitioning to MMA soon after and had her first big test in ONE Championship when she debuted against Lea Bivins at ONE on Prime Video 3 this past October.

The action was quick and exciting as both fighters sought to impose their will over the other, but it was Grandjean's Ronda Rousey-esque judo trip early in the first round that showcased just how good she can be once she gets more fights.

Bivins eventually returned to her feet by referee Herb Dean after Grandjean was unable to take advantage of her American counterpart.

This allowed Grandjean's kickboxing side to flourish as she caught Bivins with a gut-wrenching punch to the body that stunned the American before eventually being finished on the ground with punches.

The talent is certainly there for Grandjean to succeed.

Event of the Year: ONE X

This one is a no-brainer for fans of the organization as it featured an extremely impressive 20-fight card.

As a celebration of the promotion's 10 years of existence, ONE Championship bared its full arsenal of combat sports as it contained MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing and submission grappling across the entire event.

It would also mark the first-ever hybrid MMA-Muay Thai clash fight between Thai sensation Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Demetrious Johnson–with the latter winning the match by submission in the second round.

Other must-rewatch fights include the aforementioned Muay Thai fight between Eduard Folayang and John Wayne Parr, Jihin Radzuan dealing Itsuki Hirata her first professional loss, Adriano Moraes' ONE flyweight title defense against Yuya Wakamatsu, Japanese MMA icons Yoshihiro Akiyama and Shinya Aoki's long-awaited clash, and Angela Lee defending the women's atomweight title versus Stamp Fairtex.

ONE X served as a celebration of ONE Championship's development into becoming one of the best promotions in the world today and how far it can still go in the next decade.