ICYMI: Everything That Happened In ONE Championship In June 2026
June was undoubtedly one of the most action-packed months of the year for the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Four thrilling installments of ONE Friday Fights, four high-stakes editions of The Inner Circle, and a blockbuster ONE Fight Night 44 took place across the month. Elite matchups across MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling lit up the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
From historic World Title clashes to astonishing highlight-reel finishes and nail-biting decisions, June delivered everything combat sports fans could ask for. Here is everything that went down this past month.
Three Huge World Title Fights Rock The Inner Circle
The Inner Circle event series delivered three monumental World Title fights in June.
In the main event of The Inner Circle 19 on June 19, Brazilian mom-champ Allycia Hellen Rodrigues successfully defended her ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against reigning ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom. The two elite pound-for-pound strikers engaged in a grueling five-round war, with the judges ultimately siding with the defending champion via split decision. The gritty victory marked her fifth successful title defense.
In the co-main event, reigning ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing and Heavyweight Muay Thai World Champion Roman Kryklia added yet another glorious belt to his collection. The towering Ukrainian dethroned ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Samet “The King” Agdeve via unanimous decision. The masterclass performance avenged the lone loss of Kryklia’s promotional career and pushed his staggering overall record to 52-8.
A week later at The Inner Circle 20 on June 26, undefeated striking phenoms Asadula “The Dagestan Ninja” Imangazaliev and Aslamjon “El Pantera” Ortikov collided for the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship.
The pair pushed each other to the absolute limit for five rounds, but Imangazaliev’s relentless output proved decisive. He claimed a split-decision victory to become Russia’s first-ever ONE Muay Thai World Champion, improving to a flawless 13-0 in the process.
Three Fighters Earn Life-Changing ONE Contracts
Beyond the World Title picture, June also produced its fair share of breakout stars, as three athletes emphatically punched their tickets to the world’s largest martial arts organization with statement performances.
Japan’s Taiga “Black Samurai” Orii opened The Inner Circle 17 on June 5 in spectacular style, picking up his second promotional win with a first-round TKO of Julian Mayorga in a bantamweight MMA contest. Just like his debut, Orii finished his opponent via TKO — only this time it came inside the opening frame, earning him a bonus and a life-changing US$100,000 contract while keeping his career record unblemished.
Moments after The Inner Circle 17 wrapped up, India’s Nazareth “The Northstar” Lalthazuala kicked off ONE Friday Fights 157 with a vicious first-round TKO of Jhon Brutas in a strawweight MMA bout. The dominant result marked his third straight promotional victory and was more than enough to earn him a coveted ONE main-roster contract.
At The Inner Circle 19 on June 19, Malaysian sensation Rifdean Masdor extended his winning streak to five fights with a blistering first-round knockout of Iranian debutant Javad Mozafari. The flawless performance earned the atomweight Muay Thai star a six-figure contract, along with a well-deserved performance bonus.
Huge Fight Announcements Including Big Names
With all that action happening inside the ring, several massive ONE World Title fights and marquee matchups were officially added to ONE’s upcoming calendar.
ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio will run it back with dangerous Russian Mansur Malachiev at The Inner Circle 21 on Friday, July 10, putting his gold on the line in a rematch.
A week later, at The Inner Circle 22 on July 17, reigning ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella returns to defend his gold against China’s “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian. The same card will also feature a bantamweight kickboxing clash between Japanese veteran Yuki Yoza and Ben “The Problem” Woolliss.
Two more notable matchups round out The Inner Circle 23 on Friday, July 24. Former two-sport, two-division king Sam-A Gaiyanghadao will collide with Thai-Malaysian sensation Aliff Sor Dechapan for the ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Title.
On the same card, Ryujin Nasukawa, younger brother of pound-for-pound kickboxing legend Tenshin Nasukawa, will make a high-profile promotional debut against Thongpoon PK Saenchai in a strawweight kickboxing bout.
Reigning ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion “The Tormentor” Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu will make the first defense of his crown against undefeated challenger Elbek Alyshov at The Inner Circle 24 on Friday, July 31. That event will also see two of the sport’s brightest young strikers, Johan “Jojo” Ghazali and Lebanese standout Ramadan “The Scorpion” Ondash, collide in a flyweight Muay Thai showdown.
Former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nabil Anane returns to action against former three-division Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Suakim Pongsuphan PK in a bantamweight Muay Thai war at The Inner Circle 25 on August 7.
Elsewhere, an 8-Man Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament has been announced for ONE SAMURAI 2 on August 8, kicking off with a pair of intense rematches as Masaaki Noiri takes on Liu “Spirit Dragon” Mengyang, while Kaito squares off with Mohammad Siasarani.
Looking further ahead, ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon will make the first defense of his belt against Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri at The Inner Circle 30 on Friday, September 11. Rambolek rides a six-fight winning streak into the all-Thai showdown, while Yod-IQ has won 10 in a row.
Plus, after embracing motherhood, Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga has relinquished her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship.
Stamp’s Long-Awaited Return, Nong-O Settles The Score, And More
The Inner Circle 20 also saw one of combat sports’ most popular megastars make a triumphant return. Stamp Fairtex stepped back into Muay Thai — the discipline that made her a household name — for the first time in six years, taking on Mexico’s Cynthia Flores in an atomweight contest.
After three rounds of back-and-forth action, the former three-sport ONE World Champion earned a win via split decision, marking her first Muay Thai victory since 2019.
In the co-main event, one of the sport’s most iconic recent rivalries reached its conclusion. Former longtime ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama outclassed compatriot Kongthoranee Sor Sommai via unanimous decision to close out their trilogy 2-1. Now, Nong-O has his sights set on the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title.
On June 26, the main event of ONE Friday Fights 160 delivered a fiery atomweight Muay Thai main event, as arch-rivals Numsurin Chor Ketwina and Songchainoi Kiatsongrit threw leather for three rounds. Numsurin came out on top via unanimous decision — his second victory over Songchainoi in as many meetings.
In the last bout of the month, ONE Fight Night 44 delivered a heated lightweight Muay Thai rematch in U.S. primetime, as English striker George “G-Unit” Jarvis traded strikes with Thai veteran Rungrawee “Legatron” Sitsongpeenong for the second time.
Jarvis overcame a first-round knockdown to flatline the Thai with a thunderous left hook, claiming a knockout victory that moves him one step closer to a shot at reigning ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion Regian “The Immortal” Eersel.
