Concerns loom over ONE Championship as they have now cut seven more MMA fighters from their roster. Back in March, the promotion based out of Singapore parted ways with many fighters, including marquee names like Adriano Moraes and Zebaztian Kadestam. The promotion also shut down its women’s MMA strawweight division in the same month and released its long-reigning champion Xiong Jingnan. As a result, many have now begun to wonder if one of Asia’s biggest combat sports organizations may be facing significant operational challenges.

According to Bangkok Post’s Nick Atkin, ONE Championship has released popular Indian MMA fighter Ritu Phogat (7-5-0), Indonesian flyweight standout Roni Saputra (7-6-0), Chinese kickboxer Wei Rui (0-1), and Mauro Mastromarini (17-7-0). Alongside them, the promotion has also let go of three Muay Thai fighters: Mohanad Battboori, Huynh Hoang Phi, and Walid Sakhraji from its roster.

Atkin further claimed that ONE Championship has officially wished its recently released fighters well in their future endeavors and has already updated its website to reflect their status. However, the promotion reportedly promised to sign the fighters back once they build “momentum” outside the organization.

As of now, ONE Championship hasn’t fully clarified what prompted the latest round of cuts. However, some fighters have claimed that they faced inactivity issues during their tenure in the Chatri Sityodtong-led promotion. Their marquee bantamweight fighter, Reece McLaren, wrote on social media last year that ONE matchmakers had “ghosted” him and virtually stopped offering him fights despite him remaining active. He ended up becoming a free agent later.

Bringing up similar concerns, former middleweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam also told Uncrowned that he suffered from “inactivity” under ONE’s banner. As a result, many fighters, including the two, had exited the promotion. However, beyond matchmaking issues, ONE Championship has also been going through significant financial struggles, which may explain many of these changes.

According to noted MMA journalist John S. Nash’s Substack, the company accumulated a $90 million consolidated loss as of December 31, 2023, with cumulative losses exceeding $530 million. By the end of 2023, the company reportedly had only $24.6 million in net assets. According to a separate Substack report by Kristie Neo, the promotion improved its position in 2024 by growing revenue by 37% and reducing its losses to $47.1 million for the year.

Now, despite recouping some losses, ONE Championship’s overall financial struggles appear to be a long-term challenge. As a result, the promotion may be cutting fighters from its roster who generate less business for the company. In fact, that speculation appears evident when looking at its upcoming Fight Night card.

ONE Friday Fights 158 set to proceed without a single MMA fight

Though ONE Championship often puts on Muay Thai and kickboxing-exclusive cards, most of its Friday Fight events have featured at least a few MMA bouts. However, the promotion is now set to hold ONE Friday Fights 158 without a single MMA fight on the entire card.

On June 12, the audience at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok will witness nine bouts featuring only Muay Thai and kickboxing fights across the featherweight, bantamweight, flyweight, and atomweight divisions. Fighters such as Maisangkum, Maneekhot, and Slatan Jitmuangnon will also be involved in several high-stakes clashes.

While fans will most likely enjoy the matchups, the promotion putting on a Muay Thai and kickboxing-focused card while simultaneously parting ways with several MMA fighters could be a sign that ONE Championship is gradually shifting its focus away from MMA and toward exclusively striking-based disciplines.

Although the promotion has kept its doors open for the released fighters, MMA could eventually become a secondary selling point while Muay Thai and kickboxing take center stage.