Islam Makhachev is impressed by how ONE Championship takes care of its fighters

Islam Makhachev surprised everyone when he showed up days before ONE Championship’s double-header in Singapore, but the surprise was mutual for the Russian star.

Earlier this month, Makhachev arrived in Singapore to help his teammate, Saygid Izagakhmaev, prepare for his monumental clash with Shinya Aoki. The experience left a clear impression on the UFC lightweight champion.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Makhachev said:

“To be honest, I am surprised by ONE’s level and the way the promotion takes care of the fighters during the fight week. It is very impressive and says a lot about the promotion.”

It’s not the first time that a fighter who's competed in North America was surprised about the culture that ONE Championship breeds, from how the staff treats everyone to how fighters build relationships among themselves.

Former ONE heavyweight world champion Brandon Vera said that promotional newcomers also had to ask him if what was going on behind the cameras were normal occurrences in the Asian promotion.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Vera said:

“It’s mind-blowing how different the culture is in the back, it’s crazy how different the culture is. Like everybody just comes over. Even Arjan [Bhullar], he asked me when he first came over. ‘Is this really how it is? Is it really like this?’ Even Eddie Alvarez says the same thing, is it always like this? The culture is different in ONE Championship.”

Catch the full interview below:

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Demetrious Johnson raves about ONE Championship’s culture

MMA icon Demetrious Johnson had a legendary career in the UFC, becoming one of the longest-reigning champions in the promotion. However, it is in ONE Championship that he found a home.

During an interview with Joe Rogan, ‘Mighty Mouse’ shared his experience after ONE X, the promotion’s 10-year anniversary showcase, which perfectly encapsulated the culture everyone in the promotion lives by:

“The beautiful thing about over there is that it’s like a frat house. It’s like a college house. What I mean by that is after the fight, we’re all in the back. You see Stamp [Fairtex], you see Adriano [Moraes], you see Yuya Wakamatsu, you see Rodtang. We’re all there just chatting it up.”

He added:

"I remember Stamp Fairtex was ‘Oh, I wanted to win so bad.’ She fought Angela Lee that night, I believe. And Adriano was like ‘It’s ok. Today, it wasn’t your time. You have to learn. You learn from this, right?’ We’re all trying to make sure we all eat.”