"Soccer kicks were still part of the game" - Mitch Chilson posts throwback to his fighting days in ONE Championship

Mitch Chilson has been with ONE Championship since its first event, but times have changed a lot since then.

On Twitter, ‘The Dragon’ recently shared a throwback photo of himself back in his fighting days. In the caption, Mitch Chilson said:

“A long time ago when Fighting was still in the name and soccer kicks were still part of the game. @ONEChampionship #mma #throwbackthursday”

Chilson had four wins, two losses, and one no contest in his professional career. He lost his final bout as a professional in October 2013 against Shannon Wiratchai. In case you were wondering, he lost via soccer kick and punches in the first round of that bout.

The photo also features the first ONE Championship logo, which reads “ONE Fighting Championship.” The promotion has since been rebranded to drop “Fighting” in an effort to highlight its celebration of martial arts over promoting violence as a sport.

To date, Chilson is still very much a prominent figure in the promotion, providing color commentary for its events. The 44-year-old remains in top form though, as he regularly trains to stay fit at the famed Evolve MMA.

Catch Mitch Chilson giving color commentary in ONE Championship’s next event

Mitch Chilson will not be in his fighting gear in ONE Championship’s next event, but he will be building up the excitement for fans watching at home.

Chilson will be on color commentary together with his regular partner Michael Schiavello for ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on Friday, April 22. The event will see two world title fights, one world title eliminator, and a whole lot more.

Top strawweight contenders Bokang Masunyane and Jarred Brooks will battle it out for the right to challenge Joshua Pacio for the ONE strawweight world title. In the co-main event, Jackie Buntan and Smilla Sundell will lock horns for the inaugural ONE women’s strawweight world championship.

In the titular bout of the event, Regian Eersel will defend the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title for a fourth time. He will be challenged by Germany’s Arian Sadikovic, who is coming off an impressive debut against a former world title challenger.

Also in action are former ONE strawweight world champion Yosuke Saruta and the consensus best pound-for-pound female striker in the world Anissa Meksen. There will also be a submission grappling contest between Japanese leg lock master Masakazu Imanari and Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy Mikey Musumeci.