ONE Championship vs UFC: Key Differences

ONE Championship and UFC are two of the largest MMA organizations, but they differ in their fighting styles and rules. UFC primarily focuses on pure MMA, while ONE Championship offers a broader variety of martial arts.

In this article, we provide a clear overview of ONE Championship vs UFC, so you can discover which one best matches your interests.

When comparing UFC and ONE Championship, it is important to focus on the main aspects that set them apart.

Each organization has its own unique set of fight rules. Below, we have highlighted the main differences that distinguish how fighters compete in ONE vs UFC.

Rounds and Time

UFC and ONE Championship feature regular fights lasting three rounds of 5 minutes each, with a 1 minute break between rounds.

Fouls and Illegal Strikes

Fight Stoppages

In the UFC, a fight is stopped when a fighter is either knocked out or submits, as happened on January 11, 2025, in a UFC fight. Roman Kopylov kicked Chris Curtis and knocked him down with 5 seconds left. Curtis tried to stand up, but the referee stopped the fight and gave the win to Kopylov by technical knockout. 

ONE Championship also stops fights in a similar manner but places a heavier emphasis on fighter safety and medical evaluations.

Choking Techniques

In the UFC, fighters can use submission chokes such as the rear-naked choke, guillotine, and arm triangle.

ONE Championship allows chokeholds but has strict safety rules. Fighters cannot strike the back of the head, neck, or spine, nor can they throw their opponent in a way that causes their head or neck to hit the ground. Other illegal moves include headbutting, hair pulling, and eye poking.

Heel Hooks

In the UFC, heel hooks are legal in most fights, but they are not allowed in some lower-level divisions.

In ONE Championship, heel hooks are legal but must be applied cautiously, with referees closely monitoring to prevent serious injuries.

Legalities in Ground and Pound

In the UFC, ground-and-pound strikes are permitted during submission attempts.

ONE Championship has more lenient rules regarding how long a fighter can maintain a submission attempt before delivering strikes.

The key differences in weight classes between ONE Championship vs UFC are that UFC has a Strawweight class at 115 lbs, while ONE Championship starts at 125 lbs.

Regarding glove sizes, the UFC uses consistent 4 oz gloves across all weight classes, whereas ONE Championship uses 4 oz gloves for lighter classes and 5 oz gloves for heavier divisions.

UFC Weight Classes

ONE Championship Weight Classes

UFC uses the traditional 10-point system, where rounds are judged based on strikes, grappling, and control. Each round can be scored as 10-9 or 10-8.

ONE FC also uses the 10-point system but focuses more on fight finishes (knockouts, submissions) and aggression. One key difference is that a fighter’s aggression and finishing the fight are more important, while technical control and tactics might be judged a bit more leniently than in the UFC.

ONE Championship organizes events in various martial arts: MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling. This variety allows athletes to specialize and offers fans diverse fighting styles in one event.​

UFC focuses mainly on MMA, where fighters combine techniques from boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and wrestling into a single combat format. The organization doesn’t usually host separate events for individual martial arts disciplines.

ONE Championship events focus on respect and sportsmanship. The events are like rock concerts, with impressive lights, fireworks, and large screens.

UFC organizes fights almost every week, while ONE Championship events usually happen 2–3 times a month.

UFC holds events worldwide: in the USA, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Australia, and more. However, ONE Championship mostly organizes events in Asian countries: Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Japan.

Fighter backgrounds in ONE Championship vs UFC differ mainly in their focus and the types of fighters they attract.

UFC often includes a variety of fighters from different countries, each with skills in martial arts such as striking, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. Many of these fighters have trained at well-known gyms or gained a lot of experience in global competitions before joining the UFC.

ONE Championship mostly features fighters from Asia with strong backgrounds in traditional martial arts like Muay Thai and Karate. Many of them started in striking sports before switching to MMA. The promotion places more focus on martial arts values and discipline.

In 2018, Ben Askren was traded for Demetrious Johnson between ONE fighting Championship and UFC. Askren, who was undefeated and a former champion in Bellator and ONE, joined UFC and fought top fighters. This allowed people to see how good he was against the best.

Johnson, who was a former UFC flyweight champion, moved to ONE Championship after losing to Henry Cejudo. In ONE, he became a star. These trades showed how fighters are seen in different organizations and gave them new challenges and exciting fights.

Both organizations greatly influence combat sports, but the ONE Championship vs UFC comparison reveals different approaches that attract distinct audiences. UFC is the leading MMA platform with many more followers.

Meanwhile, ONE Championship focuses more on fighter safety with stricter rules, offers a broader range of combat sports, and gives more attention to fighters’ earnings, often attracting reliable bookmakers for betting opportunities.