One Bad Night
By Eddie Sanchez
TNT recently hosted the highly anticipated ONE Championship card which included the return of Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and Eddie Alvarez’s ONE debut.
The two ex-UFC stars were expected to bring much hype and additional credibility to the Asian-based MMA organization’s 2021 season. Specifically, Alvarez was set to work towards becoming the first man to win major championships in three organizations and Mighty Mouse was continuing to build his GOAT-esque resume.
Eddie Alvarez started off strong against Iuri Lapicus. Alvarez took Lapicus to the ground during an early exchange in the first round and hammered away with a series of punches from top position.
During the barrage, Alvarez landed numerous shots around the ear and the referee paused the fight to disqualify the former UFC champion for what he believed were illegal strikes. It was a controversial call which was immediately followed by a social media uproar.
This was a terrible ending for a man who is beloved by MMA fans. He can still make promising moves within ONE Championship, but at 37 years of age, his time is inevitably coming close to the finish line.
Following the anticlimactic ending that was Alvarez-vs-Lapicus, 34 year old Demetrious Johnson made his attempt to become the ONE Flyweight Champion against the incumbent Adriano Moraes. Starting off in the first round, both men were highly cautious. It wasn’t until halfway into the round that the first significant strike was landed.
At the two minute mark, Mighty Mouse was brought to the ground and finished the round on his back. While not the ideal way to finish the round, his defense kept him clear from lasting damage.
Entering the second round, the action started to pick up. Both men were willingly striking and it was clear that they each were ready to take control of the fight. Demetrious Johnson was stalking Iuri Lapicus and it seemed as if he was set to change the landscape of the bout.
Unfortunately, the alternative happened and Demetrious Johnson found himself on his back after being caught with a counter left-uppercut. Two strikes to the head caused Demetrious to be stunned, which gave Moraes the chance to land a grounded knee, which of course ended the fight.
The reigning champ celebrated and Demetrious laid on the ground a defeated man. In one night, One Championship saw two of their most high-profile investments take devastating losses (albeit, very different in nature). These losses left an especially poor taste given that it was One Championship’s debut on American Primetime Television.
The promotion will hopefully see these outcomes as minor setbacks towards their goal of becoming a staple in the American market, but for now they left us with One Bad Night.
