Demetrious Johnson (photo via ONE Championship)

By FCF Staff

ONE Championship recently held open workouts in Los Angeles, California, and UFC veterans Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez and Sage Northcutt were on hand.

Here’s some of what the fighters had to say about ONE and their plans for their runs with the promotion (quotes via press release).

Demetrious Johnson, stated: “ONE Championship is not just focused on mixed martial arts but other avenues of martial arts like kickboxing, Muay Thai, and submission wrestling. They had a World Title fight in boxing as well, and I think it brings in more fans from different perspectives and art forms. ONE Championship has some of the best flyweights in the world on their roster. I’ll be competing against Yuya Wakamatsu who is a Pancrase champion, so it’s going to be exciting and I’m looking forward to going out there and mixing it up with those guys.”

Eddie Alvarez, stated: “In Asia, it’s always about the way a fighter fights rather than the outcome of fights, and that’s a big difference. I’ve known that for as long as I have been fighting in Asia. One thing that you see with ONE Championship — with Rich Franklin, Miesha Tate, Chatri Sityodtong — the people who run the show behind the scenes are lifelong martial artists. So they understand what it’s like to be a fighter. They can walk in our shoes. It is an honor for me to be a part of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. I’ve never lost a tournament fight and I don’t plan on starting this year. My plan for this year is to beat these opponents in this tournament, and then challenge for the World Title and win the last major World Title that I haven’t gotten yet.”

Sage Northcutt, stated: “ONE Championship fighters get treated with respect. There’s also a big difference in how fighters carry themselves. You don’t see fighters in ONE Championship talking smack or talking bad about each other. I think that’s a big thing, that everybody has respect for each other and they understand what it takes to go out there and perform. I’m very appreciative of the fans who want to see fighters give a great performance and give it their all. Coming over to ONE Championship, I’m looking forward to meeting all the new fans. I’m young, I’m only 22 years old. I can envision myself in the future being a World Champion in multiple sports like Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts.”