ONE Championship moves to closed door events for all upcoming shows due to coronavirus outbreak

ONE Championship will be holding all of their upcoming events behind closed doors without spectators due the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong made the announcement on Thursday.

“My team and I have decided to turn all events for ONE Championship into closed-door, audience-free events effective immediately,” Sityodtong wrote on his Facebook page. “Bar none, the safety of our fans, athletes, staff, partners, and the public is the highest priority for ONE Championship. All scheduled ONE events with live audiences will now be suspended until at least May 29, 2020 due to the extraordinary COVID-19 global situation.

“For the millions of fans at home around the world, the show will go on from the comfort and safety of your living room. Our global broadcast shows behind closed doors will commence with an initial schedule of April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8 respectively all in Singapore. Bout cards will be announced shortly for these broadcast-only shows, and additional dates will be added in the near future. Also, ONE Infinity Series, the world apex of martial arts events, is now slated to kick off on May 29, 2020 in Manila, Philippines with ONE Infinity 1 at the Mall of Asia Arena.”

The ONE Infinity card, which features former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson, was originally slated for April 10 in Indonesia but now that entire event has been moved six weeks later in the Philippines. As of now, the promotion plans to allow spectators at the event but that could change depending on the spread of the coronavirus throughout Asia.

ONE Championship held a previous event behind closed doors following the initial outbreak of the coronavirus, which begin in the Wuhan province in China.

The UFC may soon be staring down a similar set of rules enforced by state governments. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine hinted at a potential ban on all mass gatherings in the state ahead of the upcoming UFC on ESPN 8 card in Columbus and the promotion is currently dealing with a similar edict issued in Brasilia, Brazil ahead of this weekend’s featuring Kevin Lee against Charles Oliveira in the main event.