One Championship Ends Strawweight Division, Releases Current Champion

[Rogelio]

ONE Championship has scrapped its strawweight division as part of a broader strategic shift toward Muay Thai, kickboxing, and grappling. The organization has released champion Xiong Jingnan, making the decorated 19–2 fighter a free agent at 38 years old. You're likely wondering what this means for the other affected strawweights, too.

Multiple competitors now face an uncertain future, and there's quite a bit more to unpack about where everyone could land next.

Why Did One Championship Scrap Its Strawweight Division?​

ONE Championship's decision to scrap its women's strawweight division reflects a broader strategic pivot away from MMA and toward Muay Thai, kickboxing, and grappling. You're seeing an MMA promotion restructuring its entire identity, prioritizing weekly "Fight Night" cards at regional venues over high-profile global matchups.

With the strawweight division removed, champion Xiong Jingnan released, and the Denver event quietly canceled, the pattern becomes clear. ONE Championship is consolidating around combat sports formats that are cheaper to produce and easier to schedule consistently. The women's strawweight division simply didn't fit that model anymore.

Whether this restructuring strengthens or weakens the promotion's long-term position remains to be seen, but the direction is unmistakable.

What Happens to the Strawweight Champion After the Cut?​

With the strawweight division gone, Xiong Jingnan finds herself a free agent at 38 years old, holding a 19-2 record and seven successful title defenses to her name. This fighter's release leaves her future uncertain, though her options aren't entirely limited.

She's previously competed at atomweight, taking on Angela Lee in 2019, so dropping to 115 pounds isn't uncharted territory. However, her age and activity level could make other promotions cautious. ONE Championship's roster changes and broader MMA weight class changes have reshaped the landscape she once dominated.

Whether she pursues another promotion or steps away from competition, you're watching a decorated champion navigate a career crossroads largely shaped by organizational decisions beyond her control.

Which Strawweight Fighters Are Now Free Agents?​

Beyond Xiong Jingnan, the full scope of which strawweight fighters are now free agents isn't entirely clear, as ONE Championship hasn't released a complete list of affected athletes. The closure of the ONE Championship strawweight division leaves multiple competitors in limbo across MMA weight classes.

You'll notice that many fighters had already made an atomweight change one step ahead of this decision, shifting to 115 pounds before the official cut. That movement wasn't accidental. ONE's weight-cutting rules pushed many athletes downward. With Xiong Jingnan's free agent status now confirmed, other division regulars likely face similar situations.

Given the ONE Championship title history at strawweight, it's a significant reshuffling. Affected fighters should expect to explore UFC, Bellator remnants, or regional promotions for their next opportunities.

Where Could One Championship's Released Strawweights Land?​

Now that you know which fighters are likely to hit the open market, the bigger question becomes where they can actually land. The one MMA division closure signals a broader promotion strategy shift, and that creates real opportunity for competing organizations to swoop in.

The UFC remains the most obvious destination, especially for a decorated name like Xiong Jingnan. Bellator's successor, the PFL, is another option worth watching amid ongoing combat sports restructuring across the industry.

Regional promotions hungry for credibility could also benefit from signing recognizable strawweights displaced by this one championship news 2026 shakeup. For younger fighters still developing, those platforms may actually suit them better than jumping straight to mixed martial arts (MMA) giants. Wherever they land, their opportunities exist. You just have to watch how quickly they move.

How This Reshapes One Championship's Long-Term Vision​

Closing the strawweight division is a window into where ONE Championship sees itself heading. The promotion's pivot toward Muay Thai, kickboxing, and grappling suggests it's repositioning itself as a multi-discipline combat sports platform rather than a traditional MMA organization. You're watching a company that moved its legal operations to the Cayman Islands, quietly canceled its Denver return, and reduced its MMA output. All signs of a leaner, more regionally focused operation. Weekly Bangkok cards at Lumpinee Stadium define its current rhythm. That's a far cry from the "UFC of Asia" ambitions it once marketed aggressively. Whether this consolidation stabilizes the promotion or signals deeper structural struggles, you'll need to watch how its Tokyo and Denver events ultimately perform.