Inaugural Event Takes Place April 29 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo
Shuntaro Tanaka named CEO, Japan & Group Chief Commercial Officer at ONE Championship
February 18, 2026 — Tokyo, Japan: ONE Championship (ONE) today announced at a press conference held inside Kanda Myojin Hall the launch of ONE Samurai, a new monthly event series in Japan featuring the nation’s top martial arts stars and next-generation athletes across MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling.
The announcement marks an exciting new chapter in ONE Championship’s expansion in Japan, building on the overwhelming success of recent events in the country. Each ONE Samurai event will showcase multiple World Title fights with a strong focus on Japanese talent, while featuring appearances by some of the biggest international martial arts superstars.
All ONE Samurai events will be broadcast live exclusively on U-NEXT, Japan’s leading streaming service with 12 million subscribers, with ONE Championship committed to producing 60 events over five years. Global broadcast details will be announced at a later date.
The press conference also introduced Shuntaro Tanaka as ONE Championship’s CEO, Japan & Group Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, he will lead overall business operations in Japan and oversee corporate strategy, partnerships, market development, and commercial growth across the group.
In attendance at the press conference were ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya Wakamatsu, ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka Yoshinari, former three-division K-1 Champion Takeru Segawa, and former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza, representing the caliber of talent that will compete at ONE Samurai.
The inaugural ONE Samurai event will take place on April 29 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.