ONE: King Of The Jungle To Be A Closed Event

As the coronavirus continues to make its impact on the world, multiple combat sports organizations are finding ways of working around the pandemic. UFC Champion Weili Zhang had to end camp in China early due to the virus, while a boxing card had to be cut altogether. Now, it appears the virus has affected the plans of another organization.

ONE Championship founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced that ONE: King of the Jungle, set to take place on February 28 inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore, will be closed off to fans.

“BREAKING NEWS: In light of the coronavirus situation in Singapore, I have made the decision to convert ONE: King of the Jungle on February 28 into a closed event for broadcast only,” Sityodtong stated in a post on Facebook. “The Singapore Indoor Stadium will not be open to the general public, but the event will proceed behind closed doors as scheduled live on all TV and digital platforms across 150+ countries around the world. If you purchased tickets to attend the event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, you will receive a full refund.”

Chatri went on to say that he had the option to cancel the event, but decided against it.

“More than ever, the world needs hope and strength right now,” Chatri continued. “Our heroes are prepared to inspire you with the greatest performances of their lives on February 28… At ONE Championship, our mission since Day 1 has been to unleash real-life superheroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration.

“Let us unite as a country and let us show strength as a continent to conquer this coronavirus. Let us celebrate what makes us special, what makes us strong, what makes us human. A ship is not made to sit in the calm waters of a harbor. It is made to conquer the rough seas in search of new horizons. With love, compassion, and resilience, we will get through these tough times together.”

According to CNN, the coronavirus has affected over 69,000 people, with 1,669 deaths confirmed. ONE already had to change an event prior to this announcement. An April 11 event in Chongqing, China has been moved to Jakarta, Indonesia and will take place on April 10.

ONE: King of the Jungle will be headlined by Stamp Fairtex defending the ONE Kickboxing Women’s Atomweight Championship against Janet Todd. The co-main event will be Sam-A Gaiyanghadao fighting Rocky Ogden to determine the ONE Muay Thai Strawweight Champion.