The landscape of MMA inside ONE Championship has taken a troubling turn, and the fallout is becoming impossible to ignore. In March, the promotion sent shockwaves through its roster by releasing 11 fighters, including some of its most iconic names. Among those cut were longtime strawweight champion Xiong JingNan, former MMA champions Adriano Moraes and Zebaztian Kadestam, and the entire women's strawweight division was shut down entirely.

This isn't the first controversy to hit the Asia-based promotion. Once seen as a rising global powerhouse—one that dared to challenge the UFC with cross-promotional ambitions—ONE now finds itself in a precarious position. According to former athletes, the MMA roster has become a graveyard of inactivity and broken promises.

"It was basically the inactivity," said former middleweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam, who parted ways with ONE in March after nearly a decade with the promotion. "I'd been with them since 2017. I had a few fights, but in the last three years, I barely fought. I'm not getting any younger. So it was time to move on."

Kadestam's frustration is emblematic of a larger issue. Despite a massive upset knockout over high-profile newcomer Roberto Soldic in May 2023, the Swedish fighter had to wait 29 months before stepping back into the cage—a bout against ONE legend Aung La N Sang. Before that, Kadestam had reliably fought twice a year since joining in 2017. Now 35, he says the promotion simply "didn't seem very interested" in keeping him active.

"We tried to work with them," Kadestam added. "I just want to fight, you know? I just want to be active. And I got my release."

As ONE Championship continues to pivot its focus, the message from its MMA roster is clear: in 2026, the sport has become an afterthought. For fans and fighters alike, the once-promising future of ONE's MMA division now feels like a distant memory.