Top 5 ONE Championship Fighters of 2020

It was a strange year for ONE Championship as the pandemic forced the Singapore-based promotion to not hold events for nearly half the year. It still managed to host hundreds of matches with some of their top athletes over seven months.

Among those athletes, five in particular really stood out. Here are the top fighters from ONE in 2020.

Note: The rankings are based only on an athlete's 2020 matches and not their career as a whole.

5. Yodkaikaew Fairtex

ONE Championship

2020 record: 3-0

Accomplishments: One of four ONE athletes to win three matches in 2020

Highlight: Win over Tatsumitsu Wada

Yodkaikaew isn't a well-known name at ONE. In fact, he only joined the promotion in August. However, that's part of the reason he's making this list.

When ONE started to host events again in July, it did so exclusively from Thailand for nearly two months. Due to travel restrictions, it exclusively worked with Thai-based athletes, many of whom had never competed for ONE until the company signed them to short-term contracts in hopes of consistently hosting full match cards. One of the fighters eager to prove his worth was Yodkaikaew.

After defeating his first opponent by TKO, he took a short-notice match against Alex Schild just two weeks later and also knocked him out. His impressive performances earned him a contract extension and a match against Tatsumitsu Wada, a veteran flyweight for ONE who fought Demetrious Johnson last year.

Yodkaikaew capped off a remarkable 2020 with an upset victory over his Japanese opponent, taking advantage of the circumstantial opportunity to sign with ONE and prove he belonged with the promotion.

4. Thanh Le

ONE Championship

2020 record: 2-0

Accomplishments: Became ONE featherweight world champion

Highlight: Knocking out Martin Nguyen

Le is the only American at ONE to win two matches in 2020, doing so by defeating contender Ryogo Takahashi at the beginning of the year to earn a title shot against renowned knockout artist Martin Nguyen in October.

After Nguyen landed some heavy punches in the third round that seemed like they were going to put Le away, the challenger answered with a devastating right hand that wobbled the champion and turned the direction of the match. After an onslaught of punches landed, the referee stopped the match and cemented Le's spot as one of ONE's most successful fighters in 2020 after becoming the first person to knock out Nguyen.

3. Reinier De Ridder

ONE Championship

2020 record: 2-0

Accomplishments: Became ONE middleweight world champion

Highlight: Submitting Aung La N Sang

De Ridder has a similar resume to Le. He also defeated a top contender earlier in the year and went on to defeat the division's champion, but we're putting the Dutchman slightly ahead because of the ease in which he defeated Aung La N Sang for the belt. 

Sang, who came into the match with a 11-1 ONE record and whose only loss in the promotion came by decision, was completely stifled by De Ridder. He put on a jiu-jitsu masterclass by taking down Sang to the ground less than 30 seconds into the match and submitting him in the first round. De Ridder looks poised for a long run as the middleweight champion.

2. Rodtang Jitmuangnon

ONE Championship

2020 record: 2-0

Accomplishments: Defended ONE flyweight muay thai world title twice

Highlight: Knocked out Jonathan Haggerty

Not only do two successful title defenses make 2020 a great year for Rodtang, but it's also that he defeated two of his biggest rivals in the process that really elevate him in these rankings.

Last January, he faced Jonathan Haggerty in a highly anticipated rematch of their back-and-forth bout from last year in which Rodtang won by decision. In their second clash, the Thai left no doubt as to who the superior fighter was by knocking Haggerty out in the third round. Rodtang looked impervious to anything his opponent threw at him, walking through what seemed like every strike.

He defeated Petchdam Petchyindee Academy by majority decision in ONE's first event back after a five-month hiatus due to the pandemic. All in all, it was a great year for Rodtang, who is now 8-0 at ONE.

1. Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy

ONE Championship

2020 record: 3-0

Accomplishments: Won ONE featherweight muay thai world title and defended twice

Highlight: TKO of Magnus Andersson

It's impressive enough to win three matches at a promotion in a year, especially when almost half of ONE's season was suspended because of the pandemic. It's even more impressive when a fighter manages to win a championship and also defends it twice in the same year. Frankly that's unusual even in normal years, but it's exactly what Petchmorakot managed to do.

After winning the inaugural featherweight muay thai world title in February, he defeated the legendary Yodsanklai Fairtex to defend his title when ONE returned from their hiatus in July. In a quick six-week turnaround for his second defense, the Thai knocked out the up-and-coming Magnus Andersson to cap off a sensational 2020.

Let's see what Petchmorakot can do as champion in a full year.