Demetrious Johnson to spearhead ONE e-sports Championship

Johnson is an avid gamer.
Johnson is an avid gamer. Photo credit: Getty

World MMA champion Demetrious Johnson won't just be bringing his legendary combat skills to ONE Championship.

The newly-signed flyweight and gaming enthusiast will be the figurehead for the Asian promotion's first foray into the rapidly growing world of e-sports, with the launch of the ONE e-sports Championship.

Johnson has built an enormous following on game-streaming site Twitch and the new league provides the opportunity for him to make his inevitable crossover into the monstrous Asian gaming market as its chief brand ambassador.

The continent accounts for a majority share of a global online gaming community that has an estimated annual revenue for 2018 of $US138 billion ($NZ203.9b).

The league will piggyback on the promotion's 30 events scheduled across the continent in 2019 - including Tokyo, Bangkok, and Seoul - and feature "multiple blockbuster game titles".

CEO and Chairman Chartri Sityodtong said the new league was the clear next step in ONE Championship's evolution.

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"We see a natural crossover between martial arts and gaming fans in Asia, and an opportunity to bring them together under Asia's home of millennial live sports," said Sityodtong.

Johnson was involved in an unprecedented MMA 'trade', in which he left the UFC to sign on with the giant Asian promotion in exchange for welterweight Ben Askren.

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