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Dmitry Menshikov Breaks Silence: Legal Action and Frustration Fuel ONE Championship Exit

Dmitry Menshikov Breaks Silence Legal Action and Frustration Fuel ONE Championship Exit Russian Muay Thai fighter Dmitry Menshikov has publicly voiced his frustrations with ONE Championship, culminating in legal action and…

Russian Muay Thai fighter Dmitry Menshikov has publicly voiced his frustrations with ONE Championship, culminating in legal action and his decision to leave the organization. The 27-year-old lightweight contender, who holds a 4-1 record in ONE with all victories by knockout, has served a legal notice to the promotion citing an alleged breach of contract. Following his most recent win, Menshikov explains his side.

Dmitry Menshikov Leaving ONE Championship

Dmitry Menshikov’s discontent stems from a lack of fight opportunities in 2024, during which he claims ONE only offered him a single bout despite promises of a more active schedule. This inactivity led to financial strain and prompted his legal team to conclude that ONE had failed to fulfill its contractual obligations.

On February 16, 2025, Menshikov competed in what is likely his final bout with ONE Championship at ONE Friday Fights 97. He secured a first-round knockout victory over Thai fighter Tengnueng. However, the aftermath of the fight has only intensified tensions between Menshikov and the organization.

In a statement following the bout, Dmitry Menshikov expressed his disappointment:

“I won by KO again but they didn’t give me a post-fight interview, so I’ll share my thoughts here. Recently I had some negative things to say about ONE and announced I will be departing the organization. Some people may say this is why I didn’t get a bonus this time.

“Maybe that’s true, but you’d hope bonuses would be awarded purely for performance reasons and not be infected by such sentiments. When you see that they also deleted my highlights and denied me a post-fight interview, clearly there are some hard feelings at play. I’ve had five fights with ONE, winning four by knockout, but never received a bonus — including this time.

“It’s weird because they’ve given bonuses to other Russians, so clearly it’s not a political thing. Anyway, this confirms that ONE isn’t the right organization for me, and I stand by my decision to leave. And I expect to see many more fighters make the decision to leave ONE this year as well.“

Dmitry Menshikov further alleged that ONE denied him a post-fight interview and removed his fight highlights from social media after fans showed support for him in the comments section. His manager, Andrey Busygin, emphasized that signing an athlete to an exclusive contract implies regular competition, which was not provided in this case. Menshikov’s departure from ONE Championship marks the latest in a series of fighter exits and public complaints, raising questions about the organization’s relationship with its athletes.

Former Title Challenger Serves ONE Championship With Legal Papers Over Alleged Breach Of Contract

Talk of discontent among the fighter ranks in ONE Championship continues to rise, and another athlete has now gone public with his complaints. Dmitry Menshikov has competed under the ONE Championship banner since June 2023. Following victories in organizations such as Glory, the Russian debuted in the Asian promotion at ONE Fight Night 11 in […]

Talk of discontent among the fighter ranks in ONE Championship continues to rise, and another athlete has now gone public with his complaints.

Dmitry Menshikov has competed under the ONE Championship banner since June 2023. Following victories in organizations such as Glory, the Russian debuted in the Asian promotion at ONE Fight Night 11 in Bangkok, Thailand.

He arrived straight into a title shot, challenging the lightweight Muay Thai rule of Regian Eersel. Menshikov’s first taste of ONE action was quick, with “The Immortal” landing a knockout blow in just 46 seconds.

Since then, the 27-year-old has won three straight, most recently stopping fellow former title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee at ONE Fight Night 22 last April. Though he’s been away from the ring for 10 months, that’s seemingly not without trying.

A press release via Menshikov and his manager this week revealed major frustration at his layoff. They claim that numerous requests to fight were ignored and met with silence by the ONE Championship matchmakers.

The Russian is now approaching his return at ONE Friday Fights 97 later this month, but that booking would appear to have come too little, too late. The 27-year-old has served the organization with legal papers citing an alleged failure to fulfil contractual obligations and outlined his plan to enter free agency following his upcoming bout.

“I had some great fights with ONE, but a single bout per year is not a sustainable calendar for a competitive athlete and is a clear breach of the understanding between the fighter and the organization when we entered into a promotional contract,” Menshikov said. “For this reason, I will be entering free agency after the upcoming February 14th bout.

“I find it strange that all my wins are by KO or TKO, yet ONE chose to rebook the fighters I KO’d rather than myself. Maybe they were cheaper, I don’t know. It’s hard to know anything that’s going on at ONE – our attempts throughout 2024 to reach the matchmakers were met by deafening silence,” Menshikov continued. “Several fighters have left recently because of being frustrated, like Sage Northcutt and Reinier de Ridder, and I think that’s the best solution for me as well. My contract only has a few months left on it anyway. At this point it’s probably easier for us all to go our separate ways.”

Dmitry Menshikov — Image: ONE Championship

The exact details of Menshikov’s ONE Championship contract and any potential breaches are unknown, but the kickboxing and Muay Thai fighter’s manager is seemingly confident about the claim.

“Clearly if you sign a fighter to an exclusive contract, the intention is not for him to compete just once a year,” Andrey Busygin said. “We struggled all year to get clear answers from ONE’s matchmakers. In fact most of the time we couldn’t get an answer at all.

“When 2024 ended with just a single bout, our legal team determined that ONE Championship had failed to perform its duties under the contract and informed ONE accordingly. We have taken this short-notice ONE bout on February 14th because Menshikov needs a fight, but after that he will be entering free agency and returning to a full competitive schedule.”

Menshikov marks the latest fighter to express displeasure at the current situation in ONE, which has largely centered around a perceived abandonment of mixed martial arts as a focus.

Both Reinier de Ridder and Sage Northcutt departed in 2024, with the former joining the UFC and the latter briefly signing with the PFL before entering the inaugural GFL draft last month.

More recently, flyweight MMA fighter Reece McLaren publicly requested his release in an open letter to ONE Championship on social media. Like Menshikov, the Australian cited an alleged “ghosting” from the matchmaking team regarding his desire to fight.

Dmitry Menshikov Serves Legal Notice to ONE Championship Over Alleged Contract Breach

Dmitry Menshikov, a lightweight contender and teammate of Artem Vakhitov, has initiated legal action against ONE Championship, alleging the…

Dmitry Menshikov, a lightweight contender and teammate of Artem Vakhitov, has initiated legal action against ONE Championship, alleging the organization failed to meet its contractual obligations.

Legal papers served on ONE Championship by Dmitry Menshikov

Through his legal team and manager, Dmitry Menshikov informed ONE that he plans to enter free agency after his February 14 bout in Bangkok. This decision follows a year of inactivity in 2024, during which ONE only offered him a single fight despite earlier promises of more opportunities. Dmitry Menshikov, who boasts an impressive 3-1 record in ONE with all victories via KO or TKO, expressed frustration over the lack of bookings despite his consistent performances.

Menshikov’s legal representatives highlighted that the fighter repeatedly notified ONE of his availability throughout 2024 but received no response. When a promised December fight failed to materialize, his legal team concluded that ONE had breached its contractual duties and formally notified the promotion.

Reflecting on his experience, Dmitry Menshikov stated: “A single fight per year is unsustainable for a competitive athlete and violates our agreement. After February 14, I will enter free agency.” He also criticized ONE for rebooking fighters he had defeated rather than himself and noted the difficulty in communicating with the promotion’s matchmakers.

Menshikov’s manager, Andrey Busygin, emphasized that signing an athlete to an exclusive contract implies regular competition, which was not provided in this case. He confirmed that Menshikov will pursue free agency after the February bout to resume a full competitive schedule. Menshikov plans to explore opportunities with other promotions starting March 2025. In a statement, he said:

“I had some great fights with ONE, but a single bout per year is not a sustainable calendar for a competitive athlete and is a clear breach of the understanding between the fighter and the organization when we entered into a promotional contract. For this reason, I will be entering free agency after the upcoming February 14th bout.

“I find it strange that all my wins are by KO or TKO, yet ONE chose to rebook the fighters I KO’d rather than myself. Maybe they were cheaper, I don’t know. It’s hard to know anything that’s going on at ONE – our attempts throughout 2024 to reach the matchmakers were met by deafening silence.

“Several fighters have left recently because of being frustrated like Sage Northcutt and Reinier de Ridder and I think that’s the best solution for me as well. My contract only has a few months left on it anyway. At this point it’s probably easier for us all to go our separate ways.”