Dmitry Menshikov, 27, has announced his intention to leave ONE Championship following his February 14th bout. He is set to face THAI FIGHT veteran and ONE debutant Tengnueng at ONE Friday Fights 97, held at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
The Russian fighter, who trains alongside former GLORY champion Artem Vakhitov, claims that ONE failed to honor its contractual commitments, offering him only one fight in 2024 despite promises of a more active schedule.
Since losing his ONE debut to reigning champion Regian Eersel in 2023, Menshikov has rebounded with a three-fight knockout streak, reestablishing himself as a top contender.
"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," says Menshikov.
Menshikov's manager, Andrey Busygin, echoed these frustrations, citing difficulties communicating with the promotion’s matchmakers throughout 2024. The fighter's legal team determined that ONE’s failure to deliver on its obligations constituted a breach of contract, paving the way for Menshikov to explore free agency.
"Clearly if you sign a fighter to an exclusive contract, the intention is not for him to compete just once a year. 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."
"We’ve taken this February fight because Dmitry needs to compete," said Busygin. "After that, he'll be moving on to a more active schedule with another promotion."
