Scenes From The ONE Samurai Press Conference In Tokyo — and more

ONE Championship unveiled an exciting new chapter for martial arts in Japan on Wednesday, February 18, announcing the launch of ONE Samurai, a monthly event series that will showcase the nation’s top combat sports stars alongside international athletes across MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling.

The historic press conference took place inside Kanda Myojin Hall and featured a major announcement beyond the event series itself.

Shuntaro Tanaka was named CEO, Japan & Group Chief Commercial Officer at ONE Championship, where he will lead overall business operations in Japan and oversee several domains across the group.

The inaugural ONE Samurai event is set for Wednesday, April 29, inside Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. As part of its ambitious expansion, the world’s largest martial arts organization will broadcast 60 events over the next five years, with several World Title fights featured on each ONE Samurai card.

All ONE Samurai events will be broadcast live exclusively on U-NEXT, Japan’s leading streaming service with 12 million subscribers. Broadcast details for viewers outside Japan will be announced soon.

The press conference brought together some of ONE Championship’s biggest Japanese superstars, including reigning ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Nadaka, former three-division K-1 Champion Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa, and former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza.

ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong delivered a passionate message about the organization’s vision for revitalizing Japanese martial arts on the global stage.

Sityodtong declared:

“In the past, Japanese martial arts organizations like K-1 and PRIDE were at their peak and were number one in the world. However, as they declined, the Japanese martial arts scene has been declining as well.

“ONE will create a new future for martial arts for Japanese fighters and fans. We will create Japanese martial arts heroes.”

Tanaka, who accepted his new leadership role with ONE, shared his personal connection to martial arts and the organization’s mission.

Tanaka said:

“It’s not all about stories and heroes – that’s Chatri’s philosophy of creating value. I listened to Chatri’s words about creating world-class heroes, about revitalizing martial arts and creating future plans, about wanting to work together to inspire and move people from the IP side. I also accepted his offer because personally, I have always loved martial arts.”

Before the organization turns the page to the inaugural ONE Samurai event, let’s look at the photos from this historic press conference courtesy of our photographers.

Source

La Stampa reports that Tuesday’s heavy defeat against Galatasaray led to a change in Luciano Spalletti’s attitude towards his Juventus players.

Safe to say Juventus coach Spalletti is highly disappointed following a 5-2 away Champions League defeat against Galatasaray on Tuesday.

Spalletti ‘ unusually shaken’ after Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – FEBRUARY 17: Gabriel Sara of Galatasaray A.S. runs with the ball from Manuel Locatelli of Juventus during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off First Leg match between Galatasaray A.S. and Juventus at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi on February 17, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

As reported by La Stampa, Spalletti appeared unusually shaken and uncommunicative when the team resumed training at Continassa the day after the match.

The Italian tactician had praised his players in recent weeks, even after a 3-2 loss against Inter last weekend.

However, since Tuesday, his mood and demeanour have shifted dramatically, prompting the coach to call on his players to reflect deeply and take full responsibility for their roles.

Spalletti argued that it’s “useless to talk if actions don’t follow”, and, according to the report, the Tuscan tactician is considering a tactical switch in the upcoming games, with a possible return to a three-man defence.

Juventus’ next games in Serie A and UCL

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 25: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie A match between Juventus FC and SSC Napoli at Juventus Stadium on January 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

The coach’s priority, however, remains rediscovering the team’s personality and strong spirit.

Next Saturday, the Bianconeri will host Como in Serie A before the return leg against Galatasaray next Wednesday.

Habib Beye reflects on his departure from Rennes

OM: "It's in the past," Habib Beye closes the Rennes chapter

This Thursday afternoon, Habib Beye was officially unveiled to the press. It was an opportunity for him to address several topics.

Recently appointed as OM’s new head coach, Habib Beye took the chance during his press conference to look back on his spell at Rennes. It was a challenging period that ended on a difficult note with his dismissal. But for the Senegalese tactician, it’s time to move on and focus solely on OM.

"It's in the past. Every experience is an opportunity to learn. There are no smooth journeys. What matters is the drive to reach even higher, to take on new challenges and overcome obstacles. The rest is behind me. What matters now is the present moment." he stated.

They haven't coached a single Baltimore Ravens game or practice. Heck, we haven't even reached free agency or the NFL Draft, but this new coaching staff's approval rating is soaring. They're a hit, and if things go according to plan, there's nowhere to go but up. Make no mistake. There's pressure on them, but they've allowed themselves opportunities to smile for now.

Head coach Jesse Minter and his coordinators spoke with the media on Wednesday. All seemed humbled by the chance to join the Ravens, or rejoin the organization. That's the story of Minter, Anthony Weaver, and Anthony Levine. No one expects anything other than their best effort.

Why would they? All we've ever seen is their best. Minter was formerly an assistant under John Harbaugh (2017-20). Weaver played here (2002-05) as part of the defense. He coached here, serving in several roles: defensive line coach and run game coordinator (2021) and assistant head coach/defensive line coach (2022-23). He's now the defensive coordinator. Coach Levine was a solid special teams contributor who will now lead that unit as its coordinator.

They'll share responsibility for trying to lead the Ravens to the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy, but this week they shared the microphone as they were introduced to the Baltimore media.

Anthony Weaver turns heads with a confident statement.

Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle joined Minter, Weaver, and Levine. The OC spoke about his age being an asset, his plans for the offense, and, of course, a growing relationship with Lamar Jackson.

One of the session's most surprising statements came from the top assistant on the other side of the ball. There's work to do with the Ravens' defense, especially at edge rusher. Weaver isn't panicking, though. With a smile, he offered an idea that many of you might find interesting.

"We certainly have rushers, right? I think it took a hit with losing [Nnamdi] Madubuike. I think we all know the effect that losing him had on this defense, but from a talent standpoint, we certainly have some dudes that can get there. In the backend, we have talent all across the board. The first guy that comes to mind is Kyle Hamilton. He's the ultimate chess piece. You can do so many things with him, and you go back to a corner with Nate Wiggins and in the back with Malaki Starks, Roquan [Smith]. We have talent. There's so much talent on this defense that as a coordinator, I can't help but get up here and just smile and be happy about it, because your options are limitless in what you want to do. So, I feel really good about both of those things."

There's mostly new staff. Dre'Mont Jones, Kyle Van Noy, Alohi Gilman, David Ojabo, and Chidobe Awuzie are all impending free agents. The jury is still out on Mike Green. There's a lot to discuss, but if Coach Weaver says, 'We're good,' then we're rolling with that.

For those of you who are concerned, may you gain more confidence by listening to him. Raise those glasses. Here's to another exciting era of Baltimore Ravens football.

Optimism in February doesn't win games in September, but alignment, vision, and buy-in are where every successful season starts. If Jesse Minter and his staff can translate that early energy into results, Baltimore may indeed be standing at the beginning of something worth raising a glass to celebrate.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Anthony Weaver sets the tone with a promising Ravens defensive outlook