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 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.”
