‘I Can Finish Anyone’ – Victor Hugo, Devhonte Johnson Ready To Close Their Trilogy At ONE Fight Night 49
· Yahoo Sports
No matchup could usher in ONE’s heavyweight grappling era quite like this one, pairing two of the most dynamic big men on the planet. Victor Hugo and Devhonte “Bones” Johnson share the ring in an openweight submission grappling clash at ONE Fight Night 49: Gabriel vs. Magomedov on Prime Video.
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The action lights up U.S. primetime on Friday, November 6, from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium. It also delivers the third chapter of a rivalry that began years ago, when both men still wore colored belts.
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With the series tied and the decider looming, here is what both men had to say.
Hugo Brings Gold-Standard Pedigree To The Global Stage
Victor Hugo steps into ONE with a freshly minted ADCC crown. He swept the +99kg division at the 2026 World Championships, tapping all four opponents along the way.
Now, the four-time IBJJF World Champion joins grappling’s biggest superstars on martial arts’ grandest stage, eager to make his mark.
Hugo told onefc.com:
“It was more of a dream. I was like, ‘Man, if one day ONE Championship initiates the heavyweight division, I would love to be a part of it.’ Now we’re getting the division started, and I got the invite to be one of the guys in the match.
“I have been watching ONE for a while now. It’s a great event altogether. It’s huge, and a great opportunity for me.”
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The debut also revives a rivalry the 29-year-old has carried for years. Hugo and Johnson split two meetings back in their purple belt days, at the 2016 IBJJF Worlds and the 2017 Europeans.
The Brazilian took the opener with a flying triangle, and nearly a decade of growth has only sharpened his game. He insists he is a far more complete grappler today and is determined to prove every bit of the hype is real.
He said:
“In the first match, I won by submission. It was actually a pretty cool submission that I could not find the footage for all these years. When he beat me, there were a few highlights. But yeah, it’s 1-1.
“This match came at a great moment. We have a history. I had to wait nine years for this rematch. I look forward to getting a chance to take that one back.”
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While the history supplies the storyline, Hugo expects the skill of both grapplers to leave fans breathless. Above all, he plans to showcase “Big Man Flow” and end the rivalry on his terms.
His ambitions stretch well beyond Friday, with a long runway ahead in ONE. Step one is kicking off the heavyweight ranks with a massive bang.
The Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu affiliate said:
“It’s gonna be a fun match because he’s really aggressive with his guard passing, and I’m really aggressive off my back. I expect to get pretty creative, and we’ll see what type of magic I can pull off in the ring.
“I want to make history inside the promotion. I want to show that I’m a good grappling ambassador. I want to make sure that the heavyweights are not boring to watch.”
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Johnson Seizes His Big Break
Devhonte Johnson has spent recent years stacking titles on the grappling circuit, including the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship. Now, ONE gives him the spotlight his work has long earned.
A single offer from ONE Vice President of Grappling Tom DeBlass was all it took. Johnson jumped at the chance to face a familiar foe and didn’t need much convincing.
The American powerhouse said:
“Victor is one of the best heavyweights on the planet, if not the best right now, so it was a no-brainer. When you get to do it on a platform like ONE, it’s all the more enticing.
“We had a few matches in the lower belt ranks when we were younger. This will be the first time we’ll be matching up no-gi, which’ll be interesting. We’ll see how this rubber match goes.”
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Despite winning their most recent meeting, Johnson refuses to rest on his laurels. Both men were barely out of their teens then, and nearly a decade has changed everything.
Accordingly, he views this matchup as a fresh puzzle and enters the trilogy with a clean slate.
“Bones” said:
“We’re both different people, different athletes. We’re probably much more physically mature than we were back then.
“The only thing that you can take away is the fact that you’ve done it already, so you can do it again. I think that goes both ways, since we both have had victories over one another. You have to forget what’s happened in the past.”
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Johnson fully acknowledges that Hugo is an enigma and one of the best in the world.
That said, the Unity Jiu-Jitsu standout does not see himself as an underdog, and he plans to shake up ONE’s grappling ranks on November 6.
He said:
“For someone of his size, he moves really well, and that gives a lot of guys a hard time. He’s good on bottom, and he’s good on top. He’s got good pathways to submissions and match-ending situations.
“I’m just gonna do my best to apply my game. If I get to my preferred finishing situations, I can finish anyone, especially if you let me lock my hands around your head and your arm. I’m pretty confident.”
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