ONE Championship

[GeneChing]

Just got this press release from ONE

ONE Fighting Championship™ launches the largest MMA organization in Asian history

14 July, 2011 - Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ has launched Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization in history. ONE Fighting Championship will launch a series of world-class, live events in all major cities in Asia, including the
ONE Fighting Championship™, the ONE National Qualifier Series™, and the ONE Life™ Reality TV show. ONE Fighting Championship™ is home to some of the most decorated World Champions and elite fighters in Asia, including:

-6x Muay Thai World Champion, Anuwat Kaewsamrit (Thailand)
-Wushu and MCFC Champion, Eduard Folayang (Philippines)
-Sanda World Champion, Bao Li Gao (China)
-Spirit MC Champion, Kwang Hee Lee (Korea)
-6x Muay Thai World Champion, Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn (Thailand)
-Total Combat FC Champion, Eddie Ng (Hong Kong)
-Malaysia Champion and XFC Champion, Adam Kayoom (Malaysia)
-Sanda World Champion, Zhao Zhi Long (China)
-BJJ World Champion, Zorobabel Moreira (Brazil/Singapore)
-URCC FC Champion, Kevin Bellingon (Philippines)
-WBA Boxing World Champion, Yodsanan Sityodtong (Thailand)
-Muay Thai World Champion and K1 Veteran, Ole Laursen (Philippines)
-Risingon FC Champion, Soo Chul Kim (Korea)
-2x MCFC Champion, Mitch Chilson (USA/Singapore)
-BJJ World Champion and MCFC Champion, Leandro Issa (Brazil/Singapore)
-URCC FC Champion, Eric Kelly (Philippines)
-5x Muay Thai World Champion Orono Wor Petchpun (Thailand)
-Sanda World Champion, Ba Teer (China)
-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Gregor Gracie (Brazil)
-Muay Thai World Champion, Yoddecha Sityodtong (Thailand)
-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Rolles Gracie (Brazil)
-Afghanistan Champion and MCFC Champion, Malik Arash Malawyi (Afghanistan)
-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Igor Gracie (Brazil)

ONE Fighting Championship™ currently remains in confidential discussions with many of the top Asian fighters in Asia and is
expected to make additional major announcements soon. It is the goal of ONE Fighting Championship to work with all the top
Asian MMA event organizations, managers, and fighters in growing the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia.
As part of its broadcast plans, the ONE Fighting Championship™ will be shown on ESPN STAR SPORTS (ESS), Asia’s top
sports content provider, and MediaCorp Channel 5 (MC), Singapore’s leading media company, across Asia. It is the largest
MMA media broadcast in Asian history. In addition, several other major Asian broadcasting partnerships will also be announced
in the near future.
Victor Cui, CEO/Owner of ONE Fighting Championship, said, ”ONE Fighting Championship marks a significant inflection
point in the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia. By our first event on September 3, we will be in more than 500 million homes
across Asia and it is only the beginning. Asia has been the birthplace and home to martial arts for the last 5,000 years and ONE
Fighting Championship has a vision of bringing mixed martial arts to the 3.9 billion people living in Asia. I am excited by the
dominant leadership position of ONE Fighting Championship in Asia and the future of mixed martial arts in this region of the
world. MMA is the fastest growing sport on the planet. We intend to showcase some of the most adrenaline-filled, exciting
fights in Asia, featuring the best Asian fighters.”
About ONE Fighting Championship™
Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts
organization. ONE Fighting Championship hosts the most prestigious mixed martial arts event in Asia and is the only Asian
MMA organization with a pan-Asian media broadcast.

About ESPN STAR Sports
ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world’s leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia’s
definitive and complete sports broadcaster and content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its
ultimate parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of
international and regional sports to viewers via its encrypted pay and free-to-air services.
ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a
cumulative reach of more than 310 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each
localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN
China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea),
STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports
Southeast Asia, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket.
On the ground, the ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group manages and promotes premier sporting events around Asia.
ESPN STAR Sports aims to reach consumers at any time, any place and through all new media platforms, both internet and
mobile. The multi-lingual, online platforms, espnstar.com, espnstar.com.cn and espnstar.com.tw and footballcrazy.tv interact
with millions of users providing them with in-depth sports news, results and competitions. Developed for the sports fan that is
constantly on the move, mobileESPN and STAR Sports Mobile delivers differentiated mobile content targeted at its various
audiences. mobileESPN enables the serious sports fan to follow their favourite sports more closely than ever before with a
combination of specially produced video news clips, in-depth news coverage and analysis. STAR Sports Mobile aims to provide
interactive and entertaining opportunities to engage with sports, delivering exclusive video excerpts from leading football clubs
Arsenal and Liverpool as well as highlights from STAR Sports original programmes covering opinions, instructional tips and the
latest online game reviews.

About MediaCorp
MediaCorp is Singapore’s leading media company with the most complete range of platforms, spanning television, radio,
newspapers, magazines, movies, digital and out-of-home media.
It pioneered the development of Singapore’s broadcasting industry, with the broadcast of Radio in 1936 and Television in 1963.
Today, MediaCorp has over 50 products and brands in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), reaching out to all
adults in Singapore every week.
Our industry firsts include the Digital Video Broadcast technology for outdoor digital television, and Asia’s first Digital Audio Broadcast radio service. Initiatives in the digital space include online classifieds, Internet TV-on-demand and High Definition TV broadcast.
MediaCorp is an active regional player through co-productions in TV dramas and movies, magazines publishing, as well as
Channel NewsAsia International, one of the first Asian-owned English news channels.
Our financial and strategic relationships in the region since 2007 include a venture with Indonesia’s most integrated media
company PT Media Nusantara Citra and its parent, Global Mediacom, and International Media Corporation in Vietnam, set up to
develop and produce television entertainment and economic news content.
Winner of numerous international awards and accolades including Asian Television Awards’ Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year,
MediaCorp’s vision is to become Asia’s top media company, delivering valued content to the world.

[GeneChing]

wushu in MMA

sanda actually, but people always forget sanda is part of modern wushu.

Indonesian Wushu Champ Ready to Fight for MMA Dream
Ami Afriatni | February 10, 2012

Youne ‘Indra’ Victorio Senduk, left, will meet Raymond Tiew in tonight’s mixed martial arts competition in Jakarta.(Antara Photo/M. Agung Rajasa) Youne ‘Indra’ Victorio Senduk, left, will meet Raymond Tiew in tonight’s mixed martial arts competition in Jakarta.(Antara Photo/M. Agung Rajasa)

Youne Victorio Senduk has been waiting seven years for another shot to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter, and he has vowed not to waste it when the ONE Fighting Championship hits Jakarta today.

Youne, who fights under the name Indra, won a silver medal in wushu, a type of martial art, at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, but he says his real passion is to become an MMA fighter.

“I fell in love with MMA when I fought in the TPI Fighting Championship in 2005. But then the tournament was scrapped with no replacement until now,” Indra said on Friday.

“Now it’s like the door has been opened again for me to be a pro MMA fighter.”

MMA in Indonesia had enjoyed something of a cult following until the sport’s top local tournament, TPI FC, was scrapped in 2005.

The Indonesian MMA Organization (OMI) and the Indonesian Martial Arts Federation (FOBI) failed to harness the sport’s popularity at the time and it gradually dissipated.

Indra said he’s been training hard since the ONE FC organizers said in December that he would be given a wild-card entry for the showdown at the Sports Mall at Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

“The SEA Games medal has given me a morale boost for this championship, though I have had to hone my skills for close combat like this,” he said.

Indra will face Malaysian Raymond Tiew in 65.8-kilogram bout. Tiew, whose basic skill is also wushu, should be a tough opponent as he has more experienced in MMA, with a record of five wins and a loss in 2011.

“I don’t know anything about him or how good he is. But I was told that he’s also a wushu athlete, so I pretty much know what to expect,” Indra said.

“Anyway, my mission is to beat him because a win will open the MMA door wide for me.”

This is just the second ONE FC event, after the series debuted in Singapore on Sept. 3.

Twenty fighters from the region will vie for supremacy in seven weight classes.

There are three other local fighters, who won the Indonesian Martial Arts Federation qualifiers in Jakarta last December.

Former national team wrestler Ngabdi Mulyadi, who is also a TPI FC champion, will fight in the 70.3-kg division against Peter Davis, who is better known in his native Malaysia for his acting and modeling but is looking to make a name as a fighter.

“It’s been a while since I’ve competed in MMA, but I’m ready,” said Ngabdi, a Semarang native. “If I win this I’ll have better chance to pursue a career in the MMA.”

Veteran local fighters Agus Nanang and Zuli Silawanto are scheduled to meet each other in the 77.1-kg division.

ONE FC will hold a second event in Jakarta later this year.

[GeneChing]

Women’s MMA in Singapore

Women exercise right to fight in Singapore
By Peter Rutherford
SINGAPORE | Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:57am EDT

(Reuters) - Jeet Toshi’s eyes glaze over as the blood flow to her brain begins to slow. She claws at the arm clamped around her throat but Nicole Chua’s choke is sapping her strength, and the rising panic in Toshi’s chest tells her she will black out in seconds.

Brutality is blind to gender in mixed martial arts (MMA).

While abhorred by its critics as a celebration of violence, MMA’s explosive growth shows no signs of tapering off. It does not shy away from its violent image but rather embraces it as the ultimate sporting evolution of hand-to-hand combat.

Male fighters enjoy the lion’s share of exposure and reward, and while women’s MMA does have a following, it struggles due to a shallow talent pool and poor financial backing.

Discrimination has also been difficult to overcome, and while the bias may be based on outdated notions of gender roles in society, some people just are not ready to see women fight.

Not so in Singapore, it seems.

Some 8,000 fans watched Chua become the city-state’s first female professional MMA fighter with her debut as part of ONE Fighting Championship’s recent “War of the Lions” event.

What Chua and Toshi lacked in polished talent and experience they made up for in heart, battering each other with kicks, knees and punches before Chua took the fight to the ground.

Slithering across Toshi’s body, Chua slams sharp elbows into the Indian’s forehead, then rains down a hail of punches forcing Toshi to turn onto her stomach to escape. Chua sinks in a rear naked choke and squeezes for dear life. Toshi taps.

Despite the risk of personal injury involved in MMA, neither fighter made much money. Neither fighter seemed to care.

Toshi walked away with $600. Her manager, Prashant Kumar, told Reuters that was three times the sum Toshi had earned for her debut with India’s Full Contact Championship in February.

“This is a passion, not a job,” Toshi said in an interview. “I’m not doing it to make a living. If I wasn’t fighting I really don’t know what I’d be doing.”

Legs dangling from a pool-side chair that threatened to swallow her whole, the seven-times Indian kickboxing champion said MMA had given her the chance to inspire her countrywomen.

“I want to be an example for girls in India who don’t really participate in combat sports. I want to set an example so that we can spread awareness of the sport.”

Kumar was immensely proud of Toshi irrespective of the loss, and said he had a stable of willing women fighters in India ready to step into the cage.

“This was her first time out of the country and we were running around trying to get her a passport just before we came,” he said. “She’s such a young girl but she was so composed despite the fact she was fighting a Singaporean in Singapore.”

NUMBER CRUNCHER

Chua’s story catapulted her into the media spotlight in Singapore, a bustling island hub more renowned for its safe streets and conservative values than a burgeoning MMA scene.

A full-time accountant, Chua convinced her company to let her train for the fight on condition she made up lost hours after the gym.

Sitting cross-legged on the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu mats at Evolve MMA Academy where she trained before dawn each day, Chua recalled the reaction when she asked for permission to fit work around her training schedule.

“My manager got a shock but he gave in eventually,” the muay Thai specialist said with a wry smile.

The pixie-like Chua said she too was not in MMA for the money. With several years of muay Thai fighting under her belt, she wanted to test her limits in the sport.

Part of the test was coming to grips with the vicious techniques of MMA. Her training routine with no-gi Brazilian Jiu-jitsu world champion Takeo Tani saw her practice kicking a grounded opponent’s head like a soccer ball.

“I hope I don’t have to do that,” she said with a nervous laugh, “but in a fight if I don’t hit her she will hit me. Inside the cage its competition, you win or you lose.”

Tani said Chua’s personality changed as soon as she stepped into the cage for sparring.

“I have to look at her like a man. You can see in her eye she is not a normal girl,” he added. “She’s a fighter.”

Chua’s manager and Evolve founder Chatri Sityodtong said women’s MMA was still in its infancy in Asia and that the financial incentive had to be there before women could make a career out of fighting.

“I don’t think women can train and fight full-time right now because the financial rewards aren’t there yet,” he said. “(But) MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and it is only a matter of time for the financial rewards to skyrocket as it gains in popularity all over Asia.”

WHAT A WAY TO MAKE A LIVING

Earning a living is just as tough for women getting started in the sport in the United States.

Olympic judoka Ronda Rousey, who became the new face of women’s MMA after her stunning Strikeforce title win over Miesha Tate last month, said there had been little financial incentive for her when she made her pro debut last year.

“I made $800 out of it,” she told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“But it was a hell of a lot more than I made for my first three amateur fights because I got nothing. I was just happy I was getting anything from doing MMA after doing it without making a penny.”

Victor Cui, the CEO of ONE Fighting Championship, declined to put an exact figure on how much Chua and Toshi were paid for their fight, but said ONE FC stacked up favourably compared to other MMA promotions.

“Absolutely. And it’s not just about pay, fighters want to fight on ONE FC because we are an organisation that treats them very, very well,” he told Reuters.

“The contracts include not only guaranteed fees but a win bonus, flights, accommodation for them and however many cornermen they want to bring in.”

Cui said Chua was a fantastic story and could encourage more women to take up the sport. While not everyone is sold on the concept of women fighting, Cui said anyone who stepped into the cage deserved the utmost respect.

"This is a sport of professionals that have dedicated their lives to it, put in decades of training in multiple martial arts whether it’s muay Thai, taekwondo, BJJ, karate or sanda.

“So the message that has to come across is that whether it is a male fighting or a female fighting, they are professionals and the very best of the best.”
It’s funny how the press focuses on the money in amateur fights.

[GeneChing]

Angela Lee

Teen MMA sensation Angela Lee fights misconceptions about women in the sport
The 19-year-old mixed martial arts fighter, who has numerous world titles to her name, says she hates it when people think it is just about “chicks with barely any clothes on” in a cage.

By Justin Ong
POSTED: 20 Aug 2015 21:32 UPDATED: 20 Aug 2015 21:33 

SINGAPORE: Nineteen-year-old Angela Lee sports a “kawaii” look and is no stranger to the occasional bikini photoshoot to promote her career, but it is her cage-fighting prowess that she wants to be known for.

The mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete impressed on her professional debut in May at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, defeating the taller, older and more experienced Egyptian Aya Saber in less than two minutes.

Lee, who is signed to Singapore-based MMA promotion One Championship, holds a brown belt in the ground fighting style of Brazilian jiu-jitsu - just one level shy of a black belt. Since her parents started coaching her at three, she has won numerous world titles in various disciplines like wrestling and pankration.

Even with such credentials, the Canadian-American citizen of Singaporean-Korean ethnicity bemoaned how she attracts attention “for the wrong reasons”.

“When people watch women’s MMA, sometimes they’re like ‘Oh, chicks with barely any clothes on and in a cage fighting, that’s super hot’,” she said. “I hate that so much.”

“Hopefully over time, they can recognise us for our skills instead of our looks,” added Lee, who is training at Singaporean gym Evolve MMA to prepare for her sop****re fight on Sep 1, against Russian exponent Elena Pashnina in Shanghai, China.

ASIAN PRIDE

While she aims to become the first women’s champion of One Championship, she is also eager to grow MMA’s presence in Asia by emulating the impact made by the sport’s biggest female superstar Ronda Rousey.

The latter remains undefeated in her reign as the first women’s champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s largest MMA company. As an Olympic medallist in judo and budding movie actress, Rousey is also credited with bringing MMA into mainstream consciousness.

“I want to do that in Asia. I’m hoping to rise up and inspire women over here to train MMA, so we can get more recognition,” said Lee, who was quick to add that she had no wish to be an “Asian Ronda Rousey”.

“There are only one or two female bouts on fight cards in Asia and I want to get more fights on there for the women,” she added.

Angela Lee after winning her debut fight. (Photo: One Championship)

Lee’s own heritage, however, has been a bone of contention for online detractors, with some calling her out as more American than Asian.

One Championship labels her “Singaporean” in its promotional materials. Lee, who was born in Vancouver and raised in Hawaii, brands herself “Singaporean” and “Korean” on her Instagram account.

“I don’t like to categorise myself with one thing, because I’m not just that. It’s all a part of who I am,” she explained. “But my grandparents live with us all the time and my dad’s Singaporean, so we’ve always had an interest in Singapore, especially in its cooking and culture.”

“I want to fight and represent who I am and where I’m from, so Singapore, mostly, because I’m closer to my dad’s side,” said Lee, adding that her family has been “coming back” to Singapore every year since she was a baby.

“Hopefully if I can go past the boundary of people categorising me by nationalities, I can gain more popularity here in Singapore,” she said.

Lee is clearly serious about her career - enough to drop out of her business administration degree course at a Hawaiian university, to focus on MMA alone.

“I can always go back and get my degree. For now I have an opportunity and I’m not going to waste it,” she said. “My parents are very traditional in some ways but in others, understanding. They know that this is what I’ve always wanted to do, and I want to put my all into it.”

Angela Lee with her family at the Evolve MMA gym. (Photo: One Championship)

• CNA/jo
  There’s some facebook vids too, if you follow the link.

[GeneChing]

Angela Lee

Asia’s female MMA star: ‘I finish fights very quickly…’
Saheli Roy Choudhury
8 Hours Ago CNBC.com

ONE Championship
Angela Lee and Natalie Gonzales Hills during their weigh in, ahead of their bout at the ONE: Pride of Lions fighting event
At first glance, Angela Lee looks like a normal teenager. But unlike her contemporaries, the 19-year-old spends most of her time inside a steel cage, beating up opponents twice her age.

Lee is part of a new generation of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from Asia, and has been turning heads along the way. Raised in a family of martial artists, Lee remains undefeated since her debut earlier this year against experienced Egyptian fighter Aya Saber. It was a bout that Lee ended in less than two minutes.

Lee told CNBC her aim was always to finish a fight before the first round is over.

“It’s just my style of fighting. I finish fights very quickly and the way I fight, it just ends…,” she said.

On Friday Lee will compete in the ONE: Pride of Lions fighting event, organized by Singapore-based MMA promotion company ONE Championship. A ONE spokesperson said the event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was expected to draw in a crowd of 12,000 enthusiasts. The company has held similar fighting events across Asia, in cities such as Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, and Yangon among others.

The sport is gaining momentum in China. ONE Championship recently announced a two-year tie up with Chinese sports development company Wujie that includes plans for 26 MMA fight events across the country. The first fight, which happens near the end of the month in Beijing, will see featherweight champions Marat Gafurov and Narantungalag Jadambaa battle it out at the Gymnasium of National Olympic Sports Center, the company said in a press release.

Lee’s opponent on Friday evening is Natalie Gonzales Hills, who has a 2-2 record of fights won and lost and is eight years older than Lee. But speaking to CNBC ahead of the fight, the teenager appeared unfazed.

“I think it’s great that she is a well-rounded fighter. I think that makes for a really exciting fight,” said Lee, describing Hills as “aggressive.”

Mixed martial arts is a combat sport in which fighters use techniques drawn from other full-contact sports such as the jiujitsu, boxing, wrestling and muy thai, to knock out their opponents. Its origin goes back to the early 20th century and much of its current popularity can be traced to the largest MMA promotion company, US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). UFC fights in the U.S. can attract more than a million pay-per-views on cable television, with thousands packing stadiums and reality television shows following individual fighters.

Like most sports, MMA’s big-name fights are almost entirely male-dominated. The highlight of the ONE: Pride of Lions tournament is between Thai fighter Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and Brazilian Yago Bryan, who will compete in the ONE Strawweight Super Fight bout. But there’s growing global interest in women’s MMA following the rise of U.S. stars Ronda Rousey, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Miesha Tate

Lee’s fight with Hills is a Main Card event, which takes place earlier in the night, and is the only female fight on the cards.

“Women always tend to put on a really great show,” said Lee. “There’s only one women’s fight on the whole fight card [tonight] and I’m hoping that we’ll stand out.”

‘gaining momentum in China’

[GeneChing]

ONE: Ascent to Power

Asian female MMA fighters to fight for world title
Carlos Cinco | Apr 03, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

UNSTOPPABLE | Angele Lee battles Mei Yamaguchi at ONE: Ascent to Power (Photo : ONE Championship)

Singapore is set to play host to a historic night of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), as two female mixed martial artists – Singapore’s “Unstoppable” Angela Lee (5-0) and Japan’s Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi (15-8-1) – will go head-to-head in a battle for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship.
MMA has surged in popularity in Asia in recent times, due largely to ONE Championship’s extensive work cultivating the sport in the region. ONE is Asia’s largest sports media property with a potential broadcast to over a billion homes in more than 75 countries worldwide.
Lee and Yamaguchi are set to step inside the ONE Championship cage on May 6, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, in an event dubbed “ONE: Ascent to Power.”
Lee, widely considered one of the most promising young combat sports athletes not just in Asia, but in the entire world, believes this is her chance to shine on the big stage.
“This fight is going to be the most important of my life,” said Lee, who made her professional MMA debut last year. “I truly believe that since I started my martial arts journey, it’s been my destiny to become a world champion. All my hard work and all my training is going to pay off.”
The 19-year old Lee comes from a fighting family. Her parents are both martial arts instructors and highly decorated martial artists. Angela’s father Ken Lee is a Pankration, Taekwondo and Jiu-Jitsu black belt and her mother Jewelz Lee is a Taekwondo black belt instructor and a 2-time Canadian National Silver Medallist.
Her younger brother Christian is also a martial artist, competing under ONE Championship’s featherweight division and is unbeaten in two fights so far.
On the other side of the spectrum sits Mei Yamaguchi, who grew up and discovered martial arts in Los Angeles, but moved to Japan to teach Taekwondo.
Yamaguchi has more experience than Lee, as well as being 14 years Lee’s senior. Like Lee, Yamaguchi understands the significance of this bout and how it helps women with aspirations in combat sports, especially in her home country where she teaches martial arts to children.
“I know there are a lot of girls in Japan who do Karate and Judo. I know a lot compete in that. If they see another girl in professional sports, and see that you’re able to make a living with it, you can inspire a lot of fans,” said Yamaguchi, who began her professional MMA career nearly 10 years ago.
“In the United States, MMA is really big. I know that Asian women are strong, and if they start to learn MMA, I know [the sport] is going to be big! I know a lot of good [female] athletes who can fight in MMA. This is really big. There are really good women fighters in Japan but I can show that to the world by winning this title.”
Yamaguchi grew up admiring Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, and her parents enrolled her at a martial arts academy at age six. She fell in love with Karate at an early age and now, at 33, Yamaguchi finds herself a two-division world champion in MMA.
Both Lee and Yamaguchi are looking to add the ONE Championship belt to their collection. But in MMA, only one contestant can take home the prize.
“It’s time to make history,” said Lee. “I think that crowning the first ever women’s champion is going to really help women’s MMA take off. It’s started in North America, but once we have a women’s champion here in Asia, it’s just going to skyrocket.”
The Lee-Yamaguchi bout will serve as the co-main event for ONE: Ascent to Power. In the main event, ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash defends his title against Aleksei Butorin.

I should really follow ONE Championship more.

[GeneChing]

It may have been only a rumor…

…but it elicited some discussion.

ONE CEO doesn’t think potential sale means a UFC expansion to China
By Marc Raimondi @marc_raimondi on Jun 25, 2016, 6:00p 23

Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images

Even if a Chinese company is involved in the prospective purchase of the UFC, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be seeing more UFC events in China, according to ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui.

Cui isn’t sure a Chinese investment firm owning a piece of the UFC is an indication that the UFC will attempt to expand more in Asia, he told MMA Fighting in a recent interview.

“For Chinese companies, why they’re investing in other properties is because they’re really excited about expanding outside of Asia,” Cui said. “That’s the goal. So they’re buying properties so they can expand out of Asia. They’re not buying anything to help their business in China. They don’t care about that. They already have China. They don’t need any help from foreign companies to dominate China.”

ESPN reported last week that there are two high bidders for the UFC with the price tag in the range of $4.1 billion. Both investment groups are said to have Chinese companies at the forefront.

One is reportedly led by WME in conjunction with Chinese company Dalian Wanda. That group also has representation from Tencent Holdings, a large internet company and ESPN’s digital partner in China, per ESPN.com. The other group is led by China Media Capital.

FloCombat.com reported this week the group led by WME and Wanda was the high bidder and the UFC had accepted a bid of $4.2 billion. The UFC has denied that and sent an internal memo to employees that the report was inaccurate.

Cui’s ONE Championship, founded in 2011, is Asia’s top MMA promotion. ONE has run three events in China, beginning in June 2015. It just announced another one for July 2 in Hefei, China, headlined by former featherweight champion Narantungalag Jadambaa taking on Eric Kelly.

Expanding to China has been difficult for both the UFC and ONE. The UFC has only been able to run a show in Macau, which is governed separately from mainland China. ONE has also had planned events for China cancelled.

Cui said the issue for ONE is that it is trying to run 20 events per year in China, not just one at a time.

“We’re still only 4 ½ years old,” he said. “ONE is really young. UFC has had an office in Asia for 10 years or something like that. They’ve been here a lot longer than us and they’ve had an office in China for several years. For us, we’re just going to continue to focus on what we’re doing and what we’re good at and delivering what I think is the essence of the values of martial arts to our fans.”

The UFC actually opened an Asian office in 2010 in Beijing. Most of the employees from that office moved to Singapore last year, though the Beijing office remains. Singapore is, coincidentally, the home base of ONE Championship.

While China is a focus for ONE, it isn’t the only focus. ONE’s base is in Southeast Asia. The promotion holds shows in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia at least twice per year. Recently, ONE has made inroads in places like Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, too.

“We’re holding our events in multiple countries,” Cui said. “It’s not like I’m doing 20 events in Singapore. We’re going to different countries, different governments, different religions, different cultures, different languages, different backgrounds, etc.”

The UFC has not had an event in Asia this year. Last year, the promotion visited Japan and made its debut in the Philippines and South Korea.

Though there seems to be heavy Chinese company backing for groups attempting to purchase the UFC, Cui does not seem concerned that means the MMA leader will be elbowing into ONE’s Asian turf. Things seem to be going well for his group anyway. ONE chairman Chatri Sityodtong said recently that ONE would have a valuation of $1 billion in 12 to 18 months.

“I don’t know what else [the UFC is] gonna change or how quickly they’re going to be able to change it,” Cui said. “I don’t know what their plans are. I can only look at how we’ve grown and what we’ve done. I know we’ve got the best talent. We have all the top fighters in Asia. If you’re an Asian top fighter in any martial art, you’re already with ONE Championship. All the top athletes are locked down with us. We have fantastic sponsors and partners. That’s what we’re going to continue to focus on.”

[GeneChing]

8 figure expansion

Major investment to aid in ONE Championship’s expansion to China
By Marc Raimondi @marc_raimondi on Jul 12, 2016, 11:00p 25

ONE Championship

A massive financial investment from a well-known financial firm is expected to be a boon for ONE Championship and its future plans in China.

The Asian MMA promotion announced the investment from Heliconia, a subsidiary of Singapore financial giant Temasek, on Tuesday. ONE officials confirmed with MMA Fighting that the investment is in the high eight figures and will be used primarily for expansion plans in China. Sources told MMA Fighting that ONE will open up an office in Shanghai as early as this month.

“I believe this partnership marks the beginning of a long and fruitful journey to bring ONE Championship to the rest of the world,” ONE CEO Victor Cui said in a press release. “Heliconia is a well-respected investment firm with the expertise, resources and contacts across Asia. For us, this investment by Heliconia represents a strong vote of confidence and a belief in the value that ONE Championship can bring. This partnership will unlock additional markets and opportunities for ONE Championship.”

Growth in China is a goal for many companies in a variety of industries, because of the substantial population and potential for exponential financial success. The UFC is very interested in making moves in the country and will be attempting that with force under new owners WME-IMG, which already have deals in place there. Currently, the UFC has only had shows in Macau, not the mainland.

ONE has already held six events in China on the mainland, including one two weeks ago in Hefei. The plan is for more this year and in the future. Heliconia’s support will be a big part of that. The company is a financial firm under Temasek that focuses on growth-oriented Singaporean companies. ONE is based in Singapore. Temasek as a whole manages a portfolio of nearly $200 billion USD.

“We believe ONE Championship can potentially be the next big thing for consumers in Asia,” Heliconia CEO Derek Lau said. “They have the right product for Asia, they understand Asia and know how to monetize the value proposition in various ways in the New Economy. We are really excited to see ONE Championship taking the lead in the coming years to grow the sports media and entertainment industry in Asia.”

I keep thinking I need to split ONE Championship off into it’s own indie thread, but it wouldn’t search well.

[GeneChing]

Ma Jiawen & Li Kaiwen

Ma jiawen’s right fist connects with the face of Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo. Photo: ONE Championship

CULTUREMMA
China rising: Meet two fighters leading the MMA charge
A pair of Tianjin natives are showing they have the guts and driving ambition to make it big in the mixed martial arts cage
By PEDRO CHAN DECEMBER 15, 2016 6:39 PM (UTC+8) 70

Big things are expected from these Chinese fighters as mixed martial arts continues to spread across the country, with local and American players lining up to tap the estimated potential earnings of up to US$724 billion by 2025.

Ma Jiawen

Age: 20
Fights out of: Tianjin K1 Club
Fights in: ONE Championship featherweight division (145lbs)
Record: 3-2

The Tianjin native is fast turning into a human highlight reel. Even at such an early stage of his MMA career – five fights overall for a record of three wins and two losses – the 20-year-old is building a reputation as a fighter with a knack for the spectacular.

Ma Jiawen is declared the winner of this bout. Photo: ONE Championship Ma Jiawen is declared the winner against Jimmy Yabo. Photo: ONE Championship

Consider the elbows that brought the challenge of the Philippines’ Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo to an end at ONE Championship 45 in the third round. Ma’s explosive power has been turning heads already – and he promises there’s more to come.

“I think MMA is very masculine, just like my personality,” Ma said in an interview. “The chance to be a champion drives me all the way here. I am a very easy-going person outside the cage, so a lot of people can’t tell I am an MMA athlete, but when I walk into the cage I change into another person. I am a very tough man inside the cage. MMA sharpens my will and makes me more tenacious.”

Ma made his ONE Championship promotional and professional MMA debut in 2015, competing in the Guangzhou Featherweight Tournament.

“The sports industry is developing very fast in China,” he says. “More and more people are getting to know it and getting into it and not only the men, but also a lot of women are becoming MMA fans. I think my strength is that I keep a very clear mind inside the cage. I can always be calm and follow the strategy we set before the fight.”

And his goals for the year ahead? Simple.
“I hope I can win every single fight,” Ma says.

Photo: ONE Championship Li Kaiwen (in pink shorts) makes a connection. Photo: ONE Championship

Li Kaiwen

Age: 21
Fights out of: Tianjin K1 Club
Fights in: ONE Championship featherweight division (145lbs)
Record: 6-3

Power is what Li Kaiwen is all about. Another fighter to emerge from the Tianjin MMA community, the 21-year-old has bludgeoned his way to a 5-1 record in the ONE Championship (6-3 overall in MMA) with his heavy hands.

“I used to train in wrestling, which I think is the most important skill in MMA,” says Li. “I think the man in the cage is a true man. Every time I get into the cage and have my arms raised after I win, it encourages me to keep going. I think I am an all-rounder. If I have any weaknesses, I will train hard to master them and then turn them into one of my strengths.”

Watch: Manny Pacquiao buys stake in ONE FC

Among Li’s list of achievements include winning the Beijing Featherweight Tournament at ONE: Dynasty of Champions (2014) as well as outpointing Malaysia’s rising star Keanu Subba in his most recent bout back in July.

“I am a shy boy away from the the cage, but I am an aggressive and hungry man inside the cage,” says Li. “Actually MMA has been shaping my personality a lot. I have learned the importance of humility and gratitude after I started MMA.

“My short-term goal now is to be the first Chinese featherweight champion. I don’t care who the champion is – he’s just taking care of my belt and I will get it one day. My long-term aim is to get as many ONE Championship belts as possible after getting the featherweight champion.”

Does anyone here watch ONE FC fights regularly?

[GeneChing]

Chatri Sityodtong

Impressive story.

From dirt poor to multi-millionaire, Asia’s top MMA promoter on how to get rich by helping others
Nyshka Chandran | @nyshkac Tuesday, 7 Mar 2017 | 2:41 AM ET

ONE Championship founder and chairman Chatri Sityodtong at the Asia MMA Summit 2016 in Singapore on September 22, 2016. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images

The path to affluence doesn’t necessarily begin with self-interest. Instead of focusing on themselves, those aspiring for affluence should look to help others, according to self-made multi-millionaire Chatri Sityodtong — a powerhouse in Asia’s mixed martial arts (MMA) industry.

“Ninety-five percent of people are focused on short-term consumer spending. But millionaires are focused on increasing their usefulness and value to the world so they can get a bigger income,” explained the 45-year old, a senior Muay Thai instructor who fought professionally in his native Thailand.

“If you’re helping a lot of people, then by definition you’re going to make a lot of money.”

Sityodtong is a serial entrepreneur whose rags-to-riches story has become well-known in Asia.

After his family went broke during the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis, he earned a Harvard MBA while living on $4 a day to support his mother and younger brother. Sityodtong made his first million at the age of 30 through the sale of his Silicon Valley-based software company, and then founded the $500 million hedge fund Izara Capital Management on Wall Street.

By the time he was 37, he left Wall Street for sunny Singapore, where he returned to his first love of MMA by founding ONE Championship — Asia’s equivalent to Ultimate Fighting Championship — and the MMA gym Evolve, which is a training destination for champion fighters.

ONE is now Asia’s largest sports media company, according to the company, which claims its valuation is nearing $1 billion. Evolve has expanded to include a digital university, an online fight store and MMA-themed retreats.

Despite that influx of cash, Sityodtong says he’s a minimalist who cares little for purchasing material goods. “Through any given year, I will maybe buy five to ten t-shirts that are $20 a piece.”

Chatri’s second tip for aspiring millionaires is plain hard work.

“If you really want to become a millionaire or a world champion, you have to work 18 hours a day, seven days a week. You can’t get the rewards without the work.”

[GeneChing]

ONE vs. UFC

Interesting perspective on this all…

CAN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS STARTUP ONE CHAMPIONSHIP HOLD OFF UFC’S MOVE BACK INTO ASIA?
BY TEDDY CUTLER ON 4/19/17 AT 7:53 AM

“For us, even if Conor McGregor was a free agent we would never bid for him.”

Just let that statement hang, for a second, in the air, on the page. It’s a hell of a statement because McGregor is by consensus the world’s biggest mixed martial artist, in whatever aspect you choose to judge from. He’s a pay-per-view colossus, a figure who transcends the sport. McGregor draws as much attention when he doesn’t fight, when he’s yabbering about fighting Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match, when he’s wearing mink, or turning up to the Grand National open-shirted.

Add up all of those things, spin them together into the mix that McGregor devotees find so intoxicating—then believe that Chatri Sityodtong, the owner of the bombast above as well as ONE Championship, the Singapore-based MMA company, likes none of them.

“He [McGregor] doesn’t exemplify the values of martial arts,” Sityodtong tells Newsweek. “He doesn’t exemplify the culture of Asian values. Of humility, of discipline, of courage. He says, ‘F-U,’ he throws water bottles, he talks about people’s mothers in a derogatory way. That just would not fly with the Asian audience. It wouldn’t resonate.”

Among the criticisms that can be laid at the doors of McGregor’s fleet of luxury sports cars is not, surely, his nationality. Nor would it be fair to say that the man who went from Dublin plumber to become the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) first dual-weight world champion lacks courage—a bloody war with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 in August of last year should be evidence enough to refute that.

And yet, Sityodtong has long since earned the right to a fair hearing for his views. Since 2011, when he started ONE Championship, the business has taken over 80 to 90 percent market share of Asian MMA, according to its Thai-born owner. Sityodtong told Forbes last summer that in the next 12 to 18 months, ONE would be valued at $1 billion.

The fortunes of UFC, the pioneer of mainstream MMA in the United States and McGregor’s home, and ONE are linked, of course. Sityodtong calls the two brands’ hold over the sport a “global duopoly.” “The largest player in the western hemisphere is UFC. The largest player in the eastern hemisphere is ONE Championship.”

Angela Lee, ONE Championship’s atomweight champion, at Evolve MMA Gym, Singapore, November 24, 2016. ONE has become Asia’s answer to UFC.
YONG TECK/ACTION IMAGES

The geographical distinction is significant for Sityodtong. “Ultimately, fans want to root for people who share their common culture, values and even physical look, right?

“It’s tribal. Our roster, for example, is 70 percent Asian and 30 percent non-Asian. If you look at UFC’s roster, it is 98 percent non-Asian. I do believe their formula is very different from ours, meaning UFC tends to focus on the fights and the violence. That’s why McGregor and Jon Jones work very well, resonate very well in the western hemisphere.”

UFC’s growth, from the “no-holds barred” events of the mid-1990s to its sale in the summer of 2016 to WME-IMG for $4 billion, has not, so far, included cracking the vast Asian market. The promotion last held a live event on the continent on November 28 2015, in South Korea. “UFC has never been a major player in Asia,” Sityodtong says. “They have always been a minor player, two to three events per year. The fact that we have out-executed them comes down to the fact that we are very focused on Asia, and UFC has been focused on the western hemisphere.”

There are wrinkles in the theory. Chan Sung Jung, garishly, thrillingly nicknamed “The Korean Zombie,” has proved a popular addition to UFC, though his career was held up by the necessity of national service in his homeland. And in 2017, UFC plans a renewed assault on Asia. In June it will hold a card in Singapore—also the headquarters of ONE. Are the two brands about to step on each other’s toes, or will they start throwing hooks at each other for the same audience?

“I really wouldn’t say so,” Sityodtong says. “We are throwing a minimum of 18 events here in Asia [in 2017]. I think they are throwing one or two. So we’re not even on the same scale. We’re broadcast for far more hours than they are across Asia. Our TV ratings are much stronger than theirs. We are on TV free-to-air or paid broadcast for up to 400 hours of content per year in most countries already.

“The market also is massive. So I don’t think that we are going to bump into each other. But it’s clear who the leader is in this area.”

It hardly requires Sityodtong’s Harvard MBA to understand his reluctance to expand outside of Asia, and the UFC’s desire to take a greater slice of the pie in the far East. “We are 100 percent focused [on Asia],” he says. “There are two billion viewers in the same timezone. That’s what makes it a very interesting media market—the largest in the world [in terms of] sheer number of people.”

It’s a captive market and, most importantly Sityodtong says, one that remains relatively untapped.

“Every region in the world has several multi-billion dollar sports media properties,” he explains. “North America has NFL (the National Football League), NBA (National Basketball Association), NASCAR, UFC… they are all worth $5 billion to $30 billion each. You go to Europe and it’s the same thing, EPL (English Premier League), Formula One, Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga. There is IPL in India, that’s a billion-dollar business. Japanese baseball is a billion-dollar business there. There is also Chinese Super League. All country-specific. Asia has been the home of martial arts for 5,000 years. There is a home-grown martial art in every single country that is part of the culture, the history, the tradition of that country. That would be the genesis of ONE Championship.”

Sityodtong may be critical of some of the personalities UFC has ennobled but admits without its success ONE might never have got off the ground. “I saw UFC was exploding in America, heading for mainstream status,” he says. “And today I can say in America it is mainstream. In Asia I could see it was untouched. I could see that it was all about igniting what was already here.”

A 12-year television deal with ESPN Star Sports, signed just a year after ONE’s genesis in 2012, sent its fights into 24 countries across Asia. “The biggest driver [of growth], ultimately, is media rights,” Sityodtong explains. “If you look at something like NFL which has $13 billion in revenues, $7 billion of that comes from media rights. CBS or ESPN is paying the NFL just for the right to show it on their channels. That is what we are going for.”

While Sityodtong’s force of personality drives ONE—“I do hope to serve as an inspiration for everyone across Asia,” he says—UFC’s public face remains Dana White, the President who stayed on to run the company day-to-day when it shifted hands from the Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo and Frank, to WME-IMG.

“I think Dana is a brilliant businessman,” Sityodtong says. “I have utmost respect for him, he’s done very well.” But? “I would characterize him as a very American businessman as opposed to a global businessman, in terms of the nuances of culture and social sensitivities and values and political awareness of Asia.

“I think being a brash American, it’s a little bit more difficult in Asia because Asia is made up of very different countries, different religions, social norms, values. You can’t just come in here with an American attitude and succeed.”

Hence why, perhaps, Joe Carr, UFC’s Head of International and Content, talked in February of the “need for an Asian champion”—the UFC has never had one—and raised the possibility of signing China’s “biggest MMA star.”

Sityodtong has stolen in ahead of UFC there. Perhaps his greatest attraction right now, 20-year-old Angela Lee, was born in Vancouver to a Singaporean mother and South Korean father. In May 2016, Lee became MMA’s youngest ever world champion when she defeated Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi by unanimous decision. On Instagram—social reach matters for a fighter, whether you like it or not—she has 68.6 thousand followers.

The challenge, for Sityodtong and ONE, in building what he calls a “pan-Asian brand,” is that crowds who respond vociferously to Lee in one area might react completely differently in another.

“You really have to be very connected at the local, grassroots level,” he says. “But at the same time on a pan-Asian basis.

“In Japan they [fans] are very quiet. But let’s say you come to Singapore, they are very passionate fans. We have to tailor and customize our approach to local differences.”

UFC—despite playing catch-up—must present a challenge, too. Competition in business is welcome but not when it builds a pop-up store on your doorstep. Sityodtong may not like McGregor and he may think White paints with too broad a brush to appeal to Asia’s combat sports audience. But the essential truth is that ONE and UFC have different approaches to similar goals: hoovering up pay-per-view buys, ticket sales and sponsorship.

“My vision, my dream, is to have four billion viewers who are absolutely in love with ONE Championship,” he says. “And broadcasters who end up paying us billions of dollars in media rights. That’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

Is that pot big enough for two giant mixed martial arts companies? As UFC begins to look east again, we are about to find out.

[GeneChing]

Gina “Convinction” Iniong

I’m only posting this because it says she has a Wushu background (probably Sanda but I’m not going to bother chasing it down).

You think they mean ‘Conviction’ ala Gina Carano? :rolleyes:

MMA: Iniong looks to leap into world title picture
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Nov 20 2017 04:11 PM

Fighting for the second time in two weeks, Gina Iniong seeks a statement victory. Handout photo

MANILA, Philippines – A professional martial artist for some seven years now, Gina “Convinction” Iniong admitted had a difficult time in adjusting to the spotlight.
Even as her extensive experience a wushu champion brought her from the boxing ring to the Muay Thai circuit, and eventually to the ONE Championship cage, Iniong has remained soft-spoken and reserved.
She prefers to do her talking inside the cage, where she now pursues her dreams of becoming a world champion.
“Although I have been in this game long, I am still very shy,” Iniong admitted. “I do not think I will ever get used to talking to a large group of people.”
“Speaking my mind and sharing my thoughts is a lot scarier than being inside that cage, that is for sure. It is better to let my fists do the talking,” she added.
Ever since she directed her career path to ONE Championship, Iniong has let her actions speak louder than her words as she looked absolutely dominant on the global stage.
READ: Former ONE champ Shinya Aoki sets sights on another world title
The 28-year-old Team Lakay product battered Natalie Gonzales Hill en route to a unanimous decision this past April.
In front of a hometown crowd last November 10 at ONE: Legends of the World, Iniong extended her winning streak inside the ONE Championship cage to two matches with an outstanding second-round finish of Indonesia’s Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol.
Exactly 14 days after her remarkable conquest of Lumbangaol, Iniong will make an immediate return to action to face Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi in a three-round atomweight encounter at ONE: Immortal Pursuit, which takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Friday, November 24.
Iniong accepted the offer to fill in for ONE atomweight world champion Angela Lee, who withdrew from her title defense against Yamaguchi after suffering injuries from an unfortunate car accident nearly two weeks ago.
It will be a rematch of their first encounter three and a half years ago during a regional show in the Philippines, which saw Inion hack out a split decision over Yamaguchi.
Iniong is determined to claim a more decisive win this time around, as she believes her second meeting with Yamaguchi could be a stepping stone to a future shot at the world title.
“That is my ultimate motivation, to become world champion,” said Iniong. “That is why I joined this organization, to showcase my skills and to prove to the world that I have what it takes to be the best.”
“My opponent is a good striker, so I have no doubt that this will be an entertaining contest,” she added.
Iniong has no qualms about going into an instantaneous title shot against Lee should she be victorious over Yamaguchi on Friday.
“I will face whoever ONE Championship wants me to face. I am ready, anytime. But I have my eye on the champion, and I want that belt,” she declared.
As Iniong is set to step inside the ONE Championship cage for the third time this year, she has a clear vision in her mind.
Iniong knows that she will be locked inside the steel structure opposite a familiar foe like Yamaguchi, but she also recognizes what she has to do to get the job done.
“I will try to finish my fight in with a first-round knockout or submission. This is an opportunity to put me closer to my dream. I am giving everything that I have to get my hand raised this Friday,” she vowed.

[GeneChing]

Beyond $250 Million

Time to split ONE Championship off into its own indie thread from the MMA in Asia thread

Oct 8, 2018, 01:35am
ONE Championship’s Latest Equity Investment Drives Total Capital Beyond $250 Million
Brian Mazique
Contributor

On Monday, ONE Championship announced it had closed a $166 million Series D financing round led by venture capitalist firm Sequoia Capital.

YANGON, MYANMAR - NOVEMBER 03: Aung La N Sang prepares to face Alain Ngalani in an Open Weight Super Bout during ONE Championship: Hero’s Dream at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on November 03, 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

This is the second investment deal between the two sides in the last 15 months. A Series C round spearheaded by Sequoia India and Missions Holding helped ONE Championship launch its mobile application. The latest round also includes investors like Temasek, Greenoaks Capital, and others.

With the latest investment, ONE Championship now exceeds $250 million in total capital base, per a press release from the promotion. ONE had already established itself as the largest sports media property in Asia. This only helps to further solidify that position. The promotion has expanded its overall scope in 2018. It’s gone from featuring singular martial arts combat to kickboxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing. the aforementioned ONE app was launched and is available to fans around the world for free.

It streams all of the ONE events.

On Saturday, the promotion made its second trip to Bangkok, Thailand for ONE: Kingdom of Heroes.

The newly signed Srisaket Sor Rungvisai retained his WBC Super Flyweight title with a unanimous-decision win over Iran Diaz. The next event for the martial arts promotion is October 26 in Myanmar. ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight champion Aung La NSang will defend his 185-pound title against Mohamad Karaki. It’s the first of six events scheduled to close out the year that will culminate with ONE: Realm of Champions on December 15 from Shanghai.

As ONE continues to turn out events in several countries across Asia, it seems the opportunities for growth and expansion will continue.

I write about sports and video games. I began my career with Bleacher Report in 2010 and I’m now a Forbes Contributor as well as a YouTuber. I’ve been blessed to make a living discussing things I’d talk about for free.
Follow me on Twitter, like my Facebook page and subscribe to my YouTube channels: Mazique on Hoops and Unique Mazique Sports and Gaming

[GeneChing]

25M views

Oct 12, 2018, 02:01am
ONE: Kingdom Of Heroes Generates 25 Million Viewers
Brian Mazique
Contributor

ONE Championship’s signing of WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and its first interpolation of boxing into its product was a smashing success.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (L) in action against Iran Diaz (R) during their super flyweight title bout at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, 6 October, 2018 (Photo by Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Per a press release from the promotion, which referenced data from Nielsen, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, ONE: Kingdom of Heroes at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand generated 25 million viewers. It also set a record for TV ratings share in Thailand with 58.5%. ONE reports the show did similar numbers across the region in Asia.

Srisaket successfully defended his title with a unanimous-decision victory over Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz. The challenger put up a valiant effort, but in the end, the hometown hero had too much power and punching accuracy.

Srisaket, who is one of Thailand’s biggest athletic stars was clearly the primary draw. However, Stamp Fairtex of Thailand thrilled the partisan fans by winning the ONE Super Series Atomweight kickboxing championship with a decision victory over Kai Ting Chuang. There were a total of six Thai martial artists on the card and they combined to go 5-1 at the event. ONE Championship events aren’t available on TV in the United States, however, the promotion launched a new app earlier this year that gives fans across the world access to the shows for free.

The next ONE championship event takes place on October 26 in Yangon, Myanmar. ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion and Myanmar native Aung La N Sang will defend his 185-pound title against Lebanon’s Mohammad Karaki at ONE: Pursuit of Greatness.

Anyone know where to find that free app? I imagine it’s on the ONE Championship site, but I’m not going to search that out right now.

[GeneChing]

Oct 20, 2018, 11:07pm[URL=“https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/10/20/one-championship-will-have-an-american-tv-deal-before-the-end-of-2018-per-ceo-chatri-sityodtong/#1b37a9a46d57”]
ONE Championship Will Have An American TV Deal Before The End Of 2018, Per CEO Chatri Sityodtong
Brian Mazique
Contributor
i
Games

ONE Championship is coming to an American television network near you, and the deal will be confirmed soon.

Chatri Sityodtong CEO of ONE Championship CREDIT: ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

I had an opportunity to speak with the promotion’s CEO Chatri Sityodtong on Friday about a number of things from the recent signing of Eddie Alvarez, the enormous amount of financial backing the organization has had to grow its business, to the subject of bringing it’s brand of martial arts to U.S. television. The latter piece of information

“You will see a major U.S. TV deal coming before the end of the year,” Sityodtong said. “We’re in discussions with multiple U.S. broadcasters and we’re very close to signing with one.”

The Singapore-based martial arts promotion is just seven years old. However, it that span of time, the organization has exploded with growth and popularity in Asia. It is currently the largest sports property on the continent, and it continues to grow by leaps and bounds each year.

This year has been especially noteworthy for the organization. It’s latest event, ONE: Kingdom of Heroes drew a reported 25 million viewers worldwide. These totals came from Nielsen Holdings, a data collection firm, and were pulled from ONE’s various distribution platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Asian television and the ONE app). After the American TV deal is secured, the potential for viewership and exposure will grow.

Sityodtong didn’t share the names of the networks he’s in discussion with, but when this deal takes place, ONE will deliver a different style of martial arts than most Americans have become accustomed to seeing with the UFC and Bellator. ONE’s presence will help to further diversify the number of martial arts options available for Americans to watch, which will provide choices.

That’s something few consumers will ever complain about. Look for details as more information is available on what could be a historic deal.

I write about sports and video games. I began my career with Bleacher Report in 2010 and I’m now a Forbes Contributor as well as a YouTuber. I’ve been blessed to make a living discussing things I’d talk about for free.

Interesting. I look forward to checking this out.

[GeneChing]

Eddie Alvarez

Nov 9, 2018, 12:10pm
Eddie Alvarez Is Leading An Influx Of American Martial Artists Into One Championship
Brian Mazique
Contributor

Eddie Alvarez’s contract with the UFC ended this year, and after fielding offers from a variety of promotions, The Underground King chose to sign a lucrative contract with ONE Championship.

Eddie Alvarez signed with ONE Championship but is that the just the beginning of a slew of American MMA fighters heading to Singapore. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Per Alvarez, whom I spoke to during an interview on The Fight Guys podcast, Alvarez talked about why he chose to sign with ONE over the other promotions that bid for his services. He identified the desire to win the only world title he hasn’t won (he’s a former Bellator and UFC champion). Alvarez also talked about how ONE seemed to fit his approach to martial arts. He referred to his previous stint fighting in Asia in the past.

“When I fought in Asia, I became very popular. I didn’t have to conduct myself in any manner, or change my character or try to be someone just to get a title shot, or jump in line, or something like that,” said Alvarez. “America is very much like that. It’s like the squeaky wheel always gets the oil because a lot of American fans want to hear a story, a rivalry or a grudge. When I fought in Asia, back in 2007, the fans they truly loved fighting and martial arts. They believed in the integrity, the honor, and the respect. That’s what they valued. They didn’t value a story or a grudge or a lot of nonsense. I can be myself. I don’t have to act out of character to sell something. I’m looking forward to being myself and not having to do things that I don’t necessarily agree with in order to get ahead or get to a title shot.”

You can listen to the entire interview with Alvarez below, as he spoke more in-depth about his decision to sign with ONE, his next possible opponents, goals and viewing himself as a business rather than just a fighter.

ONE Championship has a variety of stars like Angela Lee (Singapore), Bibiano Fernandes (Brazil) and Martin Nguyen (Australia), but Alvarez is the most prominent American free agent to sign with ONE in the promotion’s history. When Ben Askren joined the promotion back in 2013, he was known because of his experience as an NCAA Division I wrestler, Olympian, and former Bellator champion, but he hadn’t compiled a body of work in MMA like Alvarez.

UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez speaks during a news conference for UFC 205, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, in New York. Alvarez is scheduled to face featherweight champion Conor McGregor to defend his lightweight belt on Nov. 12 in what will be the first UFC card to be held in New York after the state legislature legalized the sport earlier this year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Suddenly, after Alvarez signed with ONE, he has been followed by a slew of other acquisitions of American talent in and out of the cage. The well-publicized trade of Askren from ONE to the UFC for Demetrious Johnson was the first move. Then, on Wednesday, ONE announced it had hired former Strikeforce competitor, UFC champion and women’s MMA pioneer Miesha Tate as Vice President.

Demetrious Johnson celebrates after defeating Henry Cejudo in a flyweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 197, Saturday, April 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

What’s next? There are rumors young and popular American Sage Northcutt could be the next former UFC fighter to sign on with ONE. If that comes to fruition, we’d be looking at four major acquisitions of American talent in a matter of weeks. I think it’s safe to say there’s a trend being established here. To add fuel to his fire, I spoke to ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong in October, and he told me the promotion would have an American TV deal in place before the end of 2018.

There is no question, the UFC is still the king of the streets when it comes to MMA in the United States, but it’s becoming more clear that ONE is no longer satisfied with just being the largest sports property in Asia–which is already a large market. By acquiring Alvarez, Johnson, Tate and possibly Northcutt, ONE is sending a welcome message to fighters from all backgrounds, as long as they fit the model.

If this time proves to be significant in the sport of MMA, Alvarez’s signing could be seen as the launch point.

Pay the money and fighters will come.

[GeneChing]

This is a dated article but it’s been heavily promoted on social media lately

Aug 20, 2018, 11:53am
ONE Championship And The UFC Represent Global Duopoly In Martial Arts
Brian Mazique
Contributor
Games

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is unquestionably the king of mixed martial arts in the western world, but ONE Championship is perhaps even more dominant in the east.

Chatri Sityodtong and Dana White CREDIT: PHOTO BY BRANDON MAGNUS/ZUFFA LLC/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES AND ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

With their meteoric rise to prominence over the past seven years, ONE has seemingly pressed all the right buttons in establishing itself as a viable rival to its Western counterpart. In Asia, ONE is the largest martial arts organization. One of the promotion’s missions has been to unite the continent’s 4 billion people on the shoulders of the many country’s connections to the various disciplines.

“In the same way that Starbucks offers many flavors of coffee and tea, we offer all martial arts,” said ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

“We have earned that reputation over the last couple of years, and so instead of mixed martial arts, as a fight fan and as a martial arts lover, you now get to see all forms of martial arts for the very first time in history. So you will see matches of, you know, Muay Thai versus Tae Kwon Do, or Tae Kwon Do versus Kung Fu, and the list goes on and on.”

According to Sityodtong, who was born in Thailand but is part Thai and Japanese, this makes ONE Championship the world’s largest martial arts organization.

YANGON, MYANMAR - JUNE 30: Aung La N Sang celebrates his historic title win, claiming the ONE Middleweight World Championship during ONE Championship Light Of A Nation at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on June 30, 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

While the UFC has taken a more in-your-face approach in its rise to prominence, with president and face of the organization Dana White serving as the perfect microcosm for the American mixed martial arts community, Sityodtong has taken a different route.

“Every region in the world had a sport that represented it," said Sityodtong. “In Asia, there was nothing. I thought to myself, there had to be a way to highlight each of the martial arts that originated from the variety of Asian cultures, and ONE Championship was it. The term MMA has a negative connotation in Asia, in the sense that it’s all about bloodsport, profanity, people who throw stuff at press conferences. That works in America, but not in Asia.”

Sityodtong has gone on record multiple times, including a direct one-on-one conversation with me, saying that he would not sign Conor McGregor if he were a free agent. Sityodtong feels strongly that McGregor’s persona is a poor fit for the culture and identity he has crafted for ONE.

YANGON, MYANMAR - NOVEMBER 03: Aung La N Sang prepares to face Alain Ngalani in an Open Weight Super Bout during ONE Championship: Hero’s Dream at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on November 03, 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

“MMA is kind of an Americanized version of what martial arts is. Real, true, authentic martial arts has to do more with values and how it impacts the human soul. It’s about the way of the warrior, about integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion. It’s about the true values of martial arts which is extremely significant here in Asia.”

The ONE Championship way appears to be a personal preference for Sityodtong, but it is also a calculated approach that originated from paying close attention to what resonates with Asian people. The proof is in the numbers, reach, regional reviews and the immeasurable responses from crowds at their events on hand to cheer on the fighters who have been given the platform to become icons in their countries.

SINGAPORE - MAY 26: Angela Lee celebrates her submission win against Istela Nunes at ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 26, 2017, in Singapore (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

Angela Lee of Singapore, Aung La N Sang of Myanmar and Eduard Folayang of the Philippines are to their countries what McGregor is to Ireland, and even bigger than Daniel Cormier, TJ Dillashaw and Rose Namajunas in the United States.

“We’re absolutely packing stadiums. We are filling thousand-seater arenas with passionate martial arts fans. We have the support of local governments, most importantly, the support of our fans. We have the most fantastic sponsors and partners on board that believe in what we’re doing, that believe in our vision,” Sityodtong concluded.

ONE Championship has been able to launch and reignite careers by focusing on the personal stories of the fighters. Spotlighting their backgrounds, personal and professional struggles and their overall journey. Recently, ESPN ran a piece on former NBA MVP Derrick Rose’s immense popularity in China.

GUANGZHOU, CHINA - AUGUST 21: (CHINA OUT) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls point guard, takes a selfie with fans on August 21, 2015, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

While Rose was born and raised in Chicago and has never competed in Asia professionally, the people of China are drawn to his perseverance and desire to play, despite suffering the multitude of injuries that have slowed what looked to be a Hall-of-Fame career. In the United States, his country of origin, he has largely been reduced to the subject of memes and unfortunate gifs.

It is this contrast in the view of professional athletes that Sityodtong and ONE Championship have honed in on. They worked used these values to rebuild the careers of fighters like Aung La and heavyweight champion Brandon Vera.

With business flourishing, ONE Championship has ramped up its lineup of live events. The promotion is scheduled to produce 24 live shows in 2018 and 36 in 2019. The UFC is scheduled to deliver 47 live events in 2018, but some may argue that less is more when it comes to combat sports events.

The fewer shows, the more each one feels like an event. Though that’s purely a matter of fan or media preference.

ONE may not be emulating its global competition, but it is definitely aware of its presence. By establishing new divisions of its property like the ONE Super Series (kickboxing) and Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series, it has produced layers that can compete, or perhaps surpass Glory Kickboxing, Bellator Kickboxing and the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter and Tuesday Night Contender Series.

ONE signed Giorgio Petrosyan and Yodcherry Sityodtong to bolster its kickboxing venture while ONE Warrior is designed to focus on the rising martial arts talent in Asia. It is in its second season and airs on affiliate networks and the ONE Championship official YouTube channel.

Franklin is a former UFC middleweight champion turned ONE Championship ambassador and Vice President who hosts the show along with Jonathan Fong. The duo travels across Asia searching for talent and experiencing local cultures.

The athletes compete in professional bouts with the chance of earning a contract that can exceed $100,000 US currency. It’s like a mixture of traditional reality television, White’s Lookin for a Fight, Tuesday Night Contender, Ultimate Fighter and the American singing competition, The Voice. Franklin does a lot of teaching and coaching of the prospects, which is part of his background. In the role, he’s more than a talent scout. It’s almost partly like a mentorship and it’s a pretty unique presentation overall.

The UFC holds a firm grip on the attention of Western MMA fans, and the organization is prospering, but ONE is holding down its region of the globe equally. Fans can only wonder and/or hope that one day we might actually see a cross-promoted event between the two organization’s top champions.

That’s a fantasy, but fans of both brands can dream.

THREADS
ONE Championship
UFC gets Bigger !!

[GeneChing]

How many people actually saw BuyBust?

Aside from me, of course…

Meet the Mixed Martial Arts Champion Who Became an Asian Movie Star
7:31 PM PDT 4/11/2019 by Mathew Scott

Courtesy of One Championship
Brandon Vera

One Championship heavyweight title-holder Brandon Vera looks set for a post-fight career in films after making an eye-catching debut in Erik Matti’s actioner ‘BuyBust.’

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Brandon “The Truth” Vera raised eyebrows when he made the move to Asia in 2014 for a fledgling fight promotion and an uncertain future. Five years later, the Filipino-American fighter had become a world champion and, rather more unexpectedly, a movie star.

Today, the 41-year-old from Norfolk, Virginia, is mixing his fight life as the current heavyweight champion of Singapore-based One Championship with an emerging career as an action star, after grabbing attention on debut in last year’s Erik Matti-helmed and well-received Filipino actioner BuyBust.

With a slew of film projects coming up, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Vera on the sidelines of One: Roots of Honour fight card in Manila, to talk about walking in the footsteps of his heroes.

How was the experience of trading the mixed martial arts cage for the BuyBust red carpet?

It was weird. It’s a different animal, a whole different monster. I thought it would be the same but it’s not. You have to try to be cute and be handsome. So it’s totally different. It was really weird but awesome at the same time. I loved it.

Who were the film stars you grew up idolizing?

Obviously Bruce Lee. Chuck Norris. Everyone from the Saturday morning kung fu theatre I watched. Then [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood and even Tom Hanks. Bit of a broad range.

Erik Matti’s Instagram
Vera on the BuyBust set with director Erik Matti.

How much of an influence was Bruce Lee considering you followed the same path — from martial arts to movies?

Come on. As a kid you looked up to two people — your dad and Bruce Lee. If your dad made you, it was only Bruce Lee. He made a major impact. He was small and we grew up in a racially charged era, real racism not just like today where someone just gets their feelings hurt. But that “little Chinaman” was always the one doing the biggest things. He was always reaching to do the impossible. So for sure, he had an impact on my career, not just as a martial artist but as a person.

Did you ever think you’d become an actor?

Never in a million years. I was looking for representation in the Philippines and wanted to look at pursuing an entertainment career outside the cage. I ended up with Virtual Playground, owned by Dondon Monteverde. They put a plan together, which I had to follow to a tee. I had to do all my [acting] classes, I had to read all my scripts. I fell in love with it.

Anne Curtis in ‘BuyBust’
READ MORE
‘BuyBust’: Film Review
How was your first day on set with Erik Matti on BuyBust?

Man. The only comparison I can imagine is if you took somebody and you threw them into the fight circle on fight night and they had never even seen MMA before. “Go ahead, kid. Good luck”. I’d taken classes and preparing but once you’re in there? The first day was a blur.

There were some big stars involved — including Anne Curtis. Did you feel that when it came time to the stunts, that would be your chance to shine?

Oh, for sure. These are huge stars. But that was easy. I would do the rehearsals and say let’s do this one more time. It’s like a beautiful dance that you put together on set. It’s fun.

You were singled out in a lot of reviews for praise, too.

It felt like another world championship belt. It got to act with the biggest stars with the best records in the Philippines — and it turned out OK. I didn’t make a fool of myself, which is really, really cool.

So what do you have coming up?

We have three movies coming up. I have two scripts and am waiting for workshops. I can’t really talk about them at the moment, but I am super excited.

And you’ll still be fighting as you’ve challenged One’s light heavyweight champ Aung La N Sang?

Yeah, for sure. Actually, the training for these films is helping me keep my weight down and I have that fight coming up in October. So we have that hanging over us now as well. On the books we’re busy, off the books we’re even busier. It’s go, go, go and I’m drinking coffee all the time.

There was some debate in fight media when you made the move from the United States about whether it was the right one. How do you feel about it now?

One Championship’s last event [in Tokyo on March 31] smashed all sorts of records. The planets have aligned. Everything is just great and it’s lining up, one after another. Everybody thought I was crazy but look now. It’s like magic.

MATHEW SCOTT
THRnews@thr.com
@mathewscotthk

THREADS
ONE Championship
http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70901-BuyBust"]BuyBust

[GeneChing]

College degree - wow

May 8, 2019, 02:15am[URL=“https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2019/05/08/one-championship-aims-to-be-the-most-fighter-friendly-martial-arts-organization-in-the-world/#79db87723664”]
ONE Championship Aims To Be ‘The Most Fighter-Friendly Martial Arts Organization In The World’
Brian Mazique
Contributor

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Demetrious Johnson of the United States speaks during ONE Championship A NEW ERA Press Conference in Tokyo Thursday, March 28, 2019. Alvarez and Johnson will make their One Championship debuts when the mixed martial arts promotion’s first show takes place on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo’s famed home of sumo wrestling. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ASSOCIATED PRESS

ONE Championship CEO and Founder Chatri Sityodtong has never shied away from setting high goals for himself and the martial arts organization he’s helped guide to prominence. What was once a little-known MMA promotion has grown into a formidable player in the global martial arts market.

Part of what has helped ONE become the kind of organization capable of luring talents like Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Sage Northcutt, and Vitor Belfort is the fighter-first concept that more athletes seem to be embracing. Almost to a man, the athletes mentioned above have said ONE made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Long-time members of its roster like Brandon Vera have spoken at length about the way ONE’s staff has treated him and other athletes. I’ve talked to newcomers like Northcutt who have had nothing but positive things to say about the environment he’s currently working in with ONE. Newly hired vice president and former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has also gushed about her relationship with ONE, which is still in its infancy.

I spoke to Sityodtong last week about two of the organizations newest initiatives: the new ONE agent certification guidelines and ONE Studios. If Sitoydtong has his way, these two new programs will further establish ONE as “the global leader in martial arts leadership and thought innovation.”

The ONE agent program is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in martial arts. ONE has created a structure that requires agents to meet the following criteria to represent any martial artist competing under the organization’s banner:

Currently a resident in Asia for at least one (1) year
No prior criminal record
No history or current ongoing matters of legal or lawsuit activity with any athlete
A minimum of 10 years of related experience in the martial arts industry
Must possess a College or University Degree

“Agent certification was created to weed out the unethical managers who steal from athletes,” said Sityodtong. “Just this year alone, we’ve had several athletes ask for our help with this problem. We could sit here and do nothing about it, or we could elevate the standard of excellence and create a better ecosystem for all parties involved.”

Per Sityodtong, a current world champion on the organization’s roster has been the victim of theft and mismanagement by an agent. Because the athlete was still in the midst of the legal process stemming from the incident, Sityodtong was unable to expound on the situation, but he believes it will be made public sometime later this year.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters Demetrious Johnson, left, of the United States and Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu, right, face off during ONE Championship A NEW ERA Press Conference in Tokyo Thursday, March 28, 2019. Alvarez will make their One Championship debuts when the mixed martial arts promotion’s first show takes place on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo’s famed home of sumo wrestling. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ASSOCIATED PRESS

“At ONE Championship, we are always upgrading and improving all of our systems and processes across the company to ensure a healthy ecosystem for all parties,” Sityodtong said in the press release announcing the new agent program. “For as many decades as I can remember, agent and manager fraud has always been a big problem in Asia. ONE Championship aims to create a healthier, happier, and safer environment for our athletes both in and out of the arena.”

Ideally, this new program would take yet another step toward establishing an environment that doesn’t require an athlete to worry about the perils of doing business with a shady manager. If it’s successful, beyond the obvious monetary advantages, the new agent program could reduce the athlete’s stress level, thereby keeping them healthy for longer, and also allowing them to perform at a peak level without worrying about as many things outside of the ring or cage.

In addition to the new agent program, Sityodtong also discussed the new ONE Studios, which aims to produce movies and television shows starring the organization’s athletes and well-known actors and actresses.

“We will produce movies and TV shows across all genres, action, romance and comedy with our biggest stars, along with the biggest stars from our region,” said Sityodtong. “Ultimately, I want to make international blockbusters. It would be amazing if we had Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with Brandon Vera, or perhaps Aung La N Sang in a movie. It would be amazing. We want to unleash the next Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jackie Chan into the world of movies.”

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters Xiong Jingnan of China, left, and Angela Lee of Singapore face off during ONE Championship A NEW ERA Press Conference in Tokyo Thursday, March 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ASSOCIATED PRESS

That might sound like crazy, out-of-the-box thinking, but if you become familiar with Sityodtong, you know he only knows one way to dream, and that’s big. In many ways, that audacity is what has positioned ONE for the growth it has shown in the past two to five years. Per Sityodtong, ONE has had discussions with Netflix and Amazon about the distribution of their films and TV shows, but ultimately, it would like to produce content for 140 different countries out of its Singapore and Los Angeles offices.

“From our hydration policy to our cat scans, neurological exams to help prevent athletes from going into a match with a concussion, and other areas of focus on safety, we do this to help the athlete,” Sityodtong said. “Now with ONE Studios as we think about marketing and the agent program, it helps to add multiple revenue streams for our athletes–during their careers and after they retire.”

It’s a fantastic concept. Based on the words of fighters currently on the roster, it seems as if ONE has been delivering an experience consistent with the motivation Sityodtong spoke about. If things continue to build in this way and the agent certification and ONE Studios add another layer to what seems like positive organization-athlete relations, ONE could add even more top-flight free agents to its roster in the future.

And no criminal record.

[GeneChing]

Opening in NY & LA

Jun 20, 2019, 12:52am[URL=“https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2019/06/20/one-championships-ceo-chatri-sityodtong-is-determined-to-establish-a-permanent-presence-in-the-u-s/#4a986cff4033”]
ONE Championship’s CEO Chatri Sityodtong Is Determined To Establish A Permanent Presence In The U.S.
Brian Mazique
Contributor
Games

Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Championship CEO CREDIT: ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

ONE Championship has begun its latest expansion, and that includes opening offices in New York and Los Angeles. I spoke to Chatri Sityodtong, the CEO of the organization, and he made it very clear, his intention isn’t to have a temporary presence in the United States.

Sityodtong is focused on making a serious and very permanent impression with American martial arts fans. We discussed this and a variety of other topics regarding ONE’s expansion on Wednesday via phone. Take a listen to the entire interview below:

//youtu.be/bxm5wmR_YrU

ONE has already established itself as the largest martial arts organization in Asia, and expansion into the United States has long been a plan. That plan included acquiring a television and/or streaming deal with a major network or platform. ONE has secured that in its deal with Turner that also includes live streaming on B/R Live. Per Sityodtong, despite ONE events broadcasting on a tape delay on Turner, the ratings for the organization are already ahead of Champions League on the network.

With early success as a reality, Sityodtong says Turner is eager for ONE to put on events in the United States. This has become a focus area for ONE and according to Sityodtong, the organization is targeting the fourth quarter of 2020 for its first American event.

Reigning ONE Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion Martin Nguyen, left, of Sydney, Australia, and challenger Kevin Belingon, right, of the Philippines, pose with ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, center, following a news conference of their Friday fight in the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship Tuesday, July 24, 2018 in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. Nguyen will fight against Belingon in the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) ASSOCIATED PRESS

As of now, Sityodtong didn’t want to speak specifically about the locations or venues, but he did say the organization is targeting the most iconic arenas in the United States. The UFC and Bellator have both had events at Madison Square Garden, and that is arguably the most famous arena in the world. It’s possible MSG could be a potential location for a ONE event, but it’s too early to tell.

I asked if Las Vegas was a location ONE would consider for an event, and Sityodtong said all cities are under consideration. Not only is Las Vegas commonly referred to as the fight capital of the world, but it’s also the home city for the UFC’s headquarters. That would put ONE in direct competition with the UFC, which is something Sityodtong doesn’t shy away from in any manner.

“There are several hamburger and soda chains in the United States,” said Sityodtong. “There is room for more than one martial arts organization.” If you have followed ONE Championship through its meteoric rise in Asia, you know, Sityodtong is never bashful about taking on huge challenges and setting serious goals for his organization. Seeking to establish a footprint in the U.S. is just the latest example.

Fans reach out as ethnic Kachin origin mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Aung La N Sang, also known as the Burmese Python, walks in to fight Egyptian opponent Mohamed Ali in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, March 18, 2016. Aung La N Sang, a Middle Weight fighter went on to defeat Mohamed Ali in the MMA event “One-Union of Warriors” in the first round. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sityodtong believes there are distinct differences to the ONE Championship product and the UFC. “We Don’t Sell Fights. We Build Heroes,” Sityodtong said. This is evident in the way the organization has rebuilt champions like Myanmar’s Aung La NSang, and promoted fighters like former UFC Men’s Flyweight Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

It’s safe to say, the fights–while often thrilling–comes secondary to the principles of martial arts and the stories behind the men and women who climb into the ONE circle or ring to compete. As someone who has followed the organization closely for the past two years, I can say, there is a definite difference between a ONE, UFC, Bellator and Professional Fighters League event.

While I love the action that all of the organizations provide, and the ever-expanding platforms for martial arts, I can say there is value in what ONE brings to the table. The presentation offers a different flavor, and it would be fantastic to see more cross-promotion between the world’s major organizations. This is something Sityodtong also discussed in the interview.

Perhaps establishing a presence in the United States would make something like that more feasible. With so many organizations like the UFC, Bellator, PFL and ONE still in the infancy of new distribution deals, it’s an exciting time for combat sports in America.

Brian Mazique
Contributor
I write about sports and video games. I began my career with Bleacher Report in 2010 and I’m now a Forbes Contributor as well as a YouTuber. I’ve been blessed to make a living discussing things I’d talk about for free.

That’s a half hour interview. I didn’t listen. If anyone does, let us know the highlights.