![]() One’s founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong told Tatler Asia last year that he “appreciated all the rejections and failures through the years.” One’s valuation of $1.4 billion, based on its last round of fundraising, is still far from the UFC’s $12.1 billion, though a Nielsen report from 2021 suggests the former has overtaken the latter in terms of social media video viewership with nearly 14 billion views.Ī fan takes a photo with One Championship's reigning flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in Denver, Colorado. Nikkei Asia and Bloomberg have reported that parent company Group One is preparing for an initial public offering. The organization had been in the red for years, but finally appears to be rounding a corner.īreaking even or becoming profitable in the three years from 2022 is a goal for the firm, whose investors include Temasek Holdings in Singapore and Sequoia Capital in the United States. It’s a priority market and we have a clear right to play, just like how Samsung sells phones in the US.” “But the nice thing is we’re not starting from scratch - we’re not nobodies. “It’s a new market so we want to be humble”, Teh said. One’s formal attempt to crack the North American market is a clear sign of its intention to strengthen its status as one half of what Teh calls the MMA “duopoly” between the “biggest in Asia and the biggest in the West.” One Championship star Demetrious Johnson being interviewed by official fight announcer Dom Lau after an open work-out event in Denver, Colorado. The intention is to “do multiple events, not just in the long-term,” according to Teh, adding that it will not affect its roughly 60 shows per year across Asia. The card will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video in the US and Canada, part of a five-year media rights agreement. Values aside, One differs from the UFC in that it schedules different disciplines of martial arts alongside its MMA-based backbone.įor example, the Colorado co-main event is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappling match, while there will be Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts laced throughout. ![]() That’s more true to the spirit of martial arts and its traditional values. We’re building a brand that everyone can enjoy with their kids and grandkids. “If you look at the sponsors working with us, we’re talking family brands like Tumi, Oculus, Disney. But the sport itself provides a lot of inbuilt stories and drama without having to cross that line. Rivalry, confrontation, a little bit of shoving here and there, all that is part of sports. But for us, you leave it in the, the court, the pitch. “In the end, just don’t cross the line,” Teh said. “It’s about having children wanting posters of their favorite athletes, and parents walking into their room and saying, ‘Yes, that’s someone worth looking up to.’”Īnd while that will undoubtedly garner some eye rolls from some bloodthirsty fans, that is not to say boiling feuds and intense square-offs do not exist in their more than 600-strong fighter roster. “It’s about unleashing real life superheroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams and inspiration,” he said. Teh used One’s longstanding mantra to explain theirs. What “true martial arts” means in new-era combat sports is certainly up for interpretation. Stamp Fairtex thanks fans at a pre-event open work-out session in Denver, Colorado. Other crowd-pulling fighters include Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Stamp Fairtex of Thailand, and former UFC star Sage Northcutt. “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will face preceding champion Adriano Moraes in a trilogy fight. Fighting on American soil, it’s amazing to be able to headline this landmark event,” said the former longtime UFC champion, who joined One in 2018. “I can’t wait for the US fans to be exposed to true martial arts. The sold-out event stars incumbent flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, considered one of the pound-for-pound greatest MMA fighters of all time. More than a decade since its inception, One is set to make its US debut in Broomfield, Colorado on Friday. That works - for a certain type of audience and consumer,” said Hua Fung Teh, president and co-founder of Singapore-based MMA promotion agency One Championship, broadly seen as Asia’s answer to industry behemoth UFC, which is part of the Endeavor Group and will be merging with World Wrestling Entertainment ![]() “Our mission is not to stage the biggest, bloodiest fights and have two athletes cuss at each other. ![]() Then testosterone-fueled trash talkers wearing expensive suits.Ĭould 2023 be the year mixed-martial arts (MMA) in the United States finally returns to its pure, humble beginnings nurtured in Asia nearly 5,000 years ago? First they were seen as cage-fighting meat heads.
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