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ONE Championship a hit in world of MMA
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THERE’S a new player hoping to join the likes of the National Basketball Association, Formula One and Europe’s top football leagues in the pantheon of multibillion dollar sports.
Organizers of mixed martial arts (MMA) sees their sport on the fast track to becoming one of the most popular, and lucrative, in the world. Here in Asia, organizers of the ONE Championship hope to build this MMA series into one of the region’s best-known competitions.
The sport of MMA allows fighters to use a variety of martial arts styles, including Judo, Kung Fu, Silat, Jiu-Jitsu or Kali, wrestling or Aikido. This means a fighter trained in Muay Thai can step into the ring against someone who has a black belt in karate.
“Asia has been the home of martial arts for 5,000 years. Asian people understand martial arts because we grew up with it by watching TV or seeing others doing it,” said Chatri Sityodtong, funder and president of ONE Championship. Singapore-based ONE is the world’s second largest MMA organization, after fight promoters Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“In China, Kung Fu has been a big part of (local) history and tradition. We have the largest roaster of Chinese fighters in the world from all MMA organization, and provide fans with a platform to watch exciting Chinese martial artists compete at a high level competition on a global stage,” said Sityodtong.
The ONE Championship series includes five fights in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Hefei, and Changsha. In a rock concert-like arena, audience watch one-on-one contests with fighters competing in unarmed combat in a caged ring. Eye-gouging, head stomping and blows to the groin are forbidden, yet almost everything else is fair game. Victory comes from knocking out an opponent or getting them to submit. Most MMA rules were developed in the early 1990s by the UFC.
After five years of development, ONE Championship has put on more than 40 shows in major cities across Asia, with fights broadcast to over one billion viewers in 118 countries. According to Sityodtong, ONE has 350 contract martial artists, and 70 of them are from China.
“The Chinese fighters are selected by our coaches or recommended by MMA clubs around the country. I believe that one day, some of the 70 will become world champions. And they will help inspire followers of the sport in China,” said Sityodtong, who grew up in Thailand and has been practicing martial arts for 30 years — first as a student and later as a coach and promoter.
According to Sityodtong, a star MMA fighter should possess both top-notch fighting skills and an engaging personality. “Take Kevin Lee as an example, he shows strength on the stage, and appears to be a humble and hard working guy in person. That’s the kind of star that inspires fans.”
Lee, a 20-year-old Hunan Province native, has been an MMA fighter since 2014 and holds a fight record of 5-1. He started practicing freestyle wrestling at the age of eight, but later switched to MMA.
“It’s definitely more fun than wrestling,” Lee told Shanghai Daily. “MMA rules suit me well. My wrestling experience also helped me learn MMA skills faster.”
Lee is currently a featherweight fighter, who spends seven hours a day on boxing, Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai trainings.
“China has no fighter capable of challenging for an MMA golden belt yet. I will become that one,” said Lee.
Sityodtong has high hopes for both Chinese fighters and the market. According to him, 12 ONE Championship events are scheduled for China next year, and the number will double in 2018.
“ONE Championship is about showcasing the beauty of humility, work ethic, courage, honor, discipline and confidence. When people look at the martial art stars, I want them to realize it took years and years of training and one has to learn to be humble, to work hard, to follow discipline and achieve a dream. It’s not just about fighting,” said Sityodtong.
It was revealed last week that Temasek Holdings has invested an eight-figure sum into the company, putting ONE on track for a potential US$1 billion valuation in just 12 months.
Temasek Holdings is an investment company owned by the government of Singapore. The investment was made via its wholly-owned subsidiary, Heliconia Capital Management.
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