UFC Hall of Fame legend B.J. Penn credited ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for his success this week.

During Sityodtong’s appearance on BJPenn.com’s “Just Scrap Radio” podcast, the former two-division UFC champion dialed in to contribute to the wide-ranging conversation and express his fondness for ONE Championship.

“I’m really glad I finally got to get on the show with Chatri. I’m really proud of the things that you’ve done. You’ve done such great work for everything, and you’ve got a good show, man,” Penn said to the ONE co-founder.

“I know about shows because J.D. (Penn) did the Rumble on The Rock. We’ve worked with K-1 and stuff. So, I’m really impressed by the shows that you guys put on. I love how you guys are doing the muay Thai fights with the little gloves. The big question is: When are you guys coming to Hawaii?”

ONE Championship made its long-awaited United States debut earlier this year after years of dominance in the Asian market. ONE Fight Night 10 surpassed all expectations, selling out weeks in advance and smashing all viewership benchmarks.

The world’s biggest martial arts organization recently announced that a minimum of four events would take place in the U.S. next year, and Sityodtong revealed to Penn that there had been discussions to put on show in Hawaii – much to the excitement of the local mixed martial arts pioneer.

“We’ve been talking to the Hawaii athletic commission for some time now – for the last few years. He’s excited to have ONE, as well. So I think it’s just going to take time. But just like we had our show in Denver, the state athletic commission really loved the show and loved the global ruleset,” Sityodtong said.

“We’ve seen more and more commissions have reached out, and they’re approving the ruleset, so it’s only a matter of time. I know we have a fanbase in Hawaii, man. The Hawaiians are crazy. It’s a fighting island, and, B.J., you started it all off – the whole ‘Lets Scrap,’ you know?”