Chatri Sityodtong: How to achieve your greatness

Rising from homelessness as a child, in 1999 Chatri Sityodtong received an MBA from Harvard. Not long after, he joined Bain and Company as a management consultant. Bain may be familiar to UGers through 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises.”

For the next several years Chatri was involved in Internet start ups, investment banking, real estate, and other ventures, making untold millions.

As a child, the half Japanese, half Thai Chatri began training in Muay Thai under Kru Yodtong Senanan at Sityodtong Camp in Pattaya, Thailand. Kru Yodtong eventually bestowed on him the name Yodchatri Sityodtong, and appointed him as one of four conservators worldwide of Sityodtong Muay Thai.

Chatri’s fight career and financial career overlapped, with the last of his 30 fights taking place in 2008.

That same year, Chatri founded the Evolve MMA chain of martial arts academies. By 2013, Evolve MMA was widely regarded as the top MMA gym in Asia, and Chatri as one of the sport’s top coaches. He has trained, coached, or cornered MMA fighters such as Shinya Aoki, Rich Franklin, Rafael dos Anjos, BJJ world champions Zorobabel Moreira and Leandro Issa Da Silva, and strikers including Muay Thai world champion Yoddecha Sityodtong, and former WBA world champion Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai.

Earlier this year he launched Evolve University, Asia’s largest online university for martial arts.

Chatri is also a sought after motivational speaker, and is involved with a number of charitable efforts, including Project Sunshine for terminally-ill children, Singapore’s Boys Town Home for orphans and troubled children, and Singapore Children’s Society for underprivileged children.

At an independently organized TEDX event, Chatri discusses how to achieve your greatness in life.

And he has a really cool Twitter account – follow him!