ONE boss Chatri Sityodtong lifts lid on global expansion: ‘Now we’re talking about the U.S. and Europe’
While muay Thai has been a huge focus for the promotion in 2023, next year will see much more attention on delivering the product around the globe.
ONE Championship made its historic on-ground U.S. debut this past May with ONE Fight Night 10, but that seems to be just the tip of the iceberg for shows in the West, according to Chatri Sityodtong.
As the promotion prepares for back-to-back blockbuster events – ONE Fight Night 14 on September 29 and ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6 –the ONE chairman and CEO has been doing the media rounds and filling the world in on what he has planned.
Appearing on the SCMP MMA podcast, Sityodtong began by discussing ONE’s journey from its inception to now.
“The way I think about this journey over the last 12 years is that there’s always a chapter. It’s a book, and it’s an ongoing book,” he said.
“So, this year is a chapter of a record number of events every Friday, and I felt a duty to bring back and restore muay Thai. But, you know, we’re the home of martial arts, so we’re always showcasing mixed martial arts, grappling, or kickboxing, or muay Thai. This year maybe was a bit muay Thai heavy, but I don’t think the fans missed a beat.”
The ONE co-founder then moved on to talk about what the world’s largest martial arts organization has in store moving forward.
The world’s largest martial arts organization recently announced that it will be returning to the United States for a minimum of four events in 2024, and Sityodtong went further by breaking down plans for events in Japan, the Middle East, and even Europe.
“The next chapter is getting back to our roots. You’ll see very quickly when we make some announcements between Qatar and Japan and a few other big stadium shows. The U.S. shows are coming up at a big stadium now,” he said.
“I think it’s good to have a high frequency show like a ONE Friday Fights that keeps the fans engaged with the athletes, the stories, achievements, with our brand, with our production value, you know, the whole thing, the whole ecosystem. That’s just in one region, but now we’re talking about the U.S and Europe as ONE expands around the world.”