A 1986 essay by Henry Kissinger noted that the different playing styles of the major soccer powers reflect their nation’s personalities. The English are traditional to a fault, the Germans are meticulously trained and planned, the Brazilians are passionate and improvisational, and so on.
Pro wrestling, being scripted, offers an even more vivid window into the heart of a nation – the promoter can do nearly anything to tailor the content to the tastes of the audience. Japanese fans admire stoicism, so Japanese Puroresu features more genuine violence than do their counterparts internationally. It was by design, not happenstance, that masked luchadors entertain a Latin American audience moved by mystery and magical realism.
Americans love drama, so ‘rasslin’ always had baby faces and heels. Vince McMahon’s genius was to turn it into a soap opera, with storylines that can unfold across a season, or years. In the WWE, skills on the mic are as critical to achieving breakthrough success as skills on the mat.
Mixed martial arts too is shaped by national character and market forces. The UFC is American, dominated above all by American wrestling. Throw a water bottle and PPV buys increase by 20%. Shove someone off the stage, and it’s a 30% boost. Trash talk puts asses in seats, so there is a lot of trash talk.
That’s America, and to a lesser, yet to be understood level in the west generally. That s*** doesn’t fly in the East.
ONE Championship chairman Chatri Sityodtong spoke recently at the ONE: Immortal Pursuit press conference and drew a stark contrast between the value of his organization, and those of the UFC.
Our fighters aspire to be heroes,” said Chatri, as transcribed by Reuel Vidal for The Standard. “They are good human beings and role models who conduct themselves properly at all times and who represent Martial Arts well. We celebrate values that all humanity can embrace.
Six years ago I had a simple thesis. Every region in the world had a billion dollar sports media property. Europe had the English Premiere League and other soccer leagues. America had the National Basketball Association and the National Football League. Asia had none. That’s why I started ONE Championship.
More than just the fights, ONE Championship celebrates Asian heroes. ONE Championship fighters are mostly from Asia. We promote the things that unite the continent. We honor values that bind us together as Asians.”
“The DNA of ONE Championship is martial arts, the whole martial arts in Asia, with Asian values, run by a martial artist,” said Sityodtong, as transcribed by FloCombat. “Since Day 1, ONE Championship has always been about that. We’ve always been about celebrating, unity the continent celebrating what we are best at – martial arts and the values.
Have we ever had any kind of scandal? They have weekly scandals; people in jail, people on drugs or cocaine … that is unacceptable in ONE Championship. My dream for these heroes is to have children all over Asia to have their posters and their parents in the crowd because these athletes, our heroes, are honorable, dignified, respectable athletes who are uniting the world with confidence, courage, hope, dreams, and strength. That is what ONE Championship is about.”
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is the biggest star in MMA, and one of the biggest stars in sports. He recently shoved a referee and slapped an official while spectating at a Bellator event. So far the UFC’s response has been crickets. Sityodtong says he would have fired Notorious summarily.
I would’ve fired him on the spot, said Sityodtong to MMANytt. That’s the difference between us. I’m not about just making money. I’m about celebrating values. I’m about celebrating authentic martial arts, Asia’s greatest cultural treasure.
If a ONE Championship athlete did that I would’ve fired him on the spot. If Conor McGregor was a ONE Championship athlete I would’ve fired him on the spot. I don’t care how much money you bring the company.
ONE Championship 65: Immortal Pursuit will be held on Friday, Nov. 24 in Singapore at 7:00 p.m. (6:00 a.m. ET). In his retirement bout, welterweight champ Ben Askren defends his title vs former lightweight titleholder Shinya Aoki in the main event.
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OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!
-Sir Rudyard Kipling
