ONE Championship

[GeneChing]

Just got this press release from ONE


ONE Fighting Championship™ launches the largest MMA organization in Asian history

14 July, 2011 - Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ has launched Asia's largest mixed martial arts organization in history. ONE Fighting Championship will launch a series of world-class, live events in all major cities in Asia, including the
ONE Fighting Championship™, the ONE National Qualifier Series™, and the ONE Life™ Reality TV show. ONE Fighting Championship™ is home to some of the most decorated World Champions and elite fighters in Asia, including:

-6x Muay Thai World Champion, Anuwat Kaewsamrit (Thailand)
-Wushu and MCFC Champion, Eduard Folayang (Philippines)
-Sanda World Champion, Bao Li Gao (China)
-Spirit MC Champion, Kwang Hee Lee (Korea)
-6x Muay Thai World Champion, Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn (Thailand)
-Total Combat FC Champion, Eddie Ng (Hong Kong)
-Malaysia Champion and XFC Champion, Adam Kayoom (Malaysia)
-Sanda World Champion, Zhao Zhi Long (China)
-BJJ World Champion, Zorobabel Moreira (Brazil/Singapore)
-URCC FC Champion, Kevin Bellingon (Philippines)
-WBA Boxing World Champion, Yodsanan Sityodtong (Thailand)
-Muay Thai World Champion and K1 Veteran, Ole Laursen (Philippines)
-Risingon FC Champion, Soo Chul Kim (Korea)
-2x MCFC Champion, Mitch Chilson (USA/Singapore)
-BJJ World Champion and MCFC Champion, Leandro Issa (Brazil/Singapore)
-URCC FC Champion, Eric Kelly (Philippines)
-5x Muay Thai World Champion Orono Wor Petchpun (Thailand)
-Sanda World Champion, Ba Teer (China)
-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Gregor Gracie (Brazil)
-Muay Thai World Champion, Yoddecha Sityodtong (Thailand)
-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Rolles Gracie (Brazil)
-Afghanistan Champion and MCFC Champion, Malik Arash Malawyi (Afghanistan)
-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Igor Gracie (Brazil)

ONE Fighting Championship™ currently remains in confidential discussions with many of the top Asian fighters in Asia and is
expected to make additional major announcements soon. It is the goal of ONE Fighting Championship to work with all the top
Asian MMA event organizations, managers, and fighters in growing the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia.
As part of its broadcast plans, the ONE Fighting Championship™ will be shown on ESPN STAR SPORTS (ESS), Asia’s top
sports content provider, and MediaCorp Channel 5 (MC), Singapore's leading media company, across Asia. It is the largest
MMA media broadcast in Asian history. In addition, several other major Asian broadcasting partnerships will also be announced
in the near future.
Victor Cui, CEO/Owner of ONE Fighting Championship, said, ”ONE Fighting Championship marks a significant inflection
point in the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia. By our first event on September 3, we will be in more than 500 million homes
across Asia and it is only the beginning. Asia has been the birthplace and home to martial arts for the last 5,000 years and ONE
Fighting Championship has a vision of bringing mixed martial arts to the 3.9 billion people living in Asia. I am excited by the
dominant leadership position of ONE Fighting Championship in Asia and the future of mixed martial arts in this region of the
world. MMA is the fastest growing sport on the planet. We intend to showcase some of the most adrenaline-filled, exciting
fights in Asia, featuring the best Asian fighters.”
About ONE Fighting Championship™
Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia's largest mixed martial arts
organization. ONE Fighting Championship hosts the most prestigious mixed martial arts event in Asia and is the only Asian
MMA organization with a pan-Asian media broadcast.

About ESPN STAR Sports
ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world’s leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia's
definitive and complete sports broadcaster and content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its
ultimate parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of
international and regional sports to viewers via its encrypted pay and free-to-air services.
ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a
cumulative reach of more than 310 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each
localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN
China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea),
STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports
Southeast Asia, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket.
On the ground, the ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group manages and promotes premier sporting events around Asia.
ESPN STAR Sports aims to reach consumers at any time, any place and through all new media platforms, both internet and
mobile. The multi-lingual, online platforms, espnstar.com, espnstar.com.cn and espnstar.com.tw and footballcrazy.tv interact
with millions of users providing them with in-depth sports news, results and competitions. Developed for the sports fan that is
constantly on the move, mobileESPN and STAR Sports Mobile delivers differentiated mobile content targeted at its various
audiences. mobileESPN enables the serious sports fan to follow their favourite sports more closely than ever before with a
combination of specially produced video news clips, in-depth news coverage and analysis. STAR Sports Mobile aims to provide
interactive and entertaining opportunities to engage with sports, delivering exclusive video excerpts from leading football clubs
Arsenal and Liverpool as well as highlights from STAR Sports original programmes covering opinions, instructional tips and the
latest online game reviews.

About MediaCorp
MediaCorp is Singapore’s leading media company with the most complete range of platforms, spanning television, radio,
newspapers, magazines, movies, digital and out-of-home media.
It pioneered the development of Singapore’s broadcasting industry, with the broadcast of Radio in 1936 and Television in 1963.
Today, MediaCorp has over 50 products and brands in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), reaching out to all
adults in Singapore every week.
Our industry firsts include the Digital Video Broadcast technology for outdoor digital television, and Asia’s first Digital Audio Broadcast radio service. Initiatives in the digital space include online classifieds, Internet TV-on-demand and High Definition TV broadcast.
MediaCorp is an active regional player through co-productions in TV dramas and movies, magazines publishing, as well as
Channel NewsAsia International, one of the first Asian-owned English news channels.
Our financial and strategic relationships in the region since 2007 include a venture with Indonesia's most integrated media
company PT Media Nusantara Citra and its parent, Global Mediacom, and International Media Corporation in Vietnam, set up to
develop and produce television entertainment and economic news content.
Winner of numerous international awards and accolades including Asian Television Awards' Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year,
MediaCorp’s vision is to become Asia’s top media company, delivering valued content to the world.

[GeneChing]

sanda actually, but people always forget sanda is part of modern wushu.


Indonesian Wushu Champ Ready to Fight for MMA Dream (http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/sports/indonesian-wushu-champ-ready-to-fight-for-mma-dream/497268)
Ami Afriatni | February 10, 2012
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/media/images/medium2/20120210220150253.jpg
Youne ‘Indra’ Victorio Senduk, left, will meet Raymond Tiew in tonight’s mixed martial arts competition in Jakarta. (Antara Photo/M. Agung Rajasa) Youne ‘Indra’ Victorio Senduk, left, will meet Raymond Tiew in tonight’s mixed martial arts competition in Jakarta. (Antara Photo/M. Agung Rajasa)

Youne Victorio Senduk has been waiting seven years for another shot to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter, and he has vowed not to waste it when the ONE Fighting Championship hits Jakarta today.

Youne, who fights under the name Indra, won a silver medal in wushu, a type of martial art, at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, but he says his real passion is to become an MMA fighter.

“I fell in love with MMA when I fought in the TPI Fighting Championship in 2005. But then the tournament was scrapped with no replacement until now,” Indra said on Friday.

“Now it’s like the door has been opened again for me to be a pro MMA fighter.”

MMA in Indonesia had enjoyed something of a cult following until the sport’s top local tournament, TPI FC, was scrapped in 2005.

The Indonesian MMA Organization (OMI) and the Indonesian Martial Arts Federation (FOBI) failed to harness the sport’s popularity at the time and it gradually dissipated.

Indra said he’s been training hard since the ONE FC organizers said in December that he would be given a wild-card entry for the showdown at the Sports Mall at Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

“The SEA Games medal has given me a morale boost for this championship, though I have had to hone my skills for close combat like this,” he said.

Indra will face Malaysian Raymond Tiew in 65.8-kilogram bout. Tiew, whose basic skill is also wushu, should be a tough opponent as he has more experienced in MMA, with a record of five wins and a loss in 2011.

“I don’t know anything about him or how good he is. But I was told that he’s also a wushu athlete, so I pretty much know what to expect,” Indra said.

“Anyway, my mission is to beat him because a win will open the MMA door wide for me.”

This is just the second ONE FC event, after the series debuted in Singapore on Sept. 3.

Twenty fighters from the region will vie for supremacy in seven weight classes.

There are three other local fighters, who won the Indonesian Martial Arts Federation qualifiers in Jakarta last December.

Former national team wrestler Ngabdi Mulyadi, who is also a TPI FC champion, will fight in the 70.3-kg division against Peter Davis, who is better known in his native Malaysia for his acting and modeling but is looking to make a name as a fighter.

“It’s been a while since I’ve competed in MMA, but I’m ready,” said Ngabdi, a Semarang native. “If I win this I’ll have better chance to pursue a career in the MMA.”

Veteran local fighters Agus Nanang and Zuli Silawanto are scheduled to meet each other in the 77.1-kg division.

ONE FC will hold a second event in Jakarta later this year.

[GeneChing]

Women exercise right to fight in Singapore (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/11/uk-mixed-martial-arts-women-idUSLNE83A00X20120411)
By Peter Rutherford
SINGAPORE | Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:57am EDT

(Reuters) - Jeet Toshi's eyes glaze over as the blood flow to her brain begins to slow. She claws at the arm clamped around her throat but Nicole Chua's choke is sapping her strength, and the rising panic in Toshi's chest tells her she will black out in seconds.

Brutality is blind to gender in mixed martial arts (MMA).

While abhorred by its critics as a celebration of violence, MMA's explosive growth shows no signs of tapering off. It does not shy away from its violent image but rather embraces it as the ultimate sporting evolution of hand-to-hand combat.

Male fighters enjoy the lion's share of exposure and reward, and while women's MMA does have a following, it struggles due to a shallow talent pool and poor financial backing.

Discrimination has also been difficult to overcome, and while the bias may be based on outdated notions of gender roles in society, some people just are not ready to see women fight.

Not so in Singapore, it seems.

Some 8,000 fans watched Chua become the city-state's first female professional MMA fighter with her debut as part of ONE Fighting Championship's recent "War of the Lions" event.

What Chua and Toshi lacked in polished talent and experience they made up for in heart, battering each other with kicks, knees and punches before Chua took the fight to the ground.

Slithering across Toshi's body, Chua slams sharp elbows into the Indian's forehead, then rains down a hail of punches forcing Toshi to turn onto her stomach to escape. Chua sinks in a rear naked choke and squeezes for dear life. Toshi taps.

Despite the risk of personal injury involved in MMA, neither fighter made much money. Neither fighter seemed to care.

Toshi walked away with $600. Her manager, Prashant Kumar, told Reuters that was three times the sum Toshi had earned for her debut with India's Full Contact Championship in February.

"This is a passion, not a job," Toshi said in an interview. "I'm not doing it to make a living. If I wasn't fighting I really don't know what I'd be doing."

Legs dangling from a pool-side chair that threatened to swallow her whole, the seven-times Indian kickboxing champion said MMA had given her the chance to inspire her countrywomen.

"I want to be an example for girls in India who don't really participate in combat sports. I want to set an example so that we can spread awareness of the sport."

Kumar was immensely proud of Toshi irrespective of the loss, and said he had a stable of willing women fighters in India ready to step into the cage.

"This was her first time out of the country and we were running around trying to get her a passport just before we came," he said. "She's such a young girl but she was so composed despite the fact she was fighting a Singaporean in Singapore."

NUMBER CRUNCHER

Chua's story catapulted her into the media spotlight in Singapore, a bustling island hub more renowned for its safe streets and conservative values than a burgeoning MMA scene.

A full-time accountant, Chua convinced her company to let her train for the fight on condition she made up lost hours after the gym.

Sitting cross-legged on the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu mats at Evolve MMA Academy where she trained before dawn each day, Chua recalled the reaction when she asked for permission to fit work around her training schedule.

"My manager got a shock but he gave in eventually," the muay Thai specialist said with a wry smile.

The pixie-like Chua said she too was not in MMA for the money. With several years of muay Thai fighting under her belt, she wanted to test her limits in the sport.

Part of the test was coming to grips with the vicious techniques of MMA. Her training routine with no-gi Brazilian Jiu-jitsu world champion Takeo Tani saw her practice kicking a grounded opponent's head like a soccer ball.

"I hope I don't have to do that," she said with a nervous laugh, "but in a fight if I don't hit her she will hit me. Inside the cage its competition, you win or you lose."

Tani said Chua's personality changed as soon as she stepped into the cage for sparring.

"I have to look at her like a man. You can see in her eye she is not a normal girl," he added. "She's a fighter."

Chua's manager and Evolve founder Chatri Sityodtong said women's MMA was still in its infancy in Asia and that the financial incentive had to be there before women could make a career out of fighting.

"I don't think women can train and fight full-time right now because the financial rewards aren't there yet," he said. "(But) MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and it is only a matter of time for the financial rewards to skyrocket as it gains in popularity all over Asia."

WHAT A WAY TO MAKE A LIVING

Earning a living is just as tough for women getting started in the sport in the United States.

Olympic judoka Ronda Rousey, who became the new face of women's MMA after her stunning Strikeforce title win over Miesha Tate last month, said there had been little financial incentive for her when she made her pro debut last year.

"I made $800 out of it," she told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"But it was a hell of a lot more than I made for my first three amateur fights because I got nothing. I was just happy I was getting anything from doing MMA after doing it without making a penny."

Victor Cui, the CEO of ONE Fighting Championship, declined to put an exact figure on how much Chua and Toshi were paid for their fight, but said ONE FC stacked up favourably compared to other MMA promotions.

"Absolutely. And it's not just about pay, fighters want to fight on ONE FC because we are an organisation that treats them very, very well," he told Reuters.

"The contracts include not only guaranteed fees but a win bonus, flights, accommodation for them and however many cornermen they want to bring in."

Cui said Chua was a fantastic story and could encourage more women to take up the sport. While not everyone is sold on the concept of women fighting, Cui said anyone who stepped into the cage deserved the utmost respect.

"This is a sport of professionals that have dedicated their lives to it, put in decades of training in multiple martial arts whether it's muay Thai, taekwondo, BJJ, karate or sanda.

"So the message that has to come across is that whether it is a male fighting or a female fighting, they are professionals and the very best of the best." It's funny how the press focuses on the money in amateur fights.

[GeneChing]

Teen MMA sensation Angela Lee fights misconceptions about women in the sport (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/teen-mma-sensation-angela/2063944.html)
The 19-year-old mixed martial arts fighter, who has numerous world titles to her name, says she hates it when people think it is just about "chicks with barely any clothes on" in a cage.

By Justin Ong
POSTED: 20 Aug 2015 21:32 UPDATED: 20 Aug 2015 21:33

SINGAPORE: Nineteen-year-old Angela Lee sports a "kawaii" look and is no stranger to the occasional bikini photoshoot to promote her career, but it is her cage-fighting prowess that she wants to be known for.

The mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete impressed on her professional debut in May at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, defeating the taller, older and more experienced Egyptian Aya Saber in less than two minutes.

Lee, who is signed to Singapore-based MMA promotion One Championship, holds a brown belt in the ground fighting style of Brazilian jiu-jitsu - just one level shy of a black belt. Since her parents started coaching her at three, she has won numerous world titles in various disciplines like wrestling and pankration.

Even with such credentials, the Canadian-American citizen of Singaporean-Korean ethnicity bemoaned how she attracts attention “for the wrong reasons”.

“When people watch women’s MMA, sometimes they’re like ‘Oh, chicks with barely any clothes on and in a cage fighting, that’s super hot’,” she said. “I hate that so much.”

“Hopefully over time, they can recognise us for our skills instead of our looks,” added Lee, who is training at Singaporean gym Evolve MMA to prepare for her sop****re fight on Sep 1, against Russian exponent Elena Pashnina in Shanghai, China.

ASIAN PRIDE

While she aims to become the first women’s champion of One Championship, she is also eager to grow MMA’s presence in Asia by emulating the impact made by the sport’s biggest female superstar Ronda Rousey.

The latter remains undefeated in her reign as the first women’s champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s largest MMA company. As an Olympic medallist in judo and budding movie actress, Rousey is also credited with bringing MMA into mainstream consciousness.

“I want to do that in Asia. I’m hoping to rise up and inspire women over here to train MMA, so we can get more recognition,” said Lee, who was quick to add that she had no wish to be an “Asian Ronda Rousey”.

“There are only one or two female bouts on fight cards in Asia and I want to get more fights on there for the women,” she added.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/blob/2063728/1440070609000/angela-lee-wins-fight-data.png
Angela Lee after winning her debut fight. (Photo: One Championship)

Lee’s own heritage, however, has been a bone of contention for online detractors, with some calling her out as more American than Asian.

One Championship labels her “Singaporean” in its promotional materials. Lee, who was born in Vancouver and raised in Hawaii, brands herself “Singaporean” and “Korean” on her Instagram account.

“I don’t like to categorise myself with one thing, because I’m not just that. It’s all a part of who I am,” she explained. “But my grandparents live with us all the time and my dad’s Singaporean, so we’ve always had an interest in Singapore, especially in its cooking and culture.”

“I want to fight and represent who I am and where I’m from, so Singapore, mostly, because I’m closer to my dad’s side,” said Lee, adding that her family has been “coming back” to Singapore every year since she was a baby.

“Hopefully if I can go past the boundary of people categorising me by nationalities, I can gain more popularity here in Singapore,” she said.

Lee is clearly serious about her career - enough to drop out of her business administration degree course at a Hawaiian university, to focus on MMA alone.

“I can always go back and get my degree. For now I have an opportunity and I’m not going to waste it,” she said. “My parents are very traditional in some ways but in others, understanding. They know that this is what I’ve always wanted to do, and I want to put my all into it.”

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/blob/2063712/1440070437000/angela-lee-and-family-at-data.png
Angela Lee with her family at the Evolve MMA gym. (Photo: One Championship)

- CNA/jo There's some facebook vids too, if you follow the link.

[GeneChing]

Asia's female MMA star: 'I finish fights very quickly...' (http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/13/singapore-mma-star-angela-lee-ready-for-one-pride-bout-with-natalie-gonzales-hills.html)
Saheli Roy Choudhury
8 Hours Ago CNBC.com

http://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2015/11/13/103165977-IMG_8777e-web.530x298.jpg?v=1447402909
ONE Championship
Angela Lee and Natalie Gonzales Hills during their weigh in, ahead of their bout at the ONE: Pride of Lions fighting event
At first glance, Angela Lee looks like a normal teenager. But unlike her contemporaries, the 19-year-old spends most of her time inside a steel cage, beating up opponents twice her age.

Lee is part of a new generation of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from Asia, and has been turning heads along the way. Raised in a family of martial artists, Lee remains undefeated since her debut earlier this year against experienced Egyptian fighter Aya Saber. It was a bout that Lee ended in less than two minutes.

Lee told CNBC her aim was always to finish a fight before the first round is over.

"It's just my style of fighting. I finish fights very quickly and the way I fight, it just ends...," she said.


On Friday Lee will compete in the ONE: Pride of Lions fighting event, organized by Singapore-based MMA promotion company ONE Championship. A ONE spokesperson said the event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was expected to draw in a crowd of 12,000 enthusiasts. The company has held similar fighting events across Asia, in cities such as Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, and Yangon among others.

The sport is gaining momentum in China. ONE Championship recently announced a two-year tie up with Chinese sports development company Wujie that includes plans for 26 MMA fight events across the country. The first fight, which happens near the end of the month in Beijing, will see featherweight champions Marat Gafurov and Narantungalag Jadambaa battle it out at the Gymnasium of National Olympic Sports Center, the company said in a press release.

Lee's opponent on Friday evening is Natalie Gonzales Hills, who has a 2-2 record of fights won and lost and is eight years older than Lee. But speaking to CNBC ahead of the fight, the teenager appeared unfazed.

"I think it's great that she is a well-rounded fighter. I think that makes for a really exciting fight," said Lee, describing Hills as "aggressive."

Mixed martial arts is a combat sport in which fighters use techniques drawn from other full-contact sports such as the jiujitsu, boxing, wrestling and muy thai, to knock out their opponents. Its origin goes back to the early 20th century and much of its current popularity can be traced to the largest MMA promotion company, US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). UFC fights in the U.S. can attract more than a million pay-per-views on cable television, with thousands packing stadiums and reality television shows following individual fighters.

Like most sports, MMA's big-name fights are almost entirely male-dominated. The highlight of the ONE: Pride of Lions tournament is between Thai fighter Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and Brazilian Yago Bryan, who will compete in the ONE Strawweight Super Fight bout. But there's growing global interest in women's MMA following the rise of U.S. stars Ronda Rousey, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Miesha Tate

Lee's fight with Hills is a Main Card event, which takes place earlier in the night, and is the only female fight on the cards.

"Women always tend to put on a really great show," said Lee. "There's only one women's fight on the whole fight card [tonight] and I'm hoping that we'll stand out."

'gaining momentum in China'

[GeneChing]

Asian female MMA fighters to fight for world title (http://en.yibada.com/articles/113538/20160403/asian-female-mma-fighters-fight-world-title.htm)
Carlos Cinco | Apr 03, 2016 10:05 PM EDT

http://images.en.yibada.com/data/thumbs/full/76922/685/0/0/0/unstoppable-angele-lee-battles-mei-yamaguchi-at-one-ascent-to-power.jpg
UNSTOPPABLE | Angele Lee battles Mei Yamaguchi at ONE: Ascent to Power (Photo : ONE Championship)

Singapore is set to play host to a historic night of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), as two female mixed martial artists -- Singapore's "Unstoppable" Angela Lee (5-0) and Japan's Mei "V.V" Yamaguchi (15-8-1) -- will go head-to-head in a battle for the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight World Championship.
MMA has surged in popularity in Asia in recent times, due largely to ONE Championship's extensive work cultivating the sport in the region. ONE is Asia's largest sports media property with a potential broadcast to over a billion homes in more than 75 countries worldwide.
Lee and Yamaguchi are set to step inside the ONE Championship cage on May 6, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, in an event dubbed "ONE: Ascent to Power."
Lee, widely considered one of the most promising young combat sports athletes not just in Asia, but in the entire world, believes this is her chance to shine on the big stage.
"This fight is going to be the most important of my life," said Lee, who made her professional MMA debut last year. "I truly believe that since I started my martial arts journey, it's been my destiny to become a world champion. All my hard work and all my training is going to pay off."
The 19-year old Lee comes from a fighting family. Her parents are both martial arts instructors and highly decorated martial artists. Angela's father Ken Lee is a Pankration, Taekwondo and Jiu-Jitsu black belt and her mother Jewelz Lee is a Taekwondo black belt instructor and a 2-time Canadian National Silver Medallist.
Her younger brother Christian is also a martial artist, competing under ONE Championship's featherweight division and is unbeaten in two fights so far.
On the other side of the spectrum sits Mei Yamaguchi, who grew up and discovered martial arts in Los Angeles, but moved to Japan to teach Taekwondo.
Yamaguchi has more experience than Lee, as well as being 14 years Lee's senior. Like Lee, Yamaguchi understands the significance of this bout and how it helps women with aspirations in combat sports, especially in her home country where she teaches martial arts to children.
"I know there are a lot of girls in Japan who do Karate and Judo. I know a lot compete in that. If they see another girl in professional sports, and see that you're able to make a living with it, you can inspire a lot of fans," said Yamaguchi, who began her professional MMA career nearly 10 years ago.
"In the United States, MMA is really big. I know that Asian women are strong, and if they start to learn MMA, I know [the sport] is going to be big! I know a lot of good [female] athletes who can fight in MMA. This is really big. There are really good women fighters in Japan but I can show that to the world by winning this title."
Yamaguchi grew up admiring Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, and her parents enrolled her at a martial arts academy at age six. She fell in love with Karate at an early age and now, at 33, Yamaguchi finds herself a two-division world champion in MMA.
Both Lee and Yamaguchi are looking to add the ONE Championship belt to their collection. But in MMA, only one contestant can take home the prize.
"It's time to make history," said Lee. "I think that crowning the first ever women's champion is going to really help women's MMA take off. It's started in North America, but once we have a women's champion here in Asia, it's just going to skyrocket."
The Lee-Yamaguchi bout will serve as the co-main event for ONE: Ascent to Power. In the main event, ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash defends his title against Aleksei Butorin.
I should really follow ONE Championship more.

[GeneChing]

...but it elicited some discussion.


ONE CEO doesn't think potential sale means a UFC expansion to China (http://www.mmafighting.com/2016/6/25/12010028/one-ceo-doesnt-think-potential-sale-means-a-ufc-expansion-to-china)
By Marc Raimondi  @marc_raimondi on Jun 25, 2016, 6:00p 23

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/psRo1Dn2z5SvxhvvuJVHPecea4A=/0x0:4619x3079/709x473/filters:format(webp)/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49930117/GettyImages-185055444.0.jpg
Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images

Even if a Chinese company is involved in the prospective purchase of the UFC, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be seeing more UFC events in China, according to ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui.

Cui isn't sure a Chinese investment firm owning a piece of the UFC is an indication that the UFC will attempt to expand more in Asia, he told MMA Fighting in a recent interview.

"For Chinese companies, why they're investing in other properties is because they're really excited about expanding outside of Asia," Cui said. "That's the goal. So they're buying properties so they can expand out of Asia. They're not buying anything to help their business in China. They don't care about that. They already have China. They don't need any help from foreign companies to dominate China."

ESPN reported last week that there are two high bidders for the UFC with the price tag in the range of $4.1 billion. Both investment groups are said to have Chinese companies at the forefront.

One is reportedly led by WME in conjunction with Chinese company Dalian Wanda. That group also has representation from Tencent Holdings, a large internet company and ESPN's digital partner in China, per ESPN.com. The other group is led by China Media Capital.

FloCombat.com reported this week the group led by WME and Wanda was the high bidder and the UFC had accepted a bid of $4.2 billion. The UFC has denied that and sent an internal memo to employees that the report was inaccurate.

Cui's ONE Championship, founded in 2011, is Asia's top MMA promotion. ONE has run three events in China, beginning in June 2015. It just announced another one for July 2 in Hefei, China, headlined by former featherweight champion Narantungalag Jadambaa taking on Eric Kelly.

Expanding to China has been difficult for both the UFC and ONE. The UFC has only been able to run a show in Macau, which is governed separately from mainland China. ONE has also had planned events for China cancelled.

Cui said the issue for ONE is that it is trying to run 20 events per year in China, not just one at a time.

"We're still only 4 ½ years old," he said. "ONE is really young. UFC has had an office in Asia for 10 years or something like that. They've been here a lot longer than us and they've had an office in China for several years. For us, we're just going to continue to focus on what we're doing and what we're good at and delivering what I think is the essence of the values of martial arts to our fans."

The UFC actually opened an Asian office in 2010 in Beijing. Most of the employees from that office moved to Singapore last year, though the Beijing office remains. Singapore is, coincidentally, the home base of ONE Championship.

While China is a focus for ONE, it isn't the only focus. ONE's base is in Southeast Asia. The promotion holds shows in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia at least twice per year. Recently, ONE has made inroads in places like Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, too.

"We're holding our events in multiple countries," Cui said. "It's not like I'm doing 20 events in Singapore. We're going to different countries, different governments, different religions, different cultures, different languages, different backgrounds, etc."

The UFC has not had an event in Asia this year. Last year, the promotion visited Japan and made its debut in the Philippines and South Korea.

Though there seems to be heavy Chinese company backing for groups attempting to purchase the UFC, Cui does not seem concerned that means the MMA leader will be elbowing into ONE's Asian turf. Things seem to be going well for his group anyway. ONE chairman Chatri Sityodtong said recently that ONE would have a valuation of $1 billion in 12 to 18 months.

"I don't know what else [the UFC is] gonna change or how quickly they're going to be able to change it," Cui said. "I don't know what their plans are. I can only look at how we've grown and what we've done. I know we've got the best talent. We have all the top fighters in Asia. If you're an Asian top fighter in any martial art, you're already with ONE Championship. All the top athletes are locked down with us. We have fantastic sponsors and partners. That's what we're going to continue to focus on."

[GeneChing]

Major investment to aid in ONE Championship’s expansion to China (http://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/12/12169250/major-investment-to-aid-in-one-championship-s-expansion-to-china)
By Marc Raimondi  @marc_raimondi on Jul 12, 2016, 11:00p 25

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2LuJ157xVQtn2gDs4jdn65gNe1A=/3x0:655x435/709x473/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50099589/lee1.0.0.jpg
ONE Championship

A massive financial investment from a well-known financial firm is expected to be a boon for ONE Championship and its future plans in China.

The Asian MMA promotion announced the investment from Heliconia, a subsidiary of Singapore financial giant Temasek, on Tuesday. ONE officials confirmed with MMA Fighting that the investment is in the high eight figures and will be used primarily for expansion plans in China. Sources told MMA Fighting that ONE will open up an office in Shanghai as early as this month.

"I believe this partnership marks the beginning of a long and fruitful journey to bring ONE Championship to the rest of the world," ONE CEO Victor Cui said in a press release. "Heliconia is a well-respected investment firm with the expertise, resources and contacts across Asia. For us, this investment by Heliconia represents a strong vote of confidence and a belief in the value that ONE Championship can bring. This partnership will unlock additional markets and opportunities for ONE Championship."

Growth in China is a goal for many companies in a variety of industries, because of the substantial population and potential for exponential financial success. The UFC is very interested in making moves in the country and will be attempting that with force under new owners WME-IMG, which already have deals in place there. Currently, the UFC has only had shows in Macau, not the mainland.

ONE has already held six events in China on the mainland, including one two weeks ago in Hefei. The plan is for more this year and in the future. Heliconia's support will be a big part of that. The company is a financial firm under Temasek that focuses on growth-oriented Singaporean companies. ONE is based in Singapore. Temasek as a whole manages a portfolio of nearly $200 billion USD.

"We believe ONE Championship can potentially be the next big thing for consumers in Asia," Heliconia CEO Derek Lau said. "They have the right product for Asia, they understand Asia and know how to monetize the value proposition in various ways in the New Economy. We are really excited to see ONE Championship taking the lead in the coming years to grow the sports media and entertainment industry in Asia."

I keep thinking I need to split ONE Championship off into it's own indie thread, but it wouldn't search well.

[GeneChing]

http://static.atimes.com/uploads/2016/12/mma-IMG_7327-960x576-1481799063.jpg
Ma jiawen's right fist connects with the face of Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo. Photo: ONE Championship

CULTUREMMA
China rising: Meet two fighters leading the MMA charge (http://www.atimes.com/article/china-rising-meet-two-fighters-leading-mma-charge/)
A pair of Tianjin natives are showing they have the guts and driving ambition to make it big in the mixed martial arts cage
By PEDRO CHAN DECEMBER 15, 2016 6:39 PM (UTC+8) 70

Big things are expected from these Chinese fighters as mixed martial arts continues to spread across the country, with local and American players lining up to tap the estimated potential earnings of up to US$724 billion by 2025.

Ma Jiawen

Age: 20
Fights out of: Tianjin K1 Club
Fights in: ONE Championship featherweight division (145lbs)
Record: 3-2

The Tianjin native is fast turning into a human highlight reel. Even at such an early stage of his MMA career – five fights overall for a record of three wins and two losses – the 20-year-old is building a reputation as a fighter with a knack for the spectacular.

http://static.atimes.com/uploads/2016/12/ma-jiawen-IMG_9284-1.jpg
Ma Jiawen is declared the winner of this bout. Photo: ONE Championship Ma Jiawen is declared the winner against Jimmy Yabo. Photo: ONE Championship

Consider the elbows that brought the challenge of the Philippines’ Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo to an end at ONE Championship 45 in the third round. Ma’s explosive power has been turning heads already – and he promises there’s more to come.

“I think MMA is very masculine, just like my personality,” Ma said in an interview. “The chance to be a champion drives me all the way here. I am a very easy-going person outside the cage, so a lot of people can’t tell I am an MMA athlete, but when I walk into the cage I change into another person. I am a very tough man inside the cage. MMA sharpens my will and makes me more tenacious.”

Ma made his ONE Championship promotional and professional MMA debut in 2015, competing in the Guangzhou Featherweight Tournament.

“The sports industry is developing very fast in China,” he says. “More and more people are getting to know it and getting into it and not only the men, but also a lot of women are becoming MMA fans. I think my strength is that I keep a very clear mind inside the cage. I can always be calm and follow the strategy we set before the fight.”

And his goals for the year ahead? Simple.
“I hope I can win every single fight,” Ma says.

http://static.atimes.com/uploads/2016/12/IMG_5822.jpg
Photo: ONE Championship Li Kaiwen (in pink shorts) makes a connection. Photo: ONE Championship

Li Kaiwen

Age: 21
Fights out of: Tianjin K1 Club
Fights in: ONE Championship featherweight division (145lbs)
Record: 6-3

Power is what Li Kaiwen is all about. Another fighter to emerge from the Tianjin MMA community, the 21-year-old has bludgeoned his way to a 5-1 record in the ONE Championship (6-3 overall in MMA) with his heavy hands.

“I used to train in wrestling, which I think is the most important skill in MMA,” says Li. “I think the man in the cage is a true man. Every time I get into the cage and have my arms raised after I win, it encourages me to keep going. I think I am an all-rounder. If I have any weaknesses, I will train hard to master them and then turn them into one of my strengths.”

Watch: Manny Pacquiao buys stake in ONE FC

Among Li’s list of achievements include winning the Beijing Featherweight Tournament at ONE: Dynasty of Champions (2014) as well as outpointing Malaysia’s rising star Keanu Subba in his most recent bout back in July.

“I am a shy boy away from the the cage, but I am an aggressive and hungry man inside the cage,” says Li. “Actually MMA has been shaping my personality a lot. I have learned the importance of humility and gratitude after I started MMA.

“My short-term goal now is to be the first Chinese featherweight champion. I don’t care who the champion is – he’s just taking care of my belt and I will get it one day. My long-term aim is to get as many ONE Championship belts as possible after getting the featherweight champion.”

Does anyone here watch ONE FC fights regularly?

[GeneChing]

Impressive story.


From dirt poor to multi-millionaire, Asia's top MMA promoter on how to get rich by helping others (http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/06/mma-promoter-chatri-sityodtong-on-making-money.html)
Nyshka Chandran | @nyshkac Tuesday, 7 Mar 2017 | 2:41 AM ET

http://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2017/03/01/104311967-GettyImages-609662360.1910x1000.jpg?v=1488355964
ONE Championship founder and chairman Chatri Sityodtong at the Asia MMA Summit 2016 in Singapore on September 22, 2016. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images

The path to affluence doesn't necessarily begin with self-interest. Instead of focusing on themselves, those aspiring for affluence should look to help others, according to self-made multi-millionaire Chatri Sityodtong — a powerhouse in Asia's mixed martial arts (MMA) industry.

"Ninety-five percent of people are focused on short-term consumer spending. But millionaires are focused on increasing their usefulness and value to the world so they can get a bigger income," explained the 45-year old, a senior Muay Thai instructor who fought professionally in his native Thailand.

"If you're helping a lot of people, then by definition you're going to make a lot of money."

Sityodtong is a serial entrepreneur whose rags-to-riches story has become well-known in Asia.

After his family went broke during the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis, he earned a Harvard MBA while living on $4 a day to support his mother and younger brother. Sityodtong made his first million at the age of 30 through the sale of his Silicon Valley-based software company, and then founded the $500 million hedge fund Izara Capital Management on Wall Street.

By the time he was 37, he left Wall Street for sunny Singapore, where he returned to his first love of MMA by founding ONE Championship — Asia's equivalent to Ultimate Fighting Championship — and the MMA gym Evolve, which is a training destination for champion fighters.

ONE is now Asia's largest sports media company, according to the company, which claims its valuation is nearing $1 billion. Evolve has expanded to include a digital university, an online fight store and MMA-themed retreats.

Despite that influx of cash, Sityodtong says he's a minimalist who cares little for purchasing material goods. "Through any given year, I will maybe buy five to ten t-shirts that are $20 a piece."

Chatri's second tip for aspiring millionaires is plain hard work.

"If you really want to become a millionaire or a world champion, you have to work 18 hours a day, seven days a week. You can't get the rewards without the work."

[GeneChing]

Interesting perspective on this all...


CAN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS STARTUP ONE CHAMPIONSHIP HOLD OFF UFC’S MOVE BACK INTO ASIA? (http://www.newsweek.com/one-championship-ufc-asian-mma-chatri-sityodtong-586017)
BY TEDDY CUTLER ON 4/19/17 AT 7:53 AM

“For us, even if Conor McGregor was a free agent we would never bid for him.”

Just let that statement hang, for a second, in the air, on the page. It’s a hell of a statement because McGregor is by consensus the world’s biggest mixed martial artist, in whatever aspect you choose to judge from. He’s a pay-per-view colossus, a figure who transcends the sport. McGregor draws as much attention when he doesn’t fight, when he’s yabbering about fighting Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match, when he’s wearing mink, or turning up to the Grand National open-shirted.

Add up all of those things, spin them together into the mix that McGregor devotees find so intoxicating—then believe that Chatri Sityodtong, the owner of the bombast above as well as ONE Championship, the Singapore-based MMA company, likes none of them.

“He [McGregor] doesn’t exemplify the values of martial arts,” Sityodtong tells Newsweek. “He doesn’t exemplify the culture of Asian values. Of humility, of discipline, of courage. He says, ‘F-U,’ he throws water bottles, he talks about people’s mothers in a derogatory way. That just would not fly with the Asian audience. It wouldn’t resonate.”

Among the criticisms that can be laid at the doors of McGregor’s fleet of luxury sports cars is not, surely, his nationality. Nor would it be fair to say that the man who went from Dublin plumber to become the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) first dual-weight world champion lacks courage—a bloody war with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 in August of last year should be evidence enough to refute that.

And yet, Sityodtong has long since earned the right to a fair hearing for his views. Since 2011, when he started ONE Championship, the business has taken over 80 to 90 percent market share of Asian MMA, according to its Thai-born owner. Sityodtong told Forbes last summer that in the next 12 to 18 months, ONE would be valued at $1 billion.

The fortunes of UFC, the pioneer of mainstream MMA in the United States and McGregor’s home, and ONE are linked, of course. Sityodtong calls the two brands’ hold over the sport a “global duopoly.” “The largest player in the western hemisphere is UFC. The largest player in the eastern hemisphere is ONE Championship.”

http://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/full/public/2017/04/19/angela-lee-one-championships-atomweight-champion-evolve-mma-gym-singapore-november-24.jpg
Angela Lee, ONE Championship's atomweight champion, at Evolve MMA Gym, Singapore, November 24, 2016. ONE has become Asia's answer to UFC.
YONG TECK/ACTION IMAGES

The geographical distinction is significant for Sityodtong. “Ultimately, fans want to root for people who share their common culture, values and even physical look, right?

“It’s tribal. Our roster, for example, is 70 percent Asian and 30 percent non-Asian. If you look at UFC’s roster, it is 98 percent non-Asian. I do believe their formula is very different from ours, meaning UFC tends to focus on the fights and the violence. That’s why McGregor and Jon Jones work very well, resonate very well in the western hemisphere.”

UFC’s growth, from the “no-holds barred” events of the mid-1990s to its sale in the summer of 2016 to WME-IMG for $4 billion, has not, so far, included cracking the vast Asian market. The promotion last held a live event on the continent on November 28 2015, in South Korea. “UFC has never been a major player in Asia,” Sityodtong says. “They have always been a minor player, two to three events per year. The fact that we have out-executed them comes down to the fact that we are very focused on Asia, and UFC has been focused on the western hemisphere.”

There are wrinkles in the theory. Chan Sung Jung, garishly, thrillingly nicknamed “The Korean Zombie,” has proved a popular addition to UFC, though his career was held up by the necessity of national service in his homeland. And in 2017, UFC plans a renewed assault on Asia. In June it will hold a card in Singapore—also the headquarters of ONE. Are the two brands about to step on each other’s toes, or will they start throwing hooks at each other for the same audience?

“I really wouldn’t say so,” Sityodtong says. “We are throwing a minimum of 18 events here in Asia [in 2017]. I think they are throwing one or two. So we’re not even on the same scale. We’re broadcast for far more hours than they are across Asia. Our TV ratings are much stronger than theirs. We are on TV free-to-air or paid broadcast for up to 400 hours of content per year in most countries already.

“The market also is massive. So I don’t think that we are going to bump into each other. But it’s clear who the leader is in this area.”

It hardly requires Sityodtong’s Harvard MBA to understand his reluctance to expand outside of Asia, and the UFC’s desire to take a greater slice of the pie in the far East. “We are 100 percent focused [on Asia],” he says. “There are two billion viewers in the same timezone. That’s what makes it a very interesting media market—the largest in the world [in terms of] sheer number of people.”

It’s a captive market and, most importantly Sityodtong says, one that remains relatively untapped.

“Every region in the world has several multi-billion dollar sports media properties,” he explains. “North America has NFL (the National Football League), NBA (National Basketball Association), NASCAR, UFC… they are all worth $5 billion to $30 billion each. You go to Europe and it’s the same thing, EPL (English Premier League), Formula One, Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga. There is IPL in India, that’s a billion-dollar business. Japanese baseball is a billion-dollar business there. There is also Chinese Super League. All country-specific. Asia has been the home of martial arts for 5,000 years. There is a home-grown martial art in every single country that is part of the culture, the history, the tradition of that country. That would be the genesis of ONE Championship.”

Sityodtong may be critical of some of the personalities UFC has ennobled but admits without its success ONE might never have got off the ground. “I saw UFC was exploding in America, heading for mainstream status,” he says. “And today I can say in America it is mainstream. In Asia I could see it was untouched. I could see that it was all about igniting what was already here.”

A 12-year television deal with ESPN Star Sports, signed just a year after ONE’s genesis in 2012, sent its fights into 24 countries across Asia. “The biggest driver [of growth], ultimately, is media rights,” Sityodtong explains. “If you look at something like NFL which has $13 billion in revenues, $7 billion of that comes from media rights. CBS or ESPN is paying the NFL just for the right to show it on their channels. That is what we are going for.”

While Sityodtong’s force of personality drives ONE—“I do hope to serve as an inspiration for everyone across Asia,” he says—UFC’s public face remains Dana White, the President who stayed on to run the company day-to-day when it shifted hands from the Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo and Frank, to WME-IMG.

“I think Dana is a brilliant businessman,” Sityodtong says. “I have utmost respect for him, he’s done very well.” But? “I would characterize him as a very American businessman as opposed to a global businessman, in terms of the nuances of culture and social sensitivities and values and political awareness of Asia.

“I think being a brash American, it’s a little bit more difficult in Asia because Asia is made up of very different countries, different religions, social norms, values. You can’t just come in here with an American attitude and succeed.”

Hence why, perhaps, Joe Carr, UFC’s Head of International and Content, talked in February of the “need for an Asian champion”—the UFC has never had one—and raised the possibility of signing China’s “biggest MMA star.”

Sityodtong has stolen in ahead of UFC there. Perhaps his greatest attraction right now, 20-year-old Angela Lee, was born in Vancouver to a Singaporean mother and South Korean father. In May 2016, Lee became MMA’s youngest ever world champion when she defeated Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi by unanimous decision. On Instagram—social reach matters for a fighter, whether you like it or not—she has 68.6 thousand followers.

The challenge, for Sityodtong and ONE, in building what he calls a “pan-Asian brand,” is that crowds who respond vociferously to Lee in one area might react completely differently in another.

“You really have to be very connected at the local, grassroots level,” he says. “But at the same time on a pan-Asian basis.

“In Japan they [fans] are very quiet. But let’s say you come to Singapore, they are very passionate fans. We have to tailor and customize our approach to local differences.”

UFC—despite playing catch-up—must present a challenge, too. Competition in business is welcome but not when it builds a pop-up store on your doorstep. Sityodtong may not like McGregor and he may think White paints with too broad a brush to appeal to Asia’s combat sports audience. But the essential truth is that ONE and UFC have different approaches to similar goals: hoovering up pay-per-view buys, ticket sales and sponsorship.

“My vision, my dream, is to have four billion viewers who are absolutely in love with ONE Championship,” he says. “And broadcasters who end up paying us billions of dollars in media rights. That’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

Is that pot big enough for two giant mixed martial arts companies? As UFC begins to look east again, we are about to find out.

[GeneChing]

I'm only posting this because it says she has a Wushu background (probably Sanda (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58601-Sanda) but I'm not going to bother chasing it down).

You think they mean 'Conviction' ala Gina Carano (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55819-Gina-Carano)? :rolleyes:


MMA: Iniong looks to leap into world title picture (http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/11/20/17/mma-iniong-looks-to-leap-into-world-title-picture)
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Nov 20 2017 04:11 PM

https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/trending/11/14/112017-gina-iniong.jpg
Fighting for the second time in two weeks, Gina Iniong seeks a statement victory. Handout photo

MANILA, Philippines – A professional martial artist for some seven years now, Gina "Convinction" Iniong admitted had a difficult time in adjusting to the spotlight.
Even as her extensive experience a wushu champion brought her from the boxing ring to the Muay Thai circuit, and eventually to the ONE Championship cage, Iniong has remained soft-spoken and reserved.
She prefers to do her talking inside the cage, where she now pursues her dreams of becoming a world champion.
"Although I have been in this game long, I am still very shy," Iniong admitted. "I do not think I will ever get used to talking to a large group of people."
"Speaking my mind and sharing my thoughts is a lot scarier than being inside that cage, that is for sure. It is better to let my fists do the talking," she added.
Ever since she directed her career path to ONE Championship, Iniong has let her actions speak louder than her words as she looked absolutely dominant on the global stage.
READ: Former ONE champ Shinya Aoki sets sights on another world title
The 28-year-old Team Lakay product battered Natalie Gonzales Hill en route to a unanimous decision this past April.
In front of a hometown crowd last November 10 at ONE: Legends of the World, Iniong extended her winning streak inside the ONE Championship cage to two matches with an outstanding second-round finish of Indonesia’s Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol.
Exactly 14 days after her remarkable conquest of Lumbangaol, Iniong will make an immediate return to action to face Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi in a three-round atomweight encounter at ONE: Immortal Pursuit, which takes place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Friday, November 24.
Iniong accepted the offer to fill in for ONE atomweight world champion Angela Lee, who withdrew from her title defense against Yamaguchi after suffering injuries from an unfortunate car accident nearly two weeks ago.
It will be a rematch of their first encounter three and a half years ago during a regional show in the Philippines, which saw Inion hack out a split decision over Yamaguchi.
Iniong is determined to claim a more decisive win this time around, as she believes her second meeting with Yamaguchi could be a stepping stone to a future shot at the world title.
"That is my ultimate motivation, to become world champion," said Iniong. "That is why I joined this organization, to showcase my skills and to prove to the world that I have what it takes to be the best."
"My opponent is a good striker, so I have no doubt that this will be an entertaining contest," she added.
Iniong has no qualms about going into an instantaneous title shot against Lee should she be victorious over Yamaguchi on Friday.
"I will face whoever ONE Championship wants me to face. I am ready, anytime. But I have my eye on the champion, and I want that belt," she declared.
As Iniong is set to step inside the ONE Championship cage for the third time this year, she has a clear vision in her mind.
Iniong knows that she will be locked inside the steel structure opposite a familiar foe like Yamaguchi, but she also recognizes what she has to do to get the job done.
"I will try to finish my fight in with a first-round knockout or submission. This is an opportunity to put me closer to my dream. I am giving everything that I have to get my hand raised this Friday," she vowed.

[GeneChing]

Time to split ONE Championship off into its own indie thread from the MMA in Asia (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62987-MMA-in-Asia) thread


Oct 8, 2018, 01:35am
ONE Championship's Latest Equity Investment Drives Total Capital Beyond $250 Million (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/10/08/one-championships-latest-equity-investment-drives-total-capital-beyond-250-million/#61b4e652166e)
Brian Mazique
Contributor

On Monday, ONE Championship announced it had closed a $166 million Series D financing round led by venture capitalist firm Sequoia Capital.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F87147133 8%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
YANGON, MYANMAR - NOVEMBER 03: Aung La N Sang prepares to face Alain Ngalani in an Open Weight Super Bout during ONE Championship: Hero's Dream at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on November 03, 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

This is the second investment deal between the two sides in the last 15 months. A Series C round spearheaded by Sequoia India and Missions Holding helped ONE Championship launch its mobile application. The latest round also includes investors like Temasek, Greenoaks Capital, and others.

With the latest investment, ONE Championship now exceeds $250 million in total capital base, per a press release from the promotion. ONE had already established itself as the largest sports media property in Asia. This only helps to further solidify that position. The promotion has expanded its overall scope in 2018. It's gone from featuring singular martial arts combat to kickboxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing. the aforementioned ONE app was launched and is available to fans around the world for free.

It streams all of the ONE events.

On Saturday, the promotion made its second trip to Bangkok, Thailand for ONE: Kingdom of Heroes.

The newly signed Srisaket Sor Rungvisai retained his WBC Super Flyweight title with a unanimous-decision win over Iran Diaz. The next event for the martial arts promotion is October 26 in Myanmar. ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight champion Aung La NSang will defend his 185-pound title against Mohamad Karaki. It's the first of six events scheduled to close out the year that will culminate with ONE: Realm of Champions on December 15 from Shanghai.

As ONE continues to turn out events in several countries across Asia, it seems the opportunities for growth and expansion will continue.

I write about sports and video games. I began my career with Bleacher Report in 2010 and I'm now a Forbes Contributor as well as a YouTuber. I've been blessed to make a living discussing things I'd talk about for free.
Follow me on Twitter, like my Facebook page and subscribe to my YouTube channels: Mazique on Hoops and Unique Mazique Sports and Gaming

[GeneChing]

Oct 12, 2018, 02:01am
ONE: Kingdom Of Heroes Generates 25 Million Viewers (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/10/12/one-kingdom-of-heroes-generates-25-million-viewers/#4f6061ea6981)
Brian Mazique
Contributor

ONE Championship's signing of WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and its first interpolation of boxing into its product was a smashing success.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F10469518 42%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (L) in action against Iran Diaz (R) during their super flyweight title bout at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, 6 October, 2018 (Photo by Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Per a press release from the promotion, which referenced data from Nielsen, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, ONE: Kingdom of Heroes at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand generated 25 million viewers. It also set a record for TV ratings share in Thailand with 58.5%. ONE reports the show did similar numbers across the region in Asia.

Srisaket successfully defended his title with a unanimous-decision victory over Iran "MagnifiKO" Diaz. The challenger put up a valiant effort, but in the end, the hometown hero had too much power and punching accuracy.

Srisaket, who is one of Thailand's biggest athletic stars was clearly the primary draw. However, Stamp Fairtex of Thailand thrilled the partisan fans by winning the ONE Super Series Atomweight kickboxing championship with a decision victory over Kai Ting Chuang. There were a total of six Thai martial artists on the card and they combined to go 5-1 at the event. ONE Championship events aren't available on TV in the United States, however, the promotion launched a new app earlier this year that gives fans across the world access to the shows for free.

The next ONE championship event takes place on October 26 in Yangon, Myanmar. ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion and Myanmar native Aung La N Sang will defend his 185-pound title against Lebanon's Mohammad Karaki at ONE: Pursuit of Greatness.

Anyone know where to find that free app? I imagine it's on the ONE Championship site, but I'm not going to search that out right now.

[GeneChing]

Oct 20, 2018, 11:07pm
ONE Championship Will Have An American TV Deal Before The End Of 2018, Per CEO Chatri Sityodtong (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/10/20/one-championship-will-have-an-american-tv-deal-before-the-end-of-2018-per-ceo-chatri-sityodtong/#1b37a9a46d57)
Brian Mazique
Contributor
i
Games

ONE Championship is coming to an American television network near you, and the deal will be confirmed soon.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fbrianmazique%2Ffiles%2F2018%2F 10%2Fused2-1200x798.jpg
Chatri Sityodtong CEO of ONE Championship CREDIT: ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

I had an opportunity to speak with the promotion's CEO Chatri Sityodtong on Friday about a number of things from the recent signing of Eddie Alvarez, the enormous amount of financial backing the organization has had to grow its business, to the subject of bringing it's brand of martial arts to U.S. television. The latter piece of information

"You will see a major U.S. TV deal coming before the end of the year," Sityodtong said. "We're in discussions with multiple U.S. broadcasters and we're very close to signing with one."

The Singapore-based martial arts promotion is just seven years old. However, it that span of time, the organization has exploded with growth and popularity in Asia. It is currently the largest sports property on the continent, and it continues to grow by leaps and bounds each year.

This year has been especially noteworthy for the organization. It's latest event, ONE: Kingdom of Heroes drew a reported 25 million viewers worldwide. These totals came from Nielsen Holdings, a data collection firm, and were pulled from ONE's various distribution platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Asian television and the ONE app). After the American TV deal is secured, the potential for viewership and exposure will grow.

Sityodtong didn't share the names of the networks he's in discussion with, but when this deal takes place, ONE will deliver a different style of martial arts than most Americans have become accustomed to seeing with the UFC and Bellator. ONE's presence will help to further diversify the number of martial arts options available for Americans to watch, which will provide choices.

That's something few consumers will ever complain about. Look for details as more information is available on what could be a historic deal.




I write about sports and video games. I began my career with Bleacher Report in 2010 and I'm now a Forbes Contributor as well as a YouTuber. I've been blessed to make a living discussing things I'd talk about for free.

Interesting. I look forward to checking this out.

[GeneChing]

Nov 9, 2018, 12:10pm
Eddie Alvarez Is Leading An Influx Of American Martial Artists Into One Championship (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/11/09/eddie-alvarez-is-leading-an-influx-of-american-martial-artists-into-one-championship/#fed7a504e7ca)
Brian Mazique
Contributor

Eddie Alvarez's contract with the UFC ended this year, and after fielding offers from a variety of promotions, The Underground King chose to sign a lucrative contract with ONE Championship.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2Fef39a5d2 d09c47e792373d514984c918%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Eddie Alvarez signed with ONE Championship but is that the just the beginning of a slew of American MMA fighters heading to Singapore. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Per Alvarez, whom I spoke to during an interview on The Fight Guys podcast, Alvarez talked about why he chose to sign with ONE over the other promotions that bid for his services. He identified the desire to win the only world title he hasn't won (he's a former Bellator and UFC champion). Alvarez also talked about how ONE seemed to fit his approach to martial arts. He referred to his previous stint fighting in Asia in the past.

"When I fought in Asia, I became very popular. I didn't have to conduct myself in any manner, or change my character or try to be someone just to get a title shot, or jump in line, or something like that," said Alvarez. "America is very much like that. It's like the squeaky wheel always gets the oil because a lot of American fans want to hear a story, a rivalry or a grudge. When I fought in Asia, back in 2007, the fans they truly loved fighting and martial arts. They believed in the integrity, the honor, and the respect. That's what they valued. They didn't value a story or a grudge or a lot of nonsense. I can be myself. I don't have to act out of character to sell something. I'm looking forward to being myself and not having to do things that I don't necessarily agree with in order to get ahead or get to a title shot."

You can listen to the entire interview with Alvarez below, as he spoke more in-depth about his decision to sign with ONE, his next possible opponents, goals and viewing himself as a business rather than just a fighter.

ONE Championship has a variety of stars like Angela Lee (Singapore), Bibiano Fernandes (Brazil) and Martin Nguyen (Australia), but Alvarez is the most prominent American free agent to sign with ONE in the promotion's history. When Ben Askren joined the promotion back in 2013, he was known because of his experience as an NCAA Division I wrestler, Olympian, and former Bellator champion, but he hadn't compiled a body of work in MMA like Alvarez.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2Ffcb7e8eb 21ee417f94b57da204c6ade3%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez speaks during a news conference for UFC 205, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, in New York. Alvarez is scheduled to face featherweight champion Conor McGregor to defend his lightweight belt on Nov. 12 in what will be the first UFC card to be held in New York after the state legislature legalized the sport earlier this year. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Suddenly, after Alvarez signed with ONE, he has been followed by a slew of other acquisitions of American talent in and out of the cage. The well-publicized trade of Askren from ONE to the UFC for Demetrious Johnson was the first move. Then, on Wednesday, ONE announced it had hired former Strikeforce competitor, UFC champion and women's MMA pioneer Miesha Tate as Vice President.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F545cd8da 14374354acd20080fde21e7b%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Demetrious Johnson celebrates after defeating Henry Cejudo in a flyweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 197, Saturday, April 23, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

What's next? There are rumors young and popular American Sage Northcutt could be the next former UFC fighter to sign on with ONE. If that comes to fruition, we'd be looking at four major acquisitions of American talent in a matter of weeks. I think it's safe to say there's a trend being established here. To add fuel to his fire, I spoke to ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong in October, and he told me the promotion would have an American TV deal in place before the end of 2018.

There is no question, the UFC is still the king of the streets when it comes to MMA in the United States, but it's becoming more clear that ONE is no longer satisfied with just being the largest sports property in Asia–which is already a large market. By acquiring Alvarez, Johnson, Tate and possibly Northcutt, ONE is sending a welcome message to fighters from all backgrounds, as long as they fit the model.

If this time proves to be significant in the sport of MMA, Alvarez's signing could be seen as the launch point.
Pay the money and fighters will come.

[GeneChing]

Aug 20, 2018, 11:53am
ONE Championship And The UFC Represent Global Duopoly In Martial Arts (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/08/20/one-championship-and-ufc-represent-global-duopoly-in-martial-arts/#cc534b043d45)
Brian Mazique
Contributor
Games

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is unquestionably the king of mixed martial arts in the western world, but ONE Championship is perhaps even more dominant in the east.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fbrianmazique%2Ffiles%2F2018%2F 08%2FDuos-3-1200x675.jpg
Chatri Sityodtong and Dana White CREDIT: PHOTO BY BRANDON MAGNUS/ZUFFA LLC/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES AND ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

With their meteoric rise to prominence over the past seven years, ONE has seemingly pressed all the right buttons in establishing itself as a viable rival to its Western counterpart. In Asia, ONE is the largest martial arts organization. One of the promotion's missions has been to unite the continent's 4 billion people on the shoulders of the many country's connections to the various disciplines.

“In the same way that Starbucks offers many flavors of coffee and tea, we offer all martial arts,” said ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

“We have earned that reputation over the last couple of years, and so instead of mixed martial arts, as a fight fan and as a martial arts lover, you now get to see all forms of martial arts for the very first time in history. So you will see matches of, you know, Muay Thai versus Tae Kwon Do, or Tae Kwon Do versus Kung Fu, and the list goes on and on.”

According to Sityodtong, who was born in Thailand but is part Thai and Japanese, this makes ONE Championship the world’s largest martial arts organization.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F81178516 2%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
YANGON, MYANMAR - JUNE 30: Aung La N Sang celebrates his historic title win, claiming the ONE Middleweight World Championship during ONE Championship Light Of A Nation at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on June 30, 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

While the UFC has taken a more in-your-face approach in its rise to prominence, with president and face of the organization Dana White serving as the perfect microcosm for the American mixed martial arts community, Sityodtong has taken a different route.

“Every region in the world had a sport that represented it," said Sityodtong. "In Asia, there was nothing. I thought to myself, there had to be a way to highlight each of the martial arts that originated from the variety of Asian cultures, and ONE Championship was it. The term MMA has a negative connotation in Asia, in the sense that it’s all about bloodsport, profanity, people who throw stuff at press conferences. That works in America, but not in Asia."

Sityodtong has gone on record multiple times, including a direct one-on-one conversation with me, saying that he would not sign Conor McGregor if he were a free agent. Sityodtong feels strongly that McGregor's persona is a poor fit for the culture and identity he has crafted for ONE.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F87147135 4%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
YANGON, MYANMAR - NOVEMBER 03: Aung La N Sang prepares to face Alain Ngalani in an Open Weight Super Bout during ONE Championship: Hero's Dream at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on November 03, 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

“MMA is kind of an Americanized version of what martial arts is. Real, true, authentic martial arts has to do more with values and how it impacts the human soul. It’s about the way of the warrior, about integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion. It’s about the true values of martial arts which is extremely significant here in Asia.”

The ONE Championship way appears to be a personal preference for Sityodtong, but it is also a calculated approach that originated from paying close attention to what resonates with Asian people. The proof is in the numbers, reach, regional reviews and the immeasurable responses from crowds at their events on hand to cheer on the fighters who have been given the platform to become icons in their countries.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F68907665 2%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
SINGAPORE - MAY 26: Angela Lee celebrates her submission win against Istela Nunes at ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 26, 2017, in Singapore (Photo by Dux Carvajal/ONE Championship/Getty Images)

Angela Lee of Singapore, Aung La N Sang of Myanmar and Eduard Folayang of the Philippines are to their countries what McGregor is to Ireland, and even bigger than Daniel Cormier, TJ Dillashaw and Rose Namajunas in the United States.

“We’re absolutely packing stadiums. We are filling thousand-seater arenas with passionate martial arts fans. We have the support of local governments, most importantly, the support of our fans. We have the most fantastic sponsors and partners on board that believe in what we’re doing, that believe in our vision,” Sityodtong concluded.

ONE Championship has been able to launch and reignite careers by focusing on the personal stories of the fighters. Spotlighting their backgrounds, personal and professional struggles and their overall journey. Recently, ESPN ran a piece on former NBA MVP Derrick Rose's immense popularity in China.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F48474684 8%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
GUANGZHOU, CHINA - AUGUST 21: (CHINA OUT) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls point guard, takes a selfie with fans on August 21, 2015, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

While Rose was born and raised in Chicago and has never competed in Asia professionally, the people of China are drawn to his perseverance and desire to play, despite suffering the multitude of injuries that have slowed what looked to be a Hall-of-Fame career. In the United States, his country of origin, he has largely been reduced to the subject of memes and unfortunate gifs.

It is this contrast in the view of professional athletes that Sityodtong and ONE Championship have honed in on. They worked used these values to rebuild the careers of fighters like Aung La and heavyweight champion Brandon Vera.

With business flourishing, ONE Championship has ramped up its lineup of live events. The promotion is scheduled to produce 24 live shows in 2018 and 36 in 2019. The UFC is scheduled to deliver 47 live events in 2018, but some may argue that less is more when it comes to combat sports events.

The fewer shows, the more each one feels like an event. Though that's purely a matter of fan or media preference.

ONE may not be emulating its global competition, but it is definitely aware of its presence. By establishing new divisions of its property like the ONE Super Series (kickboxing) and Rich Franklin's ONE Warrior Series, it has produced layers that can compete, or perhaps surpass Glory Kickboxing, Bellator Kickboxing and the UFC's Ultimate Fighter and Tuesday Night Contender Series.

ONE signed Giorgio Petrosyan and Yodcherry Sityodtong to bolster its kickboxing venture while ONE Warrior is designed to focus on the rising martial arts talent in Asia. It is in its second season and airs on affiliate networks and the ONE Championship official YouTube channel.

Franklin is a former UFC middleweight champion turned ONE Championship ambassador and Vice President who hosts the show along with Jonathan Fong. The duo travels across Asia searching for talent and experiencing local cultures.

The athletes compete in professional bouts with the chance of earning a contract that can exceed $100,000 US currency. It's like a mixture of traditional reality television, White's Lookin for a Fight, Tuesday Night Contender, Ultimate Fighter and the American singing competition, The Voice. Franklin does a lot of teaching and coaching of the prospects, which is part of his background. In the role, he's more than a talent scout. It's almost partly like a mentorship and it's a pretty unique presentation overall.

The UFC holds a firm grip on the attention of Western MMA fans, and the organization is prospering, but ONE is holding down its region of the globe equally. Fans can only wonder and/or hope that one day we might actually see a cross-promoted event between the two organization's top champions.

That's a fantasy, but fans of both brands can dream.

THREADS
ONE Championship (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)
UFC gets Bigger !! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?59993-UFC-gets-Bigger-!!)

[GeneChing]

Aside from me, of course...:cool:


Meet the Mixed Martial Arts Champion Who Became an Asian Movie Star (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brandon-vera-his-journey-mixed-martial-arts-asian-action-movies-1201511)
7:31 PM PDT 4/11/2019 by Mathew Scott

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2019/04/ash_9822_1.jpg
Courtesy of One Championship
Brandon Vera

One Championship heavyweight title-holder Brandon Vera looks set for a post-fight career in films after making an eye-catching debut in Erik Matti's actioner 'BuyBust.'

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Brandon “The Truth” Vera raised eyebrows when he made the move to Asia in 2014 for a fledgling fight promotion and an uncertain future. Five years later, the Filipino-American fighter had become a world champion and, rather more unexpectedly, a movie star.

Today, the 41-year-old from Norfolk, Virginia, is mixing his fight life as the current heavyweight champion of Singapore-based One Championship with an emerging career as an action star, after grabbing attention on debut in last year’s Erik Matti-helmed and well-received Filipino actioner BuyBust.

With a slew of film projects coming up, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Vera on the sidelines of One: Roots of Honour fight card in Manila, to talk about walking in the footsteps of his heroes.

How was the experience of trading the mixed martial arts cage for the BuyBust red carpet?

It was weird. It’s a different animal, a whole different monster. I thought it would be the same but it’s not. You have to try to be cute and be handsome. So it's totally different. It was really weird but awesome at the same time. I loved it.

Who were the film stars you grew up idolizing?

Obviously Bruce Lee. Chuck Norris. Everyone from the Saturday morning kung fu theatre I watched. Then [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood and even Tom Hanks. Bit of a broad range.

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/2019/04/on-set-erik.jpg
Erik Matti's Instagram
Vera on the BuyBust set with director Erik Matti.

How much of an influence was Bruce Lee considering you followed the same path — from martial arts to movies?

Come on. As a kid you looked up to two people — your dad and Bruce Lee. If your dad made you, it was only Bruce Lee. He made a major impact. He was small and we grew up in a racially charged era, real racism not just like today where someone just gets their feelings hurt. But that “little Chinaman” was always the one doing the biggest things. He was always reaching to do the impossible. So for sure, he had an impact on my career, not just as a martial artist but as a person.

Did you ever think you’d become an actor?

Never in a million years. I was looking for representation in the Philippines and wanted to look at pursuing an entertainment career outside the cage. I ended up with Virtual Playground, owned by Dondon Monteverde. They put a plan together, which I had to follow to a tee. I had to do all my [acting] classes, I had to read all my scripts. I fell in love with it.

Anne Curtis in 'BuyBust'
READ MORE
'BuyBust': Film Review
How was your first day on set with Erik Matti on BuyBust?

Man. The only comparison I can imagine is if you took somebody and you threw them into the fight circle on fight night and they had never even seen MMA before. “Go ahead, kid. Good luck”. I’d taken classes and preparing but once you’re in there? The first day was a blur.

There were some big stars involved — including Anne Curtis. Did you feel that when it came time to the stunts, that would be your chance to shine?

Oh, for sure. These are huge stars. But that was easy. I would do the rehearsals and say let’s do this one more time. It’s like a beautiful dance that you put together on set. It’s fun.

You were singled out in a lot of reviews for praise, too.

It felt like another world championship belt. It got to act with the biggest stars with the best records in the Philippines — and it turned out OK. I didn’t make a fool of myself, which is really, really cool.

So what do you have coming up?

We have three movies coming up. I have two scripts and am waiting for workshops. I can’t really talk about them at the moment, but I am super excited.

And you’ll still be fighting as you’ve challenged One’s light heavyweight champ Aung La N Sang?

Yeah, for sure. Actually, the training for these films is helping me keep my weight down and I have that fight coming up in October. So we have that hanging over us now as well. On the books we’re busy, off the books we’re even busier. It’s go, go, go and I’m drinking coffee all the time.

There was some debate in fight media when you made the move from the United States about whether it was the right one. How do you feel about it now?

One Championship’s last event [in Tokyo on March 31] smashed all sorts of records. The planets have aligned. Everything is just great and it’s lining up, one after another. Everybody thought I was crazy but look now. It’s like magic.

MATHEW SCOTT
THRnews@thr.com
@mathewscotthk

THREADS
ONE Championship (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)
http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70901-BuyBust"]BuyBust (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70901-BuyBust)

[GeneChing]

May 8, 2019, 02:15am
ONE Championship Aims To Be 'The Most Fighter-Friendly Martial Arts Organization In The World' (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2019/05/08/one-championship-aims-to-be-the-most-fighter-friendly-martial-arts-organization-in-the-world/#79db87723664)
Brian Mazique
Contributor

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F5f298142 4522453a9de70ef046a53973%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Demetrious Johnson of the United States speaks during ONE Championship A NEW ERA Press Conference in Tokyo Thursday, March 28, 2019. Alvarez and Johnson will make their One Championship debuts when the mixed martial arts promotion's first show takes place on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo's famed home of sumo wrestling. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ASSOCIATED PRESS

ONE Championship CEO and Founder Chatri Sityodtong has never shied away from setting high goals for himself and the martial arts organization he's helped guide to prominence. What was once a little-known MMA promotion has grown into a formidable player in the global martial arts market.

Part of what has helped ONE become the kind of organization capable of luring talents like Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Sage Northcutt, and Vitor Belfort is the fighter-first concept that more athletes seem to be embracing. Almost to a man, the athletes mentioned above have said ONE made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Long-time members of its roster like Brandon Vera have spoken at length about the way ONE's staff has treated him and other athletes. I've talked to newcomers like Northcutt who have had nothing but positive things to say about the environment he's currently working in with ONE. Newly hired vice president and former UFC women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has also gushed about her relationship with ONE, which is still in its infancy.

I spoke to Sityodtong last week about two of the organizations newest initiatives: the new ONE agent certification guidelines and ONE Studios. If Sitoydtong has his way, these two new programs will further establish ONE as "the global leader in martial arts leadership and thought innovation."

The ONE agent program is unlike anything we've ever seen in martial arts. ONE has created a structure that requires agents to meet the following criteria to represent any martial artist competing under the organization's banner:

Currently a resident in Asia for at least one (1) year
No prior criminal record
No history or current ongoing matters of legal or lawsuit activity with any athlete
A minimum of 10 years of related experience in the martial arts industry
Must possess a College or University Degree

"Agent certification was created to weed out the unethical managers who steal from athletes," said Sityodtong. "Just this year alone, we've had several athletes ask for our help with this problem. We could sit here and do nothing about it, or we could elevate the standard of excellence and create a better ecosystem for all parties involved."

Per Sityodtong, a current world champion on the organization's roster has been the victim of theft and mismanagement by an agent. Because the athlete was still in the midst of the legal process stemming from the incident, Sityodtong was unable to expound on the situation, but he believes it will be made public sometime later this year.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2Ffc5e6165 cd8e4ff9856cf08a148804cb%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters Demetrious Johnson, left, of the United States and Japan's Yuya Wakamatsu, right, face off during ONE Championship A NEW ERA Press Conference in Tokyo Thursday, March 28, 2019. Alvarez will make their One Championship debuts when the mixed martial arts promotion's first show takes place on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo's famed home of sumo wrestling. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ASSOCIATED PRESS

"At ONE Championship, we are always upgrading and improving all of our systems and processes across the company to ensure a healthy ecosystem for all parties," Sityodtong said in the press release announcing the new agent program. "For as many decades as I can remember, agent and manager fraud has always been a big problem in Asia. ONE Championship aims to create a healthier, happier, and safer environment for our athletes both in and out of the arena."

Ideally, this new program would take yet another step toward establishing an environment that doesn't require an athlete to worry about the perils of doing business with a shady manager. If it's successful, beyond the obvious monetary advantages, the new agent program could reduce the athlete's stress level, thereby keeping them healthy for longer, and also allowing them to perform at a peak level without worrying about as many things outside of the ring or cage.

In addition to the new agent program, Sityodtong also discussed the new ONE Studios, which aims to produce movies and television shows starring the organization's athletes and well-known actors and actresses.

"We will produce movies and TV shows across all genres, action, romance and comedy with our biggest stars, along with the biggest stars from our region," said Sityodtong. "Ultimately, I want to make international blockbusters. It would be amazing if we had Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with Brandon Vera, or perhaps Aung La N Sang in a movie. It would be amazing. We want to unleash the next Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jackie Chan into the world of movies."

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F55cb31f1 63eb4be983544dfcf0a40524%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters Xiong Jingnan of China, left, and Angela Lee of Singapore face off during ONE Championship A NEW ERA Press Conference in Tokyo Thursday, March 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ASSOCIATED PRESS

That might sound like crazy, out-of-the-box thinking, but if you become familiar with Sityodtong, you know he only knows one way to dream, and that's big. In many ways, that audacity is what has positioned ONE for the growth it has shown in the past two to five years. Per Sityodtong, ONE has had discussions with Netflix and Amazon about the distribution of their films and TV shows, but ultimately, it would like to produce content for 140 different countries out of its Singapore and Los Angeles offices.

"From our hydration policy to our cat scans, neurological exams to help prevent athletes from going into a match with a concussion, and other areas of focus on safety, we do this to help the athlete," Sityodtong said. "Now with ONE Studios as we think about marketing and the agent program, it helps to add multiple revenue streams for our athletes–during their careers and after they retire."

It's a fantastic concept. Based on the words of fighters currently on the roster, it seems as if ONE has been delivering an experience consistent with the motivation Sityodtong spoke about. If things continue to build in this way and the agent certification and ONE Studios add another layer to what seems like positive organization-athlete relations, ONE could add even more top-flight free agents to its roster in the future.

And no criminal record.

[GeneChing]

Jun 20, 2019, 12:52am
ONE Championship's CEO Chatri Sityodtong Is Determined To Establish A Permanent Presence In The U.S. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2019/06/20/one-championships-ceo-chatri-sityodtong-is-determined-to-establish-a-permanent-presence-in-the-u-s/#4a986cff4033)
Brian Mazique
Contributor
Games

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fbrianmazique%2Ffiles%2F2019%2F 04%2Fused5-1-1200x798.jpg
Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Championship CEO CREDIT: ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

ONE Championship has begun its latest expansion, and that includes opening offices in New York and Los Angeles. I spoke to Chatri Sityodtong, the CEO of the organization, and he made it very clear, his intention isn't to have a temporary presence in the United States.

Sityodtong is focused on making a serious and very permanent impression with American martial arts fans. We discussed this and a variety of other topics regarding ONE's expansion on Wednesday via phone. Take a listen to the entire interview below:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxm5wmR_YrU

ONE has already established itself as the largest martial arts organization in Asia, and expansion into the United States has long been a plan. That plan included acquiring a television and/or streaming deal with a major network or platform. ONE has secured that in its deal with Turner that also includes live streaming on B/R Live. Per Sityodtong, despite ONE events broadcasting on a tape delay on Turner, the ratings for the organization are already ahead of Champions League on the network.

With early success as a reality, Sityodtong says Turner is eager for ONE to put on events in the United States. This has become a focus area for ONE and according to Sityodtong, the organization is targeting the fourth quarter of 2020 for its first American event.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2F83bdc90c 87f7441b83c2b804e989f7a6%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Reigning ONE Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion Martin Nguyen, left, of Sydney, Australia, and challenger Kevin Belingon, right, of the Philippines, pose with ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, center, following a news conference of their Friday fight in the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship Tuesday, July 24, 2018 in suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. Nguyen will fight against Belingon in the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) ASSOCIATED PRESS

As of now, Sityodtong didn't want to speak specifically about the locations or venues, but he did say the organization is targeting the most iconic arenas in the United States. The UFC and Bellator have both had events at Madison Square Garden, and that is arguably the most famous arena in the world. It's possible MSG could be a potential location for a ONE event, but it's too early to tell.

I asked if Las Vegas was a location ONE would consider for an event, and Sityodtong said all cities are under consideration. Not only is Las Vegas commonly referred to as the fight capital of the world, but it's also the home city for the UFC's headquarters. That would put ONE in direct competition with the UFC, which is something Sityodtong doesn't shy away from in any manner.

"There are several hamburger and soda chains in the United States," said Sityodtong. "There is room for more than one martial arts organization." If you have followed ONE Championship through its meteoric rise in Asia, you know, Sityodtong is never bashful about taking on huge challenges and setting serious goals for his organization. Seeking to establish a footprint in the U.S. is just the latest example.

https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fdam%2Fimageserve%2Fdbd5e80e 115a4abcb056a2853d13bd3e%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
Fans reach out as ethnic Kachin origin mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Aung La N Sang, also known as the Burmese Python, walks in to fight Egyptian opponent Mohamed Ali in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, March 18, 2016. Aung La N Sang, a Middle Weight fighter went on to defeat Mohamed Ali in the MMA event "One-Union of Warriors" in the first round. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sityodtong believes there are distinct differences to the ONE Championship product and the UFC. "We Don't Sell Fights. We Build Heroes," Sityodtong said. This is evident in the way the organization has rebuilt champions like Myanmar's Aung La NSang, and promoted fighters like former UFC Men's Flyweight Champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson.

It's safe to say, the fights–while often thrilling–comes secondary to the principles of martial arts and the stories behind the men and women who climb into the ONE circle or ring to compete. As someone who has followed the organization closely for the past two years, I can say, there is a definite difference between a ONE, UFC, Bellator and Professional Fighters League event.

While I love the action that all of the organizations provide, and the ever-expanding platforms for martial arts, I can say there is value in what ONE brings to the table. The presentation offers a different flavor, and it would be fantastic to see more cross-promotion between the world's major organizations. This is something Sityodtong also discussed in the interview.

Perhaps establishing a presence in the United States would make something like that more feasible. With so many organizations like the UFC, Bellator, PFL and ONE still in the infancy of new distribution deals, it's an exciting time for combat sports in America.


Brian Mazique
Contributor
I write about sports and video games. I began my career with Bleacher Report in 2010 and I'm now a Forbes Contributor as well as a YouTuber. I've been blessed to make a living discussing things I'd talk about for free.

That's a half hour interview. I didn't listen. If anyone does, let us know the highlights.

[GeneChing]

ONE Championship to challenge UFC in North America after scoring TNT television deal (https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/ufc-one-championship-tnt-deal-north-america)
By Matt McNulty Published September 08, 2019 SportsFOXBusiness

What was once merely an attraction whispered about in hushed tones, mixed martial arts has become a money-making machine over the years after overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds.

In North America, the MMA market has been dominated by the brash, trash-talking Ultimate Fighting Championship since the promotion's inception in 1993, which began as an oddity fringe-sport and has since grown to earn deals with the likes of Reebok, getting sports coverage across network and cable TV.

Many have attempted to wrest that dominance from the UFC over the years, yet all have failed. President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban tried their luck back in 2008, when they turned an MMA apparel company, Affliction, into an actual promotion that the UFC successfully counterprogrammed.

Trump and Cuban dropped the venture, unable to compete with the world's leading mixed martial arts promotion. After two successful Affliction events, a third one went up in flames when one half of the headlining fight tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The promotion folded immediately after that.

But now, a new league is coming to town, one that is completely different from the product UFC fans have come to know over the years. A promotion that has dominated the Asian MMA market and is closing in on their 100th show.

A NEW PLAYER IN TOWN
ONE Championship, the biggest sports promotion in Asia will be a soon-to-be presence in the US after signing a television deal with TNT Sports late last year, president Chatri Sityodong told FOX Business.

“We offer a completely, 180 degree, diametrically opposed product to what North American MMA fans are used to seeing (in promotions like UFC and Bellator),” Sityodong told FNB in a phone interview Friday.

“American MMA is a blood sport, it promotes anger… controversy… negative energy. What ONE Championship does is offer a very different set of values. Things like respect, honor, humility.”

“We showcase the best of humanity,” he added.

https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2019/08/932/470/DC-4124.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

In a sport that’s become synonymous with the letters UFC, mixed martial arts has always had it's roots in more traditional disciplines, ranging from standup games from Muay Thai, kickboxing and karate to wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In the UFC, fans have come to know household names like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, two of the brightest stars of the sport. But both men have continually found themselves in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Just last week, McGregor made headlines after sucker-punching an elderly man in his native Ireland, all for refusing a drink of McGregor’s whisky brand Proper 12.



Irish Daily Star
✔
@IsFearrAnStar
Thursday's front page

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ECiJhwIWsAYW8JC?format=jpg&name=small
21
5:21 PM - Aug 21, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
19 people are talking about this
Before that, it was smashing a fan’s cell phone in Miami. Then there was the time where “The Notorious” and his crew crashed a Brooklyn press conference at the Barclay’s Center, and tossed a metal dolly through a bus window in a melee with future opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Things have not faired much better for Jones, who’s litany of scandals have kept him on the sidelines more often than not, over a few failed drug tests and a hit-and-run that saw Jones’ car smash into a pregnant woman’s car, breaking her arm.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQlYm_5EBs

Other former UFC fighters have left a permanent black eye on the promotion’s reputation. “War Machine,” formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, is currently serving a life sentence in Nevada for nearly beating his ex-girlfriend, Christie Mack, to death, in Aug. 2014. Former UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva was arrested that same year after bringing a gun to his ex-wife’s new boyfriend’s Florida Jiu-Jitsu studio.

The same can’t be said for the 550 fighters under the ONE Championship banner.

“You won’t find a single scandal with any of our top stars, or any of our fighters for that matter,” Sityodong emphasized. “You can’t find a single article of any of our athletes getting into trouble, no drugs, no DUIs, no assaults.”

BIG BUSINESS TO BE MADE

It’s no surprise to see ONE Championship make a concerted effort to lure North American fans over to their promotion.

MMA has become big business in the continent over the years, with the UFC being sold to Hollywood powerhouse WME-IMG for $4.025 billion in July 2016. The promotion just recently inked a lucrative deal with ESPN, valued at $7 billion after the ESPN deal, according to UFC president Dana White.

The five-year ESPN deal alone is worth $1.5 billion.

ONE Championship is looking for their piece of that pie after signing a television rights deal with TNT Sports, to air events live in North American TVs, in major North American cities, to offer their MMA product for fans who might be getting turned off from the soap opera the UFC has become. For a company that began in 2011 solely in Asian territories, ONE Championsip has turned a corner over the last year, making the move into the US market an obvious one.

In October of last year, One Championship announced it had closed a $166 million financing round led by Sequoia Capital, pushing the Asian mixed martial arts promotion's total capital base past $250 million.

The Singapore-based company is now opening offices in New York City and Los Angeles as they begin to make inroads into the North American MMA market.

CHALLENGING AN INDUSTRY GIANT, TOPPLING A MONOPOLY

The odds of going toe-to-toe with the UFC and coming out on top may seem steep, but the move has become increasingly organic and more realistic by the month. ONE Championship recently signed former UFC flyweight champion and pound-for-pound great Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez last year, with both men making their ONE Championship debuts in March.

https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2019/08/932/470/VID_2303.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Sage Northcutt, another name many North American MMA fans have become familiar with thanks to an eight-fight UFC stint, signed with ONE Championship shortly thereafter before making his debut with the promotion in May.

“The UFC stars who have come over, and a lot of UFC stars have reached out (to us)… we carefully select those that represent our values. Fighters like Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson, Sage Northcutt,” Sityodong said. “We are not interested in loud, brash characters like in western promotions. Our stars are role models, people little boys and girls worldwide can look to as inspiration.”

The three-year broadcast deal with Turner Sports kicked off on in Dec. 2018, with 24 events scheduled for 2019. The first ONE Championship broadcast set to air in primetime in the US on Oct. 12, and will also commemorate ONE Championship’s 100th event

I was told by a notable fight promoter that he won't enter fighters into ONE because they don't drug test. I've not been able to validate that claim, but he isn't the type that would make that up for my benefit - at least, I doubt he would. Anyone know more about this?

[Kymus]

In regards to drug testing, it seems that ONE is engaging in wishful thinking at best or blowing smoke at worst.


ONE Championship, one of Asia’s largest martial arts organizations, has long maintained an environment free of drug testing.

In fact, ONE Championship’s founder and CEO, Chatri Sityodong, provided The Straits Times with an illuminating perspective to that effect in September 2016:

“Chatri said ONE does not carry out doping controls, but he insisted the culture of respect in martial arts – and the poor economic backgrounds of many fighters – meant drug-cheating was unlikely.”

Recently, however, a report by Asian MMA’s James Goyder surfaced that ONE Championship would be implementing World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standard drug testing in 2019, though there was no specification as to what that would mean in practice.

It is unknown if the ONE Championship drug testing was to be done through WADA, in adherence to their guidelines, or conducted at WADA labs.

https://thebodylockmma.com/one-championship/whats-going-on-with-one-championship-wada/

But the plot thickens


Recently, the drug-testing program employed by prominent Asian MMA organization ONE Championship has come under intense scrutiny from media members, mixed martial artists, and the general public.

In a now-deleted Facebook post from July 13, UFC veteran Will Chope, a current coach to several fighters on the ONE Championship roster, levied several allegations against ONE Championship and the promotion’s drug-testing system and claims made by the organization that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) would be inextricably tied to the system.

WADA is a globally recognized authority on anti-doping in sports, and the foundation was founded in 1999 by the International Olympic Commission. According to WADA’s website, [WADA] code compliance monitoring, anti-doping coordination, global anti-doping development, and athlete outreach, along with providing educational, scientific, and medical information, are the foundation’s key objectives.

Referencing an article from The Body Lock, then-titled “ONE Championship drug testing to commence in 2019 through WADA,” Chope wrote, “If you read the article, you’ll realize the title is bullsh*t.”

The article was written in response to a January report from Asian MMA’s James Goyder and a subsequent press conference statement from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong that ONE would introduce “WADA standard testing” in 2019. In the article, notable ONE athletes Martin Nguyen and Garry Tonon were quoted as having no knowledge of such testing.

https://thebodylockmma.com/one-championship/world-anti-doping-agency-distances-itself-from-one-championship-claims/

[Kymus]

ONE has a lot going for it as the Asian UFC and a rising contender to the UFC's monopoly as they pick up more and more former UFC fighters and some notable American fighters (like BJJ legend Gordon Ryan who just finished ADCC after beating his own teacher!). But there's some shady practices involved as well. Fight analyst Jack Slack (https://twitter.com/JackSlackMMA) has many times criticized some of ONE's questionable practices. Given, Jack is a self admitted negative nancy and in very much a glass-half-empty type of bloke but he's not exactly wrong. Off the top of my head:


Closed door weigh-ins
The good: weight cutting is restricted to hydration levels. This prevents fighters from doing mega weight cuts that both give them a size advantage and can really hurt their health. Fighters, including well respected ones like DJ (Demetrius "Mighty Mouse" Johnson) have said how they like it and how it makes things easier for them.
The bad: oh oops, all weigh ins are closed to the public and we really have no idea if a fighter is actually weighing in at the required weight or not. The ****?!
Questionable scoring
Jack Slack talked about this a little bit in his most recent Fights Gone By Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66UyogtL8wE&t=1772s). Fights are not judged by rounds like in the UFC, but by overall performance. If your opponent gets more hits on you in the first two rounds but you come out and beat them within an inch of their life in the third round and leave them in a pool of their own blood, then you will win the decision. The head scratcher is that there's no scoring announced. ONE does list the criteria they use to judge the fights, but no scores are announced. The UFC uses a 10 point must scoring system (https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2007/10/7/143729/816) which, while flawed, you can at least tell how many rounds a fighter lost and judges score cards are released to the media after a fight.
Employees that manage or train fighters
This one I'm fuzzy on; Jack Slack has spoken on it in the past if you feel like digging it up. DJ's coach has business ties with ONE and this is why he doesn't corner DJ when he fights. Now, DJ is considered pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the world and one would have to be an absolute fool to question his abilities (fast as hell, great fight IQ, superior wrestling. Video game moves (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1OZHNf8hoo) that earned him submission of the year. He does it all) so he doesn't need an insider's helping hand to be successful in MMA, but it still is questionable.
Questionable decisions affecting a fight after it happened
Another thing I've heard from Jack Slack (I'm still new to ONE and don't watch it regularly unlike the UFC. It's also not nearly as popular in the US so news doesn't travel as fast). Supposedly there have been some questionable overturning of decisions after a fight to possibly protect their golden goose (the Lee family; Angela and Christian). Now, Angela Lee is currently on a 2-fight losing streak (her only two losses in her career), one to TKO and the other to an IMO bad judge's decision and there has been no overturning so who knows I guess?
No drug testing
Because: "lolz no real martial artist are too honorable to do that so why would we?"
Questions on longevity
This may be why there's so much fuzzy stuff going on with ONE. Right now they're being funded by venture capital and are not making money yet. They're basically doing the Microsoft Xbox thing where they just keep failing and losing money until they iron out all their issues and takeover Asia (which they pretty much have I think. Other than ONE, the other two big promotions are Rizin and Jewels which aren't as big as ONE.

[Kymus]

More fuzzy stuff from ONE. The atomweight champion and ONE darling Angela Lee defended her belt against Xiong Jin Nan who defeated her in a different title fight. She used a suplex-like move that many wonder if it had broken ONE's rules against any and all suplexes. Chatri Sityodtong had previously posted on Facebook that all suplexes are illegal but apparently that post is now nowhere to be found following Lee's 5th-round victory. I haven't watched the fight yet but based on the description of the rules, it appears that Lee didn't use an illegal move but it does contradict Chatri's now deleted post.

https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3032736/one-championship-angela-lee-denies-illegal


Angela Lee has defend herself against accusations she used an illegal suplex in the climax of her fight against Xiong Jingnan at One Championship’s Century Part 1 card in Tokyo.

“Unstoppable” retained her atomweight title in their rematch by submitting “The Panda” by rear-naked choke with just 12 seconds left on the clock in the fifth and final round.

But some fans on social media had claimed she set up the submission with an illegal slam.

“We pay very close attention to the rules of One Championship, and when I went for my takedown, I lifted her up and I threw her front side. So she would land on her face, not on the back of her head,” Lee told FanSided.


The official One rule set printed in the event’s programme notes says “all takedowns are legal but must not result in spiking or pile driver to the head or neck”. The move is not listed under the “illegal techniques” section either.

“I have not seen the replay or anything like that so I don’t know, did she land on her shoulder?” One CEO Chatri Sityodtong said at the post-event press conference.

“I don’t know if it was a full suplex or a side suplex. I have to review the footage or get the competition team to review the footage.”

Interestingly, Angela's brother, Christian Lee (also a favorite of ONE execs and fans), was disqualified in the past for using a suplex (how or if it differed from Angela's is not know to me. It's also possible that the rules have seen been changed). I'm sure Jack Slack will have a hot take on this tomorrow.

I'll say it again: ONE is a good MMA organization and it's the promotion that a lot of people believe will be the one to finally provide a real challenge to UFC, but they got some dumb sh!t going on over there and it'll likely continue until they're more financially established and not running off of rich people's donations. That's my current take at least

[Kymus]

More on the recent suplex-gate. This article goes in to good detail (https://thebodylockmma.com/one-championship/assessing-the-one-championship-suplex-rule-controversy/) on the issue and mentions the few times a fighter (including ONE darling Christian Lee) has been DQ'd for a suplex. Based on the official rules Angela Lee did not use an illegal move, but based on previous statements by Chatri Sityodtong and DQ's that have been handed out, she did. Not a good position for ONE to be in, but they will likely sweep it under the rug. No suplexes of any kind seems like a silly rule to me; especially when knees to a grounded opponent are legal (they're illegal in the UFC, but suplexes and slams are legal even if they result in a KO). I also find it odd that ONE treats DQs as a loss instead of as a DQ. I'm not sure how other organizations do it, but in the UFC generally a DQ is counted separately. The one instance I am aware of where a DQ was counted as a loss is with otherwise undefeated fighter Jon Jones.

[GeneChing]

Coronavirus forces One Championship to put Singapore MMA show behind closed doors (https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3051078/coronavirus-forces-one-championship-put)
‘King of the Jungle’ will still be broadcast live on February 28 but tickets for Singapore Indoor Stadium will be refunded
‘My team and I had the option to cancel the event altogether, but we chose not to,’ says CEO Chatri Sityodtong
Nick Atkin
Published: 10:54am, 18 Feb, 2020

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/methode/2020/02/18/8f5fa582-51f6-11ea-8948-c9a8d8f9b667_image_hires_105412.jpg?itok=mLvTmgRQ&v=1581994457
Stamp Fairtex pummels Puja Tomar in Bangkok. She will headline the ‘King of the Jungle’ card in Singapore. Photos: One Championship

One Championship has decided to press ahead with its “King of the Jungle” card in Singapore on February 28, but the event will play out behind closed doors because of the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of the Asian MMA promotion, said all tickets bought for show at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium would be refunded, after deciding against cancelling it altogether. The event, headlined by Stamp Fairtex defending her atomweight kick-boxing title against Janet Todd, will still be broadcast live on television and digital platforms.
The Singapore government had already raised the DORSCON (Disease Outbreak Response System Condition) alert level to orange last week, with the Ministry of Health urging organisers to cancel or defer non-essential events.
“My team and I had the option to cancel the event altogether, but we chose not to cancel it,” Sityodtong said in a statement.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/02/18/335d577c-51f4-11ea-8948-c9a8d8f9b667_972x_105412.JPG
Demetrious Johnson will now get his One flyweight title shot in Jakarta, instead of Chongqing.

“Let us unite as a country and let us show strength as a continent to conquer this coronavirus,” he added. “We will get through these tough times together. Majulah Singapura! Jiayou China!”
There have been 77 reported cases of the coronavirus in Singapore, but no deaths. China’s health authorities on Tuesday reported 1,886 new coronavirus cases and 98 deaths on the mainland, taking the totals to 72,436 and 1,868 respectively, as of midnight on Monday.

The coronavirus has already seen One relocate its April 10 show from Chongqing in China to Jakarta, Indonesia.

One flyweight grand prix winner and former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson will aim to add more gold to his resume when he takes on flyweight champion Adriano Moraes, in the first of four bumper “One Infinity” cards in 2020.

The UFC has also been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus in Asia. Strawweight champion Zhang Weili has twice had to move her training camp, first from Beijing to Thailand, and then to Abu Dhabi, ahead of her UFC 248 title defence on March 7 against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.



Nick Atkin

Nick is a production editor on the South China Morning Post’s sport desk, where he covers mixed martial arts (MMA). He was previously a sports writer and editor for ESPN.

THREADS
ONE Championship (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)
COVID-19 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)
Zhang Weili (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71462-Zhang-Weili)

[GeneChing]

...or is it Chatri Sityodtong trying to capitalize by coattailing on a viral vid?

You have to follow the link to TMZ to see the vids.


BULLIED BOY QUADEN BAYLES GETTING MMA LESSONS
... After Heartbreaking Video (https://www.tmz.com/2020/02/21/quaden-bayles-bullied-boy-mma-lessons-one-championship/)
2/21/2020 6:26 AM PT
BREAKING NEWS

https://imagez.tmz.com/image/92/4by3/2020/02/21/92821dad35494499a7d3b7f649cc9a53_md.jpg

A 9-year-old boy who said on a heartbreaking video that he wanted to kill himself after being bullied is getting a lift from the MMA world ... he's taken ONE Championship officials up on their offer for free training lessons.

Quaden Bayles -- an Australian with Achondroplasia dwarfism -- went viral this week after his mom posted a disturbing video of him breaking down in tears after being bullied.

In the footage, Bayles tells his mother, "I wish I could stab myself in the heart. I want someone to kill me."

Thousands of people -- including celebs all over the globe -- reached out to show their support for the boy ... with ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong even offering free MMA lessons.

YOUR PAIN IS YOUR STRENGTH
@ONEChampionship

FYI -- ONE is one of the top MMA organizations in the world ... with stars like Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez fighting for the promotion.

Turns out, Bayles was super down for the training ... 'cause just hours after Sityodtong posted his message -- the ONE honcho says Bayles' family gladly accepted the offer!

"I just spoke to his amazing mom, Yarraka, over the phone," Sityodtong said Friday. "She has graciously accepted my invitation to come to Singapore for an all-expenses-paid vacation so Quaden can learn martial arts at EVOLVE."

"Our instructors will be sure to bully-proof Quaden. If he wakes up from his nap, we plan to FaceTime tonight. Yarraka said that he might sleep through the night. If so, we will FaceTime tomorrow. Let us all take the opportunity to show little Quaden how much the world cares."

Quaden is also set to make an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland in the coming months after a GoFundMe for the boy raised more than $230,000 in less than a day.

"Quaden’s feeling the love and now he needs a good rest," his mother said in a statement Thursday night. "We are meeting with the appropriate people in power to make changes and make a stand against bullying."

[GeneChing]

There's been a persistant campaign to debunk Bayles online. A claim that he's actually 18 and is scamming everyone with this has gone viral. It's so hard to tell what's real anymore, but the fack-checkers that debunk fake news like Snopes have debunked this claim (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/quaden-bayles-18-years-old/). Of course, some now question the factuality of the fact-checkers, but when that happens, we are truly lost. :(

Regardless, Bayles may need his own indie thread here soon.

Bullied boy Quaden Bayles accepts an offer to train with one of the world's biggest mixed martial arts promotions in Singapore after being invited by the multi-millionaire owner (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8031423/Quaden-Bayles-accepts-offer-train-martial-arts-champion-Chatri-Sityodtong-Singapore.html?ito=social-facebook_Australia&fbclid=IwAR1Ng55qZcXGwnrnvF0p4MGz_nwCN06qfCatV9YKq wqb4fSBXQnWe94UstY)
Quaden Bayles was invited to Singapore to learn martial arts with champion
Chatri Sityodtong invited Quaden and his family to an all expenses paid trip
On Saturday, he accepted the invitation and will learn martial arts skills
Quaden rose to fame after emotional video of him breaking down went viral
Fundraiser has generated more than $400,000 to send him to Disneyland
By SAHAR MOURAD FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
PUBLISHED: 00:52 EST, 22 February 2020 | UPDATED: 00:52 EST, 22 February 2020

Quaden Bayles has been taken up an offer to travel to Singapore and train in mixed martial arts.

The nine-year-old boy appeared in an emotional video filmed by his mother Yarraka showing him breaking down in tears after he was subjected to bullying.

Since then, celebrities and sports stars including Hugh Jackman, broadcaster Piers Morgan and rugby league star Johnathan Thurston have shared messages of support.

Martial arts champion and ONE Championship founder Chatri Sityodtong offered to fly Quaden and his family on an all-expenses paid trip to Singapore.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/22/01/25042828-8030839-While_trolls_continue_to_spread_rumours_Quaden_pic tured_has_rece-a-12_1582335405561.jpg
Martial arts champion Chatri Sityodtong offered to fly Quaden and his family to an all-expenses paid trip to Singapore.

'I just want to let you know you have a friend out here in Asia and I know you're going through incredible suffering and pain. I can't imagine what you're going through,' Sityodtong said.

'But I want you to know that God gives the toughest battles to his bravest and strongest soldiers and for sure you're one of them.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/22/05/25048898-8031423-image-a-2_1582348529348.jpg
Quaden's mother Yarraka accepted the invitation with Mr Sityodtong excited to train the youngster

'And I want you to know that your pain and suffering today is going to be your strength tomorrow.

'One day you're going to rise above and have the strength, compassion and empathy because everything you've gone through to help others. I really believe it.'

He then extended an offer to Quaden and his family to learn martial arts in his 'bully-proof' school.

'I would also like to extend to you and your family an all expenses paid trip to Singapore.

'I own a wonderful martial arts school called Evolve Mix Martial Arts. It has an incredible children's program that bully-proofs kids.

'If you have time this summer I'd love to invite you and your family as my personal guests to Singapore.'

He ended the video on a strong note asking parents and children to put a stop to bullying.

'To the parents and children out there, lets stop this bullying. Lets be kind to one another. The world needs it now more than ever.'

Quaden's mother accepted the invitation with Mr Sityodtong excited to train the youngster.

'He has graciously accepted my invitation to come to Singapore for an all-expenses-paid vacation so Quaden can learn martial arts at EVOLVE,' he tweeted.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/22/05/25048894-8031423-image-a-6_1582348667931.jpg
Quaden (pictured) will join Mr Sityodtong where he will learn some martial arts skills

Yarraka shared the distressing video which sparked the outpouring of support after picking her son up from school on Wednesday.

The schoolboy, who has achondroplasia - the most common type of dwarfism - told his mother: 'Give me a rope, I want to kill myself.'

In the video, which has been viewed more than three million times, Quaden also said: 'I just want to stab myself in the heart... I want someone to kill me.'

Quaden also scratched at his neck and said: 'I want to die... I want to scratch myself.'

Now, he will also lead the Indigenous All-Stars out onto the field in their rugby league clash with the Maori All Stars in Queensland on Saturday.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/21/23/25041918-8030839-image-a-1_1582327945658.jpg
Quaden Bayles' Instagram account 'Quadosss' warned his 226,000 followers that fake accounts were being created in a post on Saturday morning

A fundraiser started by comedian Brad Williams to send Quaden to Disneyland has raised more than $400,000.

While trolls to spread rumours, Quaden has received an outpouring of international support, including from Hugh Jackman and comedian Brad Williams.

Williams, who also has dwarfism, created a fundraiser for Quaden after hearing the upsetting news that he was bullied at school.

The fundraiser has now garnered $434,554 from more than 19,000 supporters since the American comedian started the GoFundMe page on Thursday.

[GeneChing]

ONE CHAMPIONSHIP'S JAMES YANG TRAINED FOR THREE YEARS IN SHAOLIN TEMPLE IN RURAL CHINA (https://www.sherdog.com/videos/videointerview/One-Championships-James-Yang-Trained-for-Three-Years-in-Shaolin-Temple-in-Rural-China-17416)
SEP 13, 2021
In a matter of days, one of James Yang’s life dreams will come true as he makes his mixed martial arts debut.

The life of the 32-year-old has been full of adventures so far. The One Championship lightweight traveled around the globe to pursue fulfillment as a person and a martial artist. Now, he is scheduled to take on Roel Rosauro at the upcoming One “Revolution.” Before switching to MMA and training under Matt Hume at AMC Pankration, Yang had a life-changing experience in a Shaolin temple in rural China.

“When I was 17, out of high school, my plan was, you know, I was going to take six months off in Northern Shaolin martial arts academy,” he said. “It’s near a city called Siping in Dongbei, North-eastern China. It actually bordered North Korea, it’s very high there. The closest city, Siping, is about an hour away. That’s the closest city. It’s an hour away by taxi car. I was in rural, rural China. Even the nearest village was like six, seven kilometers away. We had nothing up there, it was living on this hill. At the academy, it wasn’t just shallow martial arts. They had Shaolin, but they had ba-ji[quan], Chen-style tai chi and Sanda, which is like Chinese kickboxing. They had a big mix of martial artists.”

The recollection of what happened while staying in China resembles some kung fu movies from the 80s, in which the young apprentice has to go through a series of challenging tasks to subdue his ego and grow his patience.

“I planned to for six months, come back, go schooling, do the whole typical thing, right, get a job and all that, but what I ended up doing was staying there for three years in that academy. I got this opportunity as a foreigner to perform with the demo team, and that’s a huge opportunity, like not a lot of people get to do that. Just to get an idea, we trained like eight hours a day, right? You get like two hours of hot water at night to shower and there’s like moldy, crusty facilities and everyone crams in there at night. Bathrooms are like all squatters, you’re literally looking at somebody while they’re watching you taking number two or whatever. It’s just that kind of situation.”

Yang also talked his experience as a performer at Cirque du Soleil and commented on Demetrious Johnson’s loss to Adriano Moraes and the global ruleset that One adopts.

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and now he covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.
There's a vid behind the link

threads
Shaolin-in-the-Ring-and-Cage (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68809-Shaolin-in-the-Ring-and-Cage)
Siping-City-Shao-Lin-Martial-Arts-Academy (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49658-Siping-City-Shao-Lin-Martial-Arts-Academy)
ONE-Championship (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)

[GeneChing]

Put these two in the cage. I'd watch the hell out of that fight. :cool:


‘He Doesn’t Know Anything About Martial Arts’ – Chatri Sityodtong Claps Back at Dana White (https://www.essentiallysports.com/mma-one-championship-ufc-news-he-doesnt-know-anything-about-martial-arts-chatri-sityodtong-claps-back-at-dana-white/)
Published 10/04/2021, 6:35 AM EDT

https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Chatri-Sityodtong-and-Dana-White-2.jpg?width=900
By ARMAN KHAN
ONE Championship’s claim to being the “Home of Martial Arts” isn’t just a simple battle cry, it’s the core ethos for the now 10-year-old promotion.

For the past decade, ONE has featured not only the best mixed martial artists in the world, but also elite fighters across Muay Thai, kickboxing, submission grappling, and the like.

That’s why when someone like UFC President Dana White took potshots at the hybrid MMA-Muay Thai special rules match between Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon at ONE X in December, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong couldn’t help but fire back.

“I don’t think Dana knows how to fight,” Sityodtong said at the ONE: Revolution post-event interviews, in direct response to White’s comments.

“Dana is a great businessman, but he doesn’t know anything about martial arts. I don’t even think he knows how to throw a leg kick. He talks like it with his athletes, but I’d love to see a video of him throwing a leg kick. I don’t think he’s even qualified to talk about Muay Thai.”

White had recently made comments about the Johnson-Rodtang matchup, saying it was “weird” and would “not work.” Sityodtong doesn’t believe White is in a position to give his opinion on the bout.

Is Chatri Sityodtong the right person to talk about martial arts?

To say Sityodtong knows what he’s talking about when it comes to martial arts is an understatement.

Not only is Sityodtong one of the prime movers in one of the world’s biggest sports properties, but he himself is also a martial artist through and through, having been a Muay Thai practitioner for close to four decades now, as well as recently earning a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

“It’s different. I’ve been doing Muay Thai for 37 years and still train every day, and I do BJJ five to six times a week,” Sityodtong said.

In comparison, White practiced boxing back in his teen years before he eventually became a manager and a businessman.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon hybrid match was a calculated move

Sityodtong clarified that this unique setup for the Johnson-Rodtang bout wasn’t done on a whim. Rather, it was a calculated move aimed at pitting two of the best in their respective disciplines in this one-of-a-kind showcase for the promotion’s 10 year anniversary.

“We wanted to do something spectacular and something different and I said, let’s also pay homage to Asian MMA and the history of Asian MMA,” Sityodtong said.

“This is our 10th year anniversary and I said let’s do something with world title fights but at the same time, let’s do something that celebrates the true spirit of what Japan started because I don’t think people realize but Shooto is actually the first mixed martial arts organization in history.”

“So I told my team: Think of a crazy fight that we could do. It’s a one-off thing, it’s not like we’re going to do this every event with other fighters. It was just a crazy idea to celebrate Asian MMA.”

Sityodtong on the difference between UFC and ONE Championship

As for White, Sityodtong understood the American’s hesitance on this unique hybrid match. But all innovations have their own set of detractors in their heyday, and at the end of the day, it all boils down to the difference of the promotions at their core.

“We have a different approach. UFC is the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world. ONE is the largest martial arts organization in that we have many verticals of martial arts,” Sityodtong said.

“We have mixed martial arts, we have Muay Thai, we have kickboxing, we’ve even had boxing world title fights, we’ve had submission grappling. We try to excite and delight and surprise fans, combat sports fans from all over the world and from all genres. In many ways, it’s not just martial arts being ONE. I do believe all martial artists on the planet irrespectively, whether it’s karate, taekwondo or wrestling, or boxing or Muay Thai, we are all on the same path.”

In conclusion, Chatri Sityodtong said: “ONE is the home of Martial Arts. He can take whatever digs at ONE he wants, I’ll take a dig at his leg kicks.”

threads
Dana-White (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?47174-Dana-White)
ONE-Championship (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)

[GeneChing]

This Shaolin Monk Turned MMA Fighter Is A Beast (https://www.msn.com/en-sg/sport/other/this-shaolin-monk-turned-mma-fighter-is-a-beast/ar-AASavO1)
ONE Championship 4 days ago
https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AASaqpj.img?h=450&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=460&y=191
Watch the best hits of Xie Wei's exceptional ONE Championship career.
© ONE Championship Watch the best hits of Xie Wei's exceptional ONE Championship career.
Chinese knockout artist Xie Wei spent four years training under the tutelage of the Shaolin warrior monks before fulfilling his longtime dream of becoming a professional mixed martial artist! Relive “The Hunter’s” wildest highlights in ONE, featuring his shocking knockout of Cambodian Kun Khmer fighter Chan Rothana and more!

threads
Shaolin-in-the-Ring-and-Cage (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68809-Shaolin-in-the-Ring-and-Cage)
ONE-Championship (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)

[GeneChing]

"Destiny lies where you put most of your energy" - Xie Wei talks transition from Shaolin monk to ONE Championship fighter (https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/xie-wei-shaolin-monk-one-championship)

https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/05/e39ac-16540044662582-1920.jpgi[Photo Credit: ONE Championship] Xie Wei

Timothy Wheaton
CONTRIBUTOR
Modified 01 Jun 2022

Thousands of years of martial arts have been developed through the Shaolin Temple. Former Shaolin monk Xie Wei stepped away from his studies there to enter MMA.

Today, he is a promising prospect in ONE Championship and combines modern MMA with ancient martial arts teaching.

'The Hunter' Xie Wei was inspired by movies he saw online to study Shaolin Kung Fu. He spent years drilling at the legendary temple and eventually became a martial arts instructor there.

The Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou, China dates back nearly 1,500 years and today, it is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The monks at this temple studied and developed both Zen Buddhism and martial arts. It is said that the basis for all martial arts began here.

Xie Wei became a warrior monk and studied Shaolin Kung Fu to become a teacher of it. When he decided to leave the temple and pursue a career in MMA, this decision was not supported by his family. However, after seeing him perform, they came around. Their support pushed him even harder to succeed.

Speaking to ONE, Wei said:


“In the beginning, they didn’t support me, but since my father watched me perform in my first fight he saw something I couldn’t and that makes him realize I have the material for this."
Turning from traditional Kung Fu to Mixed Martial Arts is not an easy path. He had his first professional MMA fight in 2017 and traded wins and losses. With each setback, his coach always helped support and educate him. Losses became opportunities to learn.

His coach, Liu Jin Wen, was an important factor in teaching this lesson. Wei explained:


"No matter whether I won or lost, [my coach] always helped me to analyze my fights so I can see how I performed in each one. My coach has a saying, ’Your destiny lies where you put most of your energy and time,’ and you will get what you work for. He tells me if I work hard I will see the results, but meanwhile, enjoy the process.”
Eventually, Xie Wei developed and showed enough promise that in 2019, he made his debut in the ONE Hero Series.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngns_dZbRm4&feature=emb_logo
The Chinese-born fighter put together a very impressive win streak as he entered ONE Championship. Xie Wei was developing his all-round skills but was still very dangerous on the feet due to his past training.

Incredibly, the young fighter won his first five fights in a row in ONE, all by way of KO/TKO. In fact, he was able to stop three of his opponents in the very first round.

Importantly, he never let the success get to him. Instead, he treated these fights as a learning experience. Speaking to ONE Championship, he stated:


"I treated it as part of my training – training like a soldier to make myself tougher. To me, ONE Hero Series was a preparation and a chance to know myself more clearly."
Xie moved from ONE Warrior series to ONE Championship, and faced Filipino Danny Kingad on his debut. Kingad is a former top title contender and Grand Prix runner-up to Demetrious Johnson.

It was a tall order for a young and developing fighter such as Wei. He lost this bout, his official debut in ONE, via unanimous decision. It was a disappointing result, but it did prove that he belonged on the main stage. He hung in there with the best of the division.

The young fighter took a lesson from that loss and began working even harder. His goal of ONE Championship gold never wavered.


“I have already passed the hardest test in my ONE debut against Danny Kingad... But that’s just history now. I will get back to my winning streak very soon. And in the near future, I’ll become China’s first male world champion.”
Since this loss, Xie Wei has put together an impressive series of victories. He first stopped Chan Rothana in the third round with a series of punches. It was an important fight to get back in the win column.


ONE Championship
@ONEChampionship
Chinese star Xie Wei 🇨🇳 starts the show with a third-round KO of Chan Rothana! #ONECollisionCourse #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship


'The Hunter' next met Kantharaj Shankar Agasa, a wrestling-based fighter. Xie was able to defend against most of the aggressive takedown attempts from Agasa. Even when he was taken down, he was able to get back to his feet. This was an important test for him.

A flying knee which landed for Xie Wei opened a large cut on his opponent. The bleeding could not be stopped so 'The Hunter' was declared the winner via TKO.

Dae Hwan Kim was the most recent fight for Xie Wei. He faced early adversity in and got dropped with a punch in round one. He then survived a submission attempt.

Xie Wei survived round one just to give it all back in round two. Wei dropped his opponent and nearly finished him. Going into the third frame, Xie was the better conditioned fighter.

Kim was hit with sharper punches from a fighter who had more energy. Wei dug to the body and won via liver-punch TKO. Having begun his ONE Championship career with a loss, 'The Hunter' has now picked up three TKO wins in a row.


ONE Championship
@ONEChampionship
"The Hunter" hits the liver! 😱 #ONEBattleground3 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship

Xie Wei will next face submission specialist Reece McLaren on June 3 at ONE 158. A win here would likely move him into the top five rankings in the flyweight division. A victory would also bring him even closer to fighters such as Adriano Moraes and 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson.

The former Shaolin monk is looking to hold a ONE Championship title. He is hoping for another victory on June 3 to move closer to that goal.

threads
Shaolin-in-the-Ring-and-Cage (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68809-Shaolin-in-the-Ring-and-Cage)
ONE-Championship (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)

[GeneChing]

Exclusive | ONE Championship has new anti-doping partner, will drug test athletes at all events (https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3189613/one-championship-has-new-anti-doping-partner)
Martial arts promotion will start testing athletes at next weekend’s double header of events in Singapore, including Amazon Prime Video debut
All athletes will be informed of the new policy via an internal memo, a copy of which the Post has seen

Nicolas Atkin
Published: 9:01pm, 20 Aug, 2022

https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1098,format=auto/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/canvas/2022/08/21/b344d63d-88c0-4d8d-b16d-b5c080fac6a0_fa9c65ba.jpg?itok=6Qp7L_La&v=1661044796
ONE Championship CEO and chairman Chatri Sityodtong speaks at a press conference ahead of ONE X in Singapore. Photos: ONE Championship
ONE Championship has a new anti-doping partner that will drug test all of its athletes, starting with next weekend’s double header of events at Singapore Indoor Stadium, a source has told the Post.
The martial arts promotion gets back to action in its home city with ONE 160 on the evening of August 26, before returning the following morning for its first event on Amazon Prime Video, which will be broadcast in prime time in the US the night before.
The arrangement will remain in place for all future events, the source said, with all athletes to be informed of the new policy via an internal memo, a copy of which the Post has seen.
ONE’s new drug testing partner, International Doping Tests & Management – a subsidiary of Drug Free Sport International – will “independently handle all testing for illegal substances”, according to the memo.
ONE has not publicly drug-tested its athletes before in its 11-year history, but reportedly planned to introduce World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standard testing in 2019.
“It is true that we began doing WADA testing actually last year,” ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodong told a press conference in Manila in January 2019.
“Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson – one of the promotion’s most high-profile fighters – has previously claimed he has been tested behind the scenes, and that his samples were processed by WADA.
“People over in North America might think that everyone over in ONE Championship is on the juice. We get drug-tested. I got drug-tested two times,” the former UFC flyweight champion told Sherdog in 2019.
“I got tested Saturday at my last weigh-in, and then I got tested right after the fight. [They] took two samples, just like I did with USADA [United States Anti-Doping Agency], and they took it to the WADA labs.”
Johnson’s former promotion, the UFC – where he defended his flyweight title a record 11 consecutive times before losing to Henry Cejudo in August 2018 – began an out-of-competition drug testing partnership with USADA in July 2015.
The 36-year-old American (27-4-1) signed for ONE two months after losing his title, and debuted in the promotion in March 2019, going on to win the flyweight Grand Prix and earning a crack at divisional champion Adriano Moraes.
The Brazilian beat Johnson by second-round TKO in a huge upset in April 2021. The pair will rematch for 33-year-old Moraes’ title in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 1.
https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/08/20/8b4cb8fe-5f6c-4a3d-b7de-60a0c6f76e75_d8cac2a8.jpg
Demetrious Johnson congratulates Adriano Moraes on defeating him in April 2021. The pair will rematch at ONE on Prime Video 1 in Singapore.
The first card on Amazon’s streaming service will also feature the semi-finals of the ONE flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix, comprising Rodtang Jitmuangnon against Savvas Michael, and Superlek Kiatmoo9 taking on Walter Goncalves.
The ONE on Prime Video 1 co-main event will pit bantamweight Muay Thai champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao against British veteran Liam “The Hitman” Harrison.
The night before, the ONE 160 card will be headlined by a rematch between lightweight champion Ok Rae-yoon and Christian Lee, who surrendered his belt in September 2021 when a controversial unanimous decision went the South Korean’s way.
The ONE 160 co-main event will see Chinese knockout artist Tang Kai challenge Vietnamese-American featherweight champ Thanh Le.

CONVERSATIONS
Nicolas Atkin

Nico is a production editor on the South China Morning Post’s sport desk, where he covers mixed martial arts (MMA) in Asia, as well as local sport in Hong Kong. He was previously a sports writer and editor for ESPN.

Overdue. Glad they're sorting it.

[GeneChing]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/timcasey/2022/08/19/asia-based-professional-martial-arts-league-one-championship-plans-first-us-events-in-2023/?sh=51713185383d
Tim Casey Senior Contributor

Aug 19, 2022,06:00am EDT

https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/62fe9aec28e39bdf7e5f25f3/Philippines-Mixed-Martial-Arts/960x0.jpg?format=jpg&width=960
Demetrious Johnson, left, of the United States and Tatsumitsu Wada of Japan, face off during the ... [+] COPYRIGHT 2019 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ONEONE 0.0% Championship, a Singapore-based professional martial arts league valued last year at more than $1 billion, plans on hosting its first event in the United States during the first half of next year.

Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Championship’s CEO and chairman who founded the company in 2011, said he is considering numerous locations for the first U.S. event. He expects to have multiple cards in the U.S. in 2023.

As of now, all of ONE Championship’s more than 100 events since its inception have been held in Asia. Each of the events since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020 has been in Singapore, including the upcoming Aug. 26 card that will be the first ONE Championship event to air on AmazonAMZN +0.9% Prime Video.

Earlier this year, ONE Championship and Amazon signed a five-year contract for rights in the U.S. and Canada that Sityodtong says is worth “more than eight figures,” meaning more than $10 million. The agreement calls for Amazon to stream at least 12 ONE Championship cards each year. Anyone with an Amazon Prime membership can watch the events for no additional charge.

ONE Championship previously had a North American broadcast agreement with Turner Sports that began in 2019. Last year, four ONE Championship cards aired on TNT. When the Turner deal ended, ONE Championship hired mega-agency CAA to look for a media rights deal in the U.S. and Canada.

“We had a few offers and ended up choosing Amazon because Amazon is an absolute giant,” Sityodtong said.

He added: “(Amazon is) very tight in their quality, They’ve selected NFL, Champions League, ONE. They’re really going after the very best properties in the world. They’re not trying to do a shotgun approach. They’re trying to be really targeted and find long-term partnerships. We’re very grateful to have Amazon.”

Since its founding, ONE Championship has raised $515 million, including $150 million in a December 2021 round that valued the company at $1.4 billion, according to Sityodtong. Guggenheim Investments, a New York-based asset manager with more than $228 billion in assets under management, and the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, led the latest round.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Group One Holdings, ONE Championship’s parent company, is considering an initial public offering (IPO) in the U.S. and plans to change its legal domicile from Singapore to the Cayman Islands. That follows a December 2021 report from DealStreetAsia that Group One was considering going public via a merger with Gores Holdings VIII, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq exchange.

Group One also owns ONE esports, an esports events and online media company, and “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition,” a reality television show where the winner works under Sityodtong for a year and earns a $250,000 salary.

Sityodtong declined to comment on the Bloomberg report, but he noted that Group One is working with Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse as its investment bankers.

“We’re always looking at different opportunities around the world for global expansion,” Sityodtong said. “I can’t confirm or deny that (IPO) rumor, but I can just say we’re always actively looking…We’re always looking at various opportunities to accelerate our growth.”

Sityodtong added that those growth plans include expanding its audience and hosting live events in the U.S. and Europe. ONE Championship is already popular in Asia, and the company has broadcast deals in 154 countries.

Still, Sityodtong referred to the Amazon agreement as “the most important deal we’ve done in history” because of the company’s reach with more than 200 million Prime subscribers throughout the world.

ONE Championship mostly features MMA and muay thai bouts, but it also offers kickboxing, boxing and other disciplines. That differentiates ONE Championship from the UFC, the dominant combat sports company that only has MMA bouts.

The Aug. 26 ONE Championship card is headlined by an MMA bout featuring flyweight champion Adriano Moraes of Brazil defending his belt against Demetrious Johnson, a Kentucky native and former UFC flyweight champion. Moraes defeated Johnson via TKO in April 2021.

Amazon has also announced ONE Championship events for four other Friday nights this year: Sept. 30, Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 2. Sityodtong is hoping those airings will help drive interest in the organization in the U.S.

“The U.S. is a big market for us because of how big live sports is,” Sityodtong said.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Tim Casey

I have covered professional, college and high school sports for more than two decades. I was a staff writer in the Sacramento Bee's sports department for four years before earning my MBA degree from Georgetown University in 2009. Since then, I have worked for medical and financial media companies and written freelance sports articles for the New York Times, USA Today, Vice Sports, Bleacher Report and numerous other publications and websites. I grew up in Rhode Island, graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and now live in the Philadelphia suburbs with my wife, two daughters and son.

Hope they do something locally and hope they grant me a press pass. It's been way too long since I've been to a live fight...

[GeneChing]

FanDuel TV Inks Deal With ONE Championship to Bring Martial Arts Events to Network and FanDuel+ (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fanduel-tv-inks-deal-with-one-championship-to-bring-martial-arts-events-to-network-and-fanduel-301692622.html)

NEWS PROVIDED BY
FanDuel Group
Dec 02, 2022, 11:00 ET

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1960728/ONE_FANDUEL_Logos.jpg?w=200

– ONE 164: Pacio vs Brooks will be first live event this Saturday –

– Official partnership kicks off January 20 with weekly content –

NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ONE Championship (ONE), the largest martial arts organization in the world, and FanDuel, the premier online gaming company in North America, have inked a new deal that will bring ONE Championship's action-packed martial arts events to the newly launched FanDuel TV network.

The partnership, featuring weekly Asia primetime events officially kicks off on Friday, January 20. To give viewers an early preview of the content to come, FanDuel TV will also air ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks this Saturday, December 3.

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1960727/FIGHTERS.jpg?w=500
from left to right: Joshua Pacio & Jarred Brooks (top), Superlek Kiatmoo9, Panpayak Jitmuangnon, Brandon Vera, Amir Aliakbari
This partnership with ONE will mark the first time that martial arts events are available on FanDuel TV, providing fans and viewers with a new avenue to connect with the sport through viewership and wagering.

"We're eager to continue expanding the variety of content we're offering at FanDuel TV to introduce our audience to emerging sports," said Mike Raffensperger, Chief Commercial Officer, FanDuel. "We've long respected the content the ONE Championship team is producing and are looking forward to bringing their action to our audience through FanDuel TV and FanDuel+."

"We are thrilled to join the FanDuel TV lineup and give our passionate U.S. audience yet another way to engage with ONE Championship," said Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO, ONE Championship. "Having a quality partner in FanDuel will help raise the profile of our company in the region and provide their viewers with action-packed martial arts events like they have never seen before."

This new content offering joins an already robust lineup of original shows on the network including Kay Adams' morning show Up & Adams; the recently launched NBA-centric show Run It Back with Michelle Beadle, Chandler Parsons and Shams Charania; More Ways To Win with Lisa Kerney; as well as FanDuel's signature horse racing coverage and syndicated content from Pat McAfee and The Ringer. In continued efforts to diversify content, FanDuel TV and FanDuel+ are also airing more than 3,000 hours of live sports including international basketball league action from the National Basketball League (NBL) Australia's professional league, the Chinese Basketball League, as well as the French and German pro leagues as part of a licensing agreement with Sportradar.

FanDuel TV is broadly distributed on linear television through leading cable and satellite distributors including Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum, Verizon FIOS, DirectTV, DISH, Cox Communications, YouTubeTV, and Hulu.

FanDuel+ can be downloaded on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV connected devices and is free to watch using a FanDuel account number.

ONE Championship is a top-five global sports property for digital viewership and engagement, according to Nielsen. ONE events represent the full spectrum of martial arts, with world-class athletes representing more than 80 countries competing across MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, submission grappling and more.

ONE Championship was supported by the Talisman Agency in negotiations with FanDuel TV.

About FanDuel TV & FanDuel+
FanDuel Group launched FanDuel TV and its new OTT platform FanDuel+ in September 2022 as a broadly distributed linear cable network and OTT channel. FanDuel TV has quickly established itself as a destination for live sports and complementary sports programming including award winning horse racing coverage, professional basketball and exclusive shows including "Up and Adams" hosted by Kay Adams, "More Ways to Win" hosted by Lisa Kerney and "Run it Back" co-hosted by Michelle Beadle and Chandler Parsons and syndicated content from Bill Simmons The Ringer network. Both FanDuel TV and FanDuel+ are the first linear/digital networks dedicated to sports wagering content and delivering more live sports programming than any other network in America. FanDuel+ is free to download for existing FanDuel customers with accounts on any of its sportsbook, casino, horse racing or daily fantasy platforms.

About FanDuel Group
FanDuel Group is an innovative sports-tech entertainment company that is changing the way consumers engage with their favorite sports, teams, and leagues. The premier gaming destination in the United States, FanDuel Group consists of a portfolio of leading brands across gaming, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, advance-deposit wagering, and TV/media. FanDuel Group has a presence across all 50 states with approximately 17 million customers and nearly 30 retail locations. The company is based in New York with offices in California, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon, Georgia, Portugal, Romania and Scotland. It's network FanDuel TV and FanDuel+ are broadly distributed on linear cable television and through its relationships with leading direct-to-consumer OTT platforms. FanDuel Group is a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment plc, the world's largest sports betting and gaming operator with a portfolio of globally recognized brands and a constituent of the FTSE 100 index of the London Stock Exchange.

About ONE Championship™
ONE is the world's largest mixed martial arts organization, ranking among the world's top five sports properties for viewership and engagement with a cumulative reach of over 400 million fans, according to Nielsen. ONE produces and distributes world-class events across more than 150 countries, featuring martial artists and World Champions from over 80 nations and all styles of martial arts including MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and more. ONE can be viewed on many of the largest global free-to-air and digital broadcasters, including Prime Video Sports, ELEVEN Sports, Star Sports, Beijing TV, iQIYI, One Sports, Abema, IB, NET TV, Vidio, Startimes, Mediapro, Thairath TV, VieOn, Skynet, Mediacorp, Spark Sport, Match TV, Dubai Sports, beIN SPORTS, Globo and more. ONE is on the advance...

[GeneChing]

ONE Championship rising star Victoria Lee dead at 18 (https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/01/mma-news-victoria-lee-one-championship-star-dies)
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2021/02/victoria-lee-sunisa-srisen-one-championship-129-36.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1
Nolan King
January 7, 2023 5:11 pm ET
Rising mixed martial arts phenom Victoria Lee has died. She was 18.

Lee’s death occurred Dec. 26, according to an Instagram post Saturday by her older sister, ONE Championship atomweight title holder Angela Lee. A cause of death has not been shared.

“She has gone too soon and our family has been completely devastated since then,” Angela Lee wrote. “We miss her. More than anything in this world. Our family will never be the same. Life will never be the same.”

The surname “Lee” bears much weight in the history of ONE. Angela and brother Christian Lee have held titles as two of the promotion’s biggest stars. Victoria was pegged as the next sibling to follow their path.

Scheduled to compete in her fourth MMA bout Jan. 14 at ONE on Prime Video 6, Lee had a 3-0 record in MMA. Lee debuted in February 2021 with a rear-naked choke submission of Sunisa Srisen. After a first-round armbar win over Luping Wang in July 2021, Lee picked up her first TKO against previously undefeated Victoria Souza in September 2021.

Prior to her pro MMA debut, Lee impressed at the junior level across multiple combat sports. She was two-time Hawaiian pankration junior world champion, a Hawaii state wrestling champion, and an IMMAF junior world champion.

According to an obituary posted on Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and Funeral Home (Kanahe, Hawaii), a celebration of life has been scheduled for Jan. 22 before her burial.

ONE-Championship (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)
MMA-deaths (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48919-MMA-deaths)

[wuxiaman]

The most fascinating thing to me about ONE is how fast their merchandise gets delivered to me (I live near Los Angeles) from Singapore. I've ordered a sweatshirt on July 2, and it arrived on July 3! Granted, it is DHL Express Worldwide shipping, but I've ordered plenty of times from other companies based in East/Southeast Asia via similar shipping methods and never received packages so promptly.

[GeneChing]

Elon Musk called out by ONE Championship CEO amid Mark Zuckerberg fight rumors (https://clutchpoints.com/elon-musk-called-out-by-one-championship-ceo-amid-mark-zuckerberg-fight-rumors)
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong believes Elon Musk is acting like a bully and doesn't actually want to fight Mark Zuckerberg.
By Abhinav Kini
Aug 15, 2023 at 8:23 AM PDT
3 min read
https://clutchpoints.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F08%2FElon-Musk-called-out-by-ONE-Championship-CEO-amid-Mark-Zuckerberg-fight-rumors.jpg&w=1920&q=75
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong doesn't believe Elon Musk actually wants to fight Mark Zuckerberg.


The two tech billionaires made headlines earlier this summer after they both declared their interest in taking part in an MMA fight. However, they've come to a standstill in recent days with Zuckerberg accusing Musk of not being serious about actually wanting to fight.

Sityodtong seems to agree as he believes Musk — who later said he'd show up at Zuckerberg's house — is essentially trying to bully the Meta founder.

“A few hours ago, Elon said that he was planning to show up to Mark’s house to fight him. Elon is one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history and I have a lot of respect for his guts, accomplishments, and intellect. However, I dislike bullying of any kind,” Sityodtong wrote in a Facebook post. “First, Elon genuinely knows nothing about fighting or martial arts despite his claims to the contrary. As a lifelong expert martial artist who has been in my fair share of scraps, I can tell simply by the way he is acting.

“The problem with most men who have never fought and/or trained seriously in martial arts is exactly what Elon is doing. They have a false sense of bravado and no understanding or appreciation for what technical skills and knowledge can do in a fight. A legit blue belt in jiu-jitsu is very dangerous to someone who knows nothing.

“As CEO of the world’s largest martial arts organization and someone involved in the fight game as my life, I know when people want to fight or not. When people want to fight, they accept a fight and simply show up. When people don’t want to fight, they do exactly what Elon has been doing. They make up excuses, conditions, and reasons for avoiding the fight. Elon has made up puzzling excuse after excuse, be it the need for surgery, the need to do it in the Coliseum in Italy, the idea of doing it through his and Mark’s foundations, the idea of a backyard practice run, etc.”

Should the fight take place, there's a raging debate over who would win. Some think it's an automatic Musk win since he's the bigger and heavier man with some judo experience. However, Zuckerberg is the more active “fighter” with a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has even won tournaments.

As far as Sityodtong is concerned, he sees the result being very straight forward.

“The global martial arts community is small,” the ONE CEO added. “Consensus from people who have trained with Mark and/or Elon is that there is a large gap in skills in favor of Mark. Mark might be new to martial arts, but he is a real martial artist. He is a legit blue belt in jiu-jitsu under Dave Camarillo and consistently trains hard multiple times a week.

“… Mark might be only 2 years into his journey as a martial artist, but he has fully adopted the warrior way of life. In my expert opinion, Mark will likely choke Elon unconscious in a fight. Elon could win by a lucky punch due to his size and weight. He’s 186cm and weighs 100kg. Mark is 171cm and weighs 70kg. However, Mark is in fighting shape and Elon is not. Mark has the gas tank for 3 rounds and Elon has the gas tank for 3 minutes. As all martial artists know, skill often trumps size when there is a large disparity in skill. I am not saying that Mark will win 100%. A fight is a fight. Elon could get lucky. What I am saying though is that Mark has a very high probability of winning.”

Zuck v Musk (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72542-Zuck-v-Musk)
ONE-Championship (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71006-ONE-Championship)