Following ONE Championship’s 10th-anniversary showcase, ONE X, on Saturday, March 26, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was beaming.
Chatri Sityodtong ONE X Success and More
The biggest martial arts event of 2022 featured five extraordinary World Championship matches with 15 other sensational bouts across submission grappling, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and Muay Thai. It was a full night. And it appears to have been a massive success.
“I just saw we’re going to hit record high revenues for a single event in the history of ONE. So I’m really excited. We’re pumped, the numbers are coming in, but we’re super happy, put it that way,” said Sityodtong.
“Even with Covid-limited capacity, the stadium still looked amazing.”
One of the premier bouts on the card was a mixed rules superfight between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The intriguing matchup of flyweight greats, won by Johnson in the second round via submission, captivated headlines going into the event and delivered with its action.
The excitement of the bout had Sityodtong ready to make more compelling mixed rules bouts for the future.
“One thing I realized, we’re definitely going to do more special rules superfights. Definitely, because it’s just so interesting, you know? So I think you’re going to see more of those in the future,” said the ONE Chairman and CEO.
“I literally just said to Matt Hume, bro, get a creative session together. Let’s all do it. Let’s pick our brains. Anybody on the roster, any crazy ideas, any wacky things we can do that will just literally give the fans a special treat that no one can do in the world. We’re going to put our heads together next week.”
In the post-event scrum, Sityodtong also revealed plans for ONE to hold events outside of Singapore. The Chairman and CEO teased possible events in Manila, Tokyo, and Seoul. Sityodtong mentioned the importance of having South Korean stars such as ONE Lightweight World Champion Ok Rae Yoon when discussing a possible Seoul event, and other Korean stars include Yoshihiro Akiyama and Seo Hee Ham, both of whom won at ONE X as well.
And ONE is also focusing on the United States.
Sityodtong said that the company is close to announcing a new broadcast deal that will put ONE back in primetime in the U.S. for 2022.
“We’re going to announce our U.S. broadcast deal in mid-April. First time in the history of ONE that will be on a multi-year, regular primetime schedule on a major broadcaster in the U.S. So yeah, D.J. will obviously be featured. I think that’s what he’s talking about,” said Sityodtong.
ONE X was an incredible event from top to bottom, and it appears that it has ignited a spark for the rest of the year. There are big plans in the works and big matches on the horizon.
