Martin Nguyen is a two-division champion with One Championship.
Camera IconMartin Nguyen is a two-division champion with One Championship. Credit: Supplied

One Championship boss Chatri Sityodtong declares the UFC won’t win turf war in Asia

ALEX OATESHerald Sun

THE UFC is coming back into enemy territory.

But rival One Championship says it holds no fears in the pending turf war in Singapore, declaring it will blow the UFC out of the water in Asia.

UFC Fight Night 132 hits Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 18, following hot on the heels of the sold out One Championship Unstoppable Dreams.

But One Championship chairman and chief executive Chatri Sityodtong is confident the UFC’s arrival won’t hurt its push to become the biggest martial arts promotion on the planet.

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“UFC has done a wonderful job in the Western hemisphere, and I have nothing but respect for the UFC and what they have achieved there,” Sityodtong said.

“But the reality today is there’s a global duopoly, right?

“We’re both market leaders in our respective territories. Whether it’s stadium attendance, penetration, fanbase, whatever — One Championship is significantly larger than UFC here in Asia.

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“We have no concerns about the UFC in terms of popularity. Our figures show we are well ahead on that score.

“We’re all about local heroes on the global stage. Human beings are tribal, and that’s the magic formula we have.”

Chatri Sityadtong
Camera IconChatri Sityadtong Credit: AFP

One Championship, the largest sports property in Asia, appears to have a stranglehold on the market in Asia, while the UFC dominates the western hemisphere.

One frequently fills stadiums across Asia, recently packing 12,000 fans into Singapore Indoor Stadium.

On its last visit to Singapore, the UFC packed the 8000-seat venue at Marina Bay Sands.

Next month, the UFC will attempt to fill Singapore Indoor Stadium as it increases its foothold in Asia.

But Sityodtong is adamant One Championship won’t be beaten it its own heartland.

“TV ratings have exploded,” Sityodtong said.

“The number of broadcast hours per country per year has exploded. The footprint has doubled from 60 countries to 136.

“It’s skyrocketing and I predict that will continue. It’s still early in the game.

“We’ve barely scratched the surface and that’s the beautiful thing. All the numbers are exploding and giving the business a serious, serious uplift.”

Martin Nguyen is a two-division champion with One Championship.
Camera IconMartin Nguyen is a two-division champion with One Championship. Credit: Supplied

Just last week, Sityodtong promised One Championship would “swallow up” the UFC and power ahead of the NFL, Formula One and the NBA.

Metrics show One Championship has hit $US1 billion ($1.3 billion), trailing the Indian Premier League $US5 billion.

The NFL is worth $75US billion, while the NBA has hit $US 37 billion.

“I genuinely look at this as the very beginning of what is to come,” Sityodtong said.

“I’m genuinely going after four billion fans. And based on our growth metrics and how vital everything is, I genuinely believe we will achieve it.

“I don’t know if it’s three years, five years or 10 years — I can’t tell you — but based on the formula of success we’ve had it’s just a matter of time.

“If you look at media rights, merchandise, brand licensing and our Esports division is going to be launched with our video game, we just have so many things in the pipeline that are going to be game changing.”

Sityodtong said One Championship will spread from 136 to 194 countries over the next three years, while expanding from 24 events to 52 a year.

The company has no foothold in North America, Brazil and Australia — where the UFC is booming — but Sityodtong says the focus remained on building Asia into an empire.

“From a pure event perspective, I’m not looking to break into North America, Brazil, Europe or Australia,” Sityodtong said.

“My vision is 52 events in Asia, travel to each city and allow the fans to taste, feel and touch the experience and then every weekend you’re excited to follow your heroes.

“And, of course, our broadcast will increase from 136 to 194 over the next three years. We will announce a US deal soon, that’s in the late stages of discussions right now, and we already have a Tv deal in Brazil.

“We have fans all over the world, but again, our focus is here because there’s four billion people.”

Sityodtong, a self-made billionaire entrepreneur, also has the backing of global consumer giant Nielsen.

Nielsen chief executive Glenn Lovett, who played 127 AFL games for Melbourne, “sees only growth” in the One Championship brand.

“He (Sityodtong) talked about Millennials as a target market, and the engagement of Millennials to that sport is phenomenal, so I only see future growth,” Lovett said.

“He’s compelling and I believe him. He’s already created a massive organisation and it’s going to be even bigger and better.

“What I’ve learnt is what an amazing marketing organisation it is and it’s built on fundamentals of values.

“He’s very authentic in the way he goes about it and he understands the values of sport and he’s able to bring that to the fans and consumers in a really compelling way.

“So it’s not a fad. It’s very authentic and that’s what stood out to me.”