Mixed martial arts promoter One Championship wants to be in every major Asian city and more than 2 billion homes within the next three-to-five years, according to Chair Chatri Sityodtong. In less than five years, One Championship has already become a leading sports media property, with its events live broadcast to more than 1 billion homes in 75 countries. But for Chatri, who is a former MMA fighter with an MBA from Harvard, being Asia’s leading MMA promoter is not enough. “Asia has been the home of martial arts for the last 5,000 years,” he said. “We believe the opportunity is here to become the first multi-billion dollar sports property in Asia.” Chatri expects One Championship to rival the English Premier League, or the NFL in terms of value in the future. “Asia has 4.1 billion people, it’s the world’s biggest media market but it doesn’t have a multi-billion dollar sports property,” he said. The Singapore-based company has already held more than 40 events in over 10 countries across Asia. On May 27, it will host the first professional MMA event in Thailand after the country lifted its unofficial ban on the sport. The event will take place at Bangkok’s 11,000-seat Impact Arena.
 |
Chatri Sityodtong
|
A SINGLE FOCUS: Chatri believes MMA has the potential to conquer all of Asia due to the region's rich history of combat sports across its various cultures. “Cricket works in India, England and Australia, but nowhere else,” he said. “Football is popular in North America, but that’s it. Most sports cannot travel past geographical, cultural and socio-economic boundaries. That’s not the case with mixed martial arts.” One Championship will host 24 events this year before expanding to 36 next year and 48 the following year, he said. The goal is to eventually be on a 52-event schedule where there will be a major event every week in a major Asian city. One Championship is also hoping to float an IPO on a major stock exchange in the next three years, he added. The company has seen growth rates of 100-200% every year. It currently operates offices in Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, with plans for additional ones. Similar to UFC, which dominates the North American market, One Championship is in firm control of Asia. Chatri stated the company has a market share of around 90% in the region. In comparision to UFC, which unsuccessfully tried to enter the Asian market, One Championship is currently not interested in global expansion. “Maybe down the road,” Chatri said. “Asia has more than half of world's population, so we have a long, long way to go to conquer Asia. We do have global ambitions, but right now it’s not part of the plan.”
ON THE RADAR: Recent reports identified China’s Wanda Group as a leading candidate to take over UFC. Chatri believes such a deal would be hugely positive to his company. “If other companies are buying an equity stake or taking over UFC, I think it would increase the market value of One Championship,” he said. The chairman did not provide a current valuation for the company, only saying it will cross the $1B mark "very soon." One Championship’s business model has already garnered the interest of many sponsors, including Disney, Yahoo and Under Armour. The promoters are also in discussions with big Chinese sports media players about potential investments, Chatri added. He declined to identify their names but said they are in the same league as Wanda. Chatri: “We are in the same boat as UFC.”
