Asian mixed martial arts promoter One Championship has secured an investment from Singapore-based investment company Temasek. The MMA promoter did not reveal the percentage stake of the investment, only describing it as a substantial eight-figure amount. Wednesday's investment will put One Championship on track for a $1B valuation within 12-18 months, a spokesperson said. Temasek's investment was made through Heliconia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the government-owned investment company. The new partnership is expected to accelerate the growth of One Championship's business, including increasing the number of live MMA events across Asia, especially in China. Founded in '11, One Championship has become Asia's largest sports property and second largest MMA organization in the world -- behind UFC -- with a broadcast reach of more than 1 billion homes across 118 countries. The news of Temasek's investment in the MMA promoter comes only days after UFC announced it has been sold to a group led by talent agency IMG-WME for $4B. One Championship Founder & Chair Chatri Sityodtong told SBD Global in May that the organization aims to become Asia's first multi-billion dollar sports media property. Temasek states on its website that it owns a S$242B ($179.8B) portfolio as of March 31, mainly in Singapore and Asia. The investment in One Championship is understood to be the investment company's first in a sports property.
