ONE Championship isn’t afraid of collaboration, according to ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
During an appearance on “The MMA Hour” to promote ONE Fight Night 10, which takes place May 5 in Colorado, Sityodtong mentioned the idea when asked about co-promotion with the sport’s biggest competitors.
Uncommon in MMA unless it’s a Bellator and RIZIN partnership, Sityodtong is open to doing business with Dana White and the UFC if the opportunity arose.
“Only UFC,” Sityodtong told Helwani. “Look, again, if you look at the largest players in the combat sports industry, pure facts and figures. Forget about marketing. Pure facts and figures. The Nielsen industry report, if you’re a fan an don’t know anything, go look at the followers that ONE has. We have 70 million social media followers globally, when you include China and stuff. I think the UFC has 100 million plus.”
While both brands have massive followings and legendary names on both sides, most notably Conor McGregor for the UFC and Demetrious Johnson in ONE Championship, Sityodtong sees a feud brewing between the two promotions.
“It’s very clear there are two big giants — one in the east and one in the west,” Sityodtong said.
Chatri Sityodtong said that his talent can matchup with anyone’s, including some of the UFC’s best, regardless of name recognition and value.
“I truly believe in our talent,” Sityodtong said. “I don’t look at it again from a pure, how much marketing hype, who’s good on social media, etc. Again, a lot can be mismarketed ‘this guy’s amazing!’ Actually, he’s not that great of a fighter but he’s amazing on Twitter. He’s amazing on self-promotion and that can get lost in the shuffle, especially with a casual or mainstream fan.”
Sityodtong went as far as saying that ONE has a case as the No. 1 promotion simply for being well-rounded.
“But in ONE, I can tell you every single person in these different disciplines are the best on the planet,” he continued.
Quotes transcribed via MMAFighting.
The UFC has rarely done co-promotion throughout its history and is more known for buying out its competitors to obtain the most well-assembled rosters on the planet.
Though unlikely, it remains to be seen if a partnership like the UFC and ONE Championship will ever materialize.
Could we see the UFC and ONE do business together? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, Penn Nation!
