ONE In The Media

Citing world lightweight champion Eduard Folayang as an example, Sityodtong maintained that the Filipino warrior may be fierce during fight night, but is a completely disciplined and humble athlete outside the cage.

Matt Gooderick reports from Hong Kong and interviews the founder of One Championship Chatri Sityodtong.

If you happened to walk by Rika Ishige without knowing who she is, it’s a safe bet that you’d find it hard to believe that she’s a professional mixed martial artist.
After all, the charming Thai-Japanese 28-year old doesn’t exactly fit the “MMA fighter” stereotype. What her smiling eyes and charming demeanor won’t tell you is that she’s 2-0 in her mixed martial arts career, with both wins coming via stoppage. It also won’t tell you that she’s a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and that she’s trained with the likes of Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek.

Brazilian who fought his way out of poverty to become one of the best bantamweights in the world defends title against upstart American Leone at Cotai Arena. Arguably the best bantamweight on the planet and a man on the brink of mixed martial arts history will share the spotlight this weekend as the One Championship returns to Macau with a 12-fight card.

Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of mixed martial arts media dynamo One Championship, made headlines a couple of weeks ago for closing a deal with Sequoia India for the company’s series C round in less than 10 weeks. The deal wasn’t just fast; it was unexpected. “We weren’t thinking about raising capital – we planned to raise funds in September,” Sityodtong tells Tech in Asia.

Despite only forming in 2011, ONE Championship has taken over the UFC’s monopoly on mixed martial arts in Asia in dominant fashion. The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE’s brand of mixed martial arts is currently broadcast to potentially one billion viewers around the world to over 128 countries.

It’s all eyes on Macau, China this Saturday for ONE: Kings and Conquerors which will be headlined by Bibiano Fernandes. The bantamweight champion defends his title against Andrew Leone. Fernandes will be hoping to record his sixth straight title defence against Leone and will compete in China for the second time in his career.

Singapore-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion ONE Championship has announced a new broadcast partnership with Claro Sports, a 24-hour network that operates throughout Latin America, excluding Brazil.

For years, the mixed martial arts world was dominated by UFC. That is, until 2011, when ONE Championship emerged in Asia. Now Asia’s largest sports media property, ONE Championship has taken a firm hold of the world’s most populous region.

If Rika Ishige were in a room full of people, she would incontestably stand out because she is the epitome of a true Asian beauty. Thailand-based Ishige is a certified eye candy that can grace on the cover of a top fashion magazine, sashay down the catwalk with the latest apparel, or endorse high-end beauty products in a television advertisement. However, Ishige is more than a pretty face because deep within, she is an authentic martial artist.

Singapore-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter One Championship has raised total capital of US$100 million (S$137 million) following new deals with two major investors. The Straits Times understands that One Championship, Asia’s largest MMA organisation, has secured equity investment from Sequoia Capital India and Mission Holdings following its latest funding round. Both have acquired minority stakes in One Championship.

Asian MMA promotion ONE Championship has secured equity investment from a group led by venture capital firms Sequoia Capital India and Mission Holdings, according to The Associated Press.