ONE Championship to challenge UFC in the US MMA market with the backing of broadcaster Turner Sports and live show in 2020
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP are coming to dethrone the UFC as MMA’s leading fight promotion in the US – but will take a “180 degrees” different approach compared to their rivals. Asia’s largest global sports media property, in 140 countries since its 2011 launch, are now making a splash in America. Backed with an exclusive multi-year contract […]
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP are coming to dethrone the UFC as MMA’s leading fight promotion in the US – but will take a “180 degrees” different approach compared to their rivals.
Asia’s largest global sports media property, in 140 countries since its 2011 launch, are now making a splash in America.
Backed with an exclusive multi-year contract with broadcaster Turner Sports, that will televise ONE Championship action on TNT and B/R online, the Asian MMA promotion is heading for a US debut in 2020.
ONE Championship’s founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong insists the “values” his organisation work to will be refreshing for fans of the sport in America.
He told SunSport: “I’m full of anticipation about how US fans will perceive ONE Championship.
“I truly believe out formula of values, heroes and stories and our production value mixed in with the fact we have the best athletes in the world means fans are in for a real treat.
“Another thing that makes me very proud is that in the eight years since I founded ONE Championship, we haven’t had a single scandal with one of our athletes.
“Never have we had someone on the front page of a newspaper, all of our top stars have only ever been featured in the media for winning world championships or helping children and charities.
“That makes me very proud and represents our bedrock of values, heroes and stories in terms of a formula of success.
“It will be very refreshing for US fans, we’re completely 180 degrees opposite to anything that is available in America in terms of our values in martial arts.”
The UFC, founded in 1993, has become the leading MMA promotion in the US, and even travelled to China last month with Zhang Weili becoming the company’s first Chinese champion.
Stars like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov helped MMA become a mainstream sport in America, successfully competing against boxing.
But the UFC brand – that sold for £3.6bn in 2016 – has also been plagued by trash talking, racism rows, bus attacks, post-fight melees and failed doping tests.
All things which Sityodtong forbids, attracting American stars Demetrious Johnson, Sage Northcutt and Eddie Alvarez over to Asia.
The ONE Championship chief believes his promotion making a move Stateside is the “positivity and inspiration” US fans have been missing in their sport.
He said: “All walks of life, societies and religions can embrace us and that’s not something you can say for martial arts promotions in the West.
“I think it will create needed positivity and inspiration for good role models in society and the reality is ONE Championship is something the whole family can embrace.”
ONE Championship, unlike the UFC and other competing MMA promotions, have fighters of all disciples compete.
With 140 world champions under his roster, Sityodtong believes having stars off all sports under one roof gives him an advantage heading into the US venture.
He added: “Out of the 550 athletes we have on our roster 140 are world champions across various martial arts – whether it’s Muay Thai, Ju Jujitsu, MMA or kickboxing.
“That’s what American fans will witness for the first time in history, world champions across all martial arts.”
US DEBUT IN 2020
ONE Championship will be televised live on US TV for the first time on October 12 as former UFC champions Johnson and Alvarez both compete, staged at 9.00am in Tokyo, evening time in America.
On the same night ONE will host an evening show, a double header for MMA fans.
Sityodtong revealed Turner Sports chiefs were “aggressive” in pushing for supporters to watch ONE Championship air live – and give them a taste of things to come.
The MMA boss said: “The US is the largest and most sophisticated sports market in the world and it was very clear from Turner Sports executives not only was ONE Championship doing well on TNT.
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“But there was an opportunity to do something live in America.
“They’ve been very aggressive in doing something in the US time zone specifically so the timing is right and the stars have aligned so we’ll do double header – one in the morning and one in the evening.
“Our first live broadcast on TNT will be October 12, prime time in the US.”
