Exclusive: Chatri Sityodtong on Showcasing "Real-Life Superheroes" at ONE 168

The ONE Championship CEO talked streaming, the UFC, Adrian Lee, and more ahead of ONE 168.

Drew Beaupre | Sep 5, 2024

(ONE Championship)

ONE Championship returns to the United States this Friday (September 6) for ONE 168 at Ball Arena in Denver, CO, and ahead of the event MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré spoke to the promotion’s founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

A Huge Muay Thai Main Event In Denver

Combat sports fans around the world tune into ONE Championship events knowing they’ll get to witness high-level fighters competing across a variety of disciplines.

The United States may not be a traditional market for Muay Thai, but Sityodtong knows that the Denver fans will appreciate seeing an incredible ONE 168 headliner between defending champion Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek.

Exclusive: Chatri Sityodtong on Showcasing "Real-Life Superheroes" at ONE 168

Haggerty will defend his Muay Thai title in the main event of ONE 168. / (ONE Championship)

“I think American fans always appreciate something new and fresh and exciting. And of course, they appreciate the best in the world. So that’s what you have in Haggerty and Superlek. And I think it’s gonna shock and surprise and delight American fans, because - quite frankly, they’ve never seen elite striking at this level before. Two strikers who are just the absolute, very best on the planet at what they do.”

Superlek currently holds ONE Championship's flyweight kickboxing title. / (ONE Championship)

“We do believe at ONE that we offer something completely different than what exists in the combat sports space. We are the world’s largest martial arts organization. The UFC is the world’s largest MMA organization. We showcase the very best on the planet across grappling and striking, Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA. Like I said, the Olympics of martial arts. Whereas UFC focuses on MMA…In terms of DNA and ethos, I think we’re also 180 degrees apart, opposite of each other. UFC is out selling pay-per-views and controversy, and anger and hatred and beef. We unleash real-life superheroes by telling their stories, and hopefully inspiring our fans around the world. And let their actions, their knockouts, their finish rates, speak for themselves.”

Exclusive: Jonathan Haggerty Talks MMA Debut, Expects "Fireworks" at ONE 168

"That's The Beautiful Thing About Our Platform"

ONE Championship’s wide range of combat sports offerings has allowed a number of athletes to test themselves in different disciplines, and the promotion currently boasts several multi-sport champions.

ONE 168 includes decorated MMA fighter and former ONE title challenger John Lineker competing in Muay Thai for the first time against Asa Ten Pow, and Sityodtong welcomes the interest so many fighters have in pursuing crossover matchups.

Lineker is set to make his Muay Thai debut at ONE 168. / (ONE Championship)

“Some fighters we say ‘Man, that guy would be amazing in Muay Thai.’ Or ‘That guy would be amazing in a mixed rules fight.’ Like when he did Nieky Holzken vs. [Yoshihiro] Akiyama, that was a very intriguing matchup for Tokyo. But sometimes the athletes come to us and say ‘Hey, we wanna do something crazy now. And that’s the beautiful thing about our platform, right? Not only is it the biggest platform in the world for martial arts, but it’s diverse. So that if you’re a martial artist, you can say ‘Hey, I wanna try grappling.’ You’re not pigeonholed into only one discipline…And I think that’s something martial artists enjoy, our martial artists enjoy. Like Kade [Ruotolo] – I don’t think he’ll ever stop grappling, I think his dream is to be a two-sport world champion, one grappling and one in MMA.”

Sityodtong loves providing fans with huge crossover fights and champion vs. champion matchups, but he also understands that it's important to keep divisions moving and not let champions with multiple belts hold things up for too long.

“It’s exciting for the fans whenever one world champion can cross over to another sport and become a world champion. Fans love it. But at the same time, it does create a logjam sometimes...We’re trying to find that balance as well, because at the same time we want to put on fights that fans love, fans wanna watch, right? And fans do love those crossovers, or those super fights, or those mixed-rules fights. We’re here to entertain the fans, but at the same time obviously the divisional rankings matter. So it’s finding a fine balance. We’re always trying to surprise and delight our fans – something different, something new, something unexpected.”

"Plenty Of Space For Both ONE And UFC To Succeed"

ONE Championship will return to the United States in November for another massive show when ONE 169 takes place in Atlanta, GA, and with two huge U.S. events taking place at the end of 2024 there’s already been plenty of discussion around the promotion’s travel plans for next year.

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong. / (ONE Championship)

“I think for sure we plan to continue pressing forward in the U.S. market. We just have so much on our plate all over the world. I do want to go to the UK, I do want to go to Brazil. There’s just so many markets, you know? Obviously, we do want to increase our footprint in the Middle East. Combat sports right now, it is the best time to be alive right now as a fan, as an athlete, as a business leader. There’s just so much to do – and the world is truly so wide open that I think there’s just plenty of space for both ONE and UFC to succeed.”

The Changing Landscape Of Live Sports

A 2022 streaming rights deal with Amazon Prime helped usher in ONE Championship’s big push into the U.S. market, and the promotion hit the ground running with a huge first event on Prime Video that featured a rematch between Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Adriano Moraes.

More streaming giants have starting to acquire live sports content in the years since then, and there are all kinds rumors swirling around regarding where the UFC might end up when its current deal with ESPN ends.

Johnson and Moraes headlined ONE Championship's first card on Prime Video. / (ONE Championship)

“What you’re seeing is the streaming giants are winning, that’s where all the consumers are at. But at the same time, there’s enough streaming giants to make it competitive. They have to compete for content to make sure that their consumers and subscribers stay with them, right? So it’s a battle for content, and combat sports is – it’s no secret, is one of the most exciting forms of content, full stop. Of any genre. And one of the most attractive in terms of keeping subs, attracting subs – it’s a natural extension for what’s happening around the world. Just look at your own habits, right? Or anyone’s. When was the last time you turned on TV to watch TV? You turn on Netflix, you turn on Amazon Prime…You’re very particular. You’ll surf kind of like what you wanna watch and then you’ll click on it – on demand, there it is.”

Exclusive: Rich Franklin on Muay Thai, Adrian Lee, "Dark Horse" Fight at ONE 168

"He's Gonna Do Some Incredible Things In ONE"

One of the most exciting storylines heading into ONE 168 is the return of Adrian Lee, who made his professional debut earlier this year at ONE 167 and won by second-round submission.

“The Phenom” already appears poised for stardom, but Sityodtong doesn’t feel any need to rush the development of the youngest member of the Lee family.

Lee won his professional MMA debut at ONE 167. / (ONE Championship)

“Obviously the Lee family is definitely one of the royal families of the sport of mixed martial arts. According to the insiders in the family, Adrian is the best of all the siblings. Angela, Christian, Victoria, and Adrian. But at the same time, we’ve taken it very slow with Adrian. We don’t want the pressure to get to him…I can’t imagine being 17 years old, 18 years old, and having that level of pressure where my oldest sibling is a world champion, my second oldest is a world champion. I’m competing in the world’s largest martial arts organization, all eyes are on me. It’s a lot to deal with. And he’s being given very tough opponents out the gate, opponents who have more experience than he does. It’s amazing what Adrian’s been able to do so far – obviously just one fight only, his debut last time. But I do think he’s gonna do some incredible things in ONE.”

"This Card Is Gonna Trend All Over The World"

With so many exciting fights to choose from at ONE 168, Sityodtong pointed to the headlining title bout and Liam Harrison’s return against Seksan as a pair of Muay Thai matchups that will bring the Denver crowd to their feet during what should be an incredible night of action.

Harrison is set to return for the first time in nearly two years at ONE 168. / (ONE Championship)

“I think the most exciting fight is probably gonna be Superlek and Haggerty, or Liam Harrison and Seksan. People don’t realize – Liam Harrison and Seksan, you know Seksan’s had a little over 400, or almost 400 professional fights. In Thailand, he has the longest ring name I’ve ever seen. Most people will have John “The Flash” Smith”. His is literally Seksan “The Man Who Yields To No One”. Because he just moves forward, and so they’re in for a treat. He’s a killer, and so is Liam. And there’s a big question mark with Liam. When I look at Liam hit pads, he’s still fast and strong and explosive and his technique is beautiful. But I think it’s mental, because he just had stem cell treatment in his legs and his shoulders, and his knee was busted obviously from the Nong-O fight…I guarantee that this card is gonna trend all over the world, it just has the makings of that kind of card.”

Exclusive: Liam Harrison Promises "Ridiculous Fight" in Return at ONE 168

ONE 168 is set to to take place at Ball Arena in Denver, CO on Friday, September 6. The event will be available on Prime Video for fans in the United States and Canada, while viewers in the UK can catch all of the action on Sky Sports.