Chatri Sityodtong Ready for ONE Championship to Return to the U.S.

Plus, Justin Gaethje proved he’s the UFC BMF.

ONE Championship is returning to the United States.

In 2024, ONE will host four events in America. Its inaugural visit for ONE Fight Night 10 this past May in Colorado was a success, prompting ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong to roll out the next piece of his global plan for expansion.

“We’re excited to hold these events once a quarter in 2024,” says Sityodtong. “There’s so much demand for ONE in the U.S. Our first event, we sold out several weeks in advance. We want to expand into the U.S. with quality. That’s why we aren’t doing 12 next year. We’re doing it with thought and care.”

Speaking in Los Angeles before traveling to Singapore and Thailand, Sityodtong discussed long-term goals. The numbers clearly indicate that the combat sports industry is a global duopoly, with ONE and the UFC dominating, respectively, the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Given their enormous reach on opposite sides of the world, Sityodtong would relish a chance to compete against the UFC on a super card.

“The UFC and ONE are roughly the same size in terms of viewership metrics and engagement metrics across TV, according to Nielsen,” says Sityodtong. “I don’t really focus on our competition; I focus on our athlete roster and our fan base. By all measures, we’re bigger than Bellator and PFL combined in the U.S. If you look at our viewership metrics, it isn’t even close. And we’ve only had one event, so that’s not something I focus on.

“Of course, I’d love to do a cross-promotion with the UFC. UFC vs. ONE would be incredible. If you had a mega ONE vs. UFC event, it would be the biggest event on the planet.”

Sityodtong believes his roster would have no problem competing with the UFC’s most elite fighters, including heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

“Look at Anatoliy Malykhin, our heavyweight champion,” says Sityodtong. “He’s undefeated (13–0) with a 100% finishing rate. On top of all his other accolades, he’s also a former Russian national team wrestler. I think he takes out Jon Jones, and all the other heavyweights in the UFC.”

ONE’s women’s roster is also incredibly strong. Their upcoming ONE Fight Night 14 card at Singapore Indoor Stadium is headlined by Stamp Fairtex challenging Ham Seo Hee for the ONE interim women’s atomweight MMA title. If Fairtex wins, she will make history by becoming a three-sport world champion in Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA.

There are two other title bouts, as strawweight Muay Thai champ Smilla Sundell defends Jackie Buntan, and a bout between Danielle Kelly and Jessa Khan to determine the inaugural ONE atomweight submission grappling champion. ONE women’s strawweight MMA champion Xiong Jing Nan also faces Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak in a special rules striking contest, making an outstanding card of martial arts.

“This one is special,” says Sityodtong. “We are showcasing the very best female martial arts on the planet, and there are three world title fights across different disciplines. These are the baddest and best women across the planet. We’re always breaking records and making history, and that’s what we’re going to do here.”

There is a great deal of excitement for ONE’s future. It will be particularly interesting to learn what Sityodtong plans to do for his next main event in the United States in early 2024.

“In the next month, we’ll be announcing venues, dates and possibly even headline bouts,” says Sityodtong. “We’re finalizing everything, and we’re looking forward to announcing it.”

Justin Gaethje proves he is UFC’s BMF

Up until this past Saturday night, the most significant victory of Justin Gaethje’s career was his TKO win against Tony Ferguson in May 2020. That was for the interim lightweight title, marking the first time Gaethje tasted UFC gold.

But Gaethje lost the title unification bout five months later against Khabib Nurmagomedov. He also failed to defeat Charles Oliveira in May 2022, tapping out to a rear naked choke in his second shot at the belt. Perhaps a third time will be the charm, as Gaethje is now coming off a massive win against Dustin Poirier.

After a competitive first round, Gaethje knocked out Poirier just a minute into the second. It was a highlight reel of a sequence, faking a punch and then dropping Poirier with a vicious kick to the head. It evened the score against Poirier, who defeated Gaethje five years ago by TKO, and puts Gaethje in position to challenge the winner of the Islam Makhachev–Oliveira title bout scheduled for this October.

Gaethje will be an underdog in either fight. Oliveira grabbed his back and forced him to tap in the first round of their fight, so a rematch will certainly favor him. If Makhachev successfully defends the belt this fall at UFC 294, then he will be riding a 12-fight win streak into the bout against Gaethje, which would add even further to his mystique.

Yet this feels like the right time for Gaethje. His impressive win against Rafael Fiziev this March showed a discipline and strategy not always present in earlier slugfests. The precision in Gaethje’s performances gives him a shot to defeat anyone in the world at lightweight, and that includes Makhachev or Oliveira.

Looking much too far ahead, wouldn’t it be amazing to see Gaethje win the belt and then defend it against Alexander Volkanovski? This past Saturday, it took one step closer toward reality.

Derrick Lewis would be perfect fit for PFL

Great heavyweights are hard to find.

Genuine excitement filled the air when Lewis demolished Marcos Rógerio de Lima on Saturday at UFC 291. The victory celebration was memorable, as Lewis took off his shirts and performed the DX crotch chop for the crowd in Salt Lake City.

Lewis (27–11, 1 NC) couldn’t have drawn up a better scenario. Originally scheduled to fight on the prelims, his bout was moved to the main card after Michel Pereira failed to make weight, causing a cancellation of the Pereira–Stephen Thompson fight. Lewis looked in exceptional condition, clearly motivated to end his three-fight losing skid. After dropping Rógerio de Lima in the opening seconds with a massive high knee to the face, it was only a matter of time before the fight ended due to referee stoppage, and that is exactly what occurred.

Now a free agent, Lewis, 38, puts himself in position for one more lucrative contract. Instead of a fourth straight loss, he won as an underdog and delivered his 14th knockout in the Octagon, a new UFC record. He is exactly the type of star fighter that the PFL needs in a highly anticipated bout against Francis Ngannou.

For all the reasons to be high on the PFL, its roster is not one of them. If Ngannou’s opponent is making at least $2 million in their bout, could that offer be sweetened for Lewis? Even though he has lost to top-tier opponents, Lewis would be an important addition to the roster. A bout against Ngannou would add instant credibility to the PFL’s heavyweight division.

None of this will be lost on Dana White, who has a lot to consider when negotiating with Lewis. Does White allow Lewis to walk, or sign him for a deal that prevents him from adding to the PFL? The UFC is suddenly a lot deeper at heavyweight, which may prove to play a big factor in Lewis’s free agency.

A new home for MMA

In addition to seeing my work on the main Sports Illustrated page, I will also begin posting stories to a new page on SI’s FanNation network.

The site, which is set to launch Wednesday, will cover MMA and pro wrestling, allowing me new opportunities to break news and share stories. Starting this Wednesday, there will be new interviews with Justin Gaethje (conducted in the car on his way home from UFC 291), Alex Pereira and Alexa Grasso.

For all the latest news and newest stories, I will continue posting on Twitter. I mentioned this in my wrestling column last week, and it bears repeating: I occasionally have an opportunity to say this when people reach out via email—thanks to everyone who makes the SI MMA page a destination before and after a fight.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.