One Championship CEO: Why Our Promotion Would Never Sign a Conor McGregor or Colby Covington

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After the last two months, if mixed martial arts fans in North America did not know about One Championship, they likely do now. The signing of Eddie Alvarez, “trade” for Demetrious Johnson, the addition of Miesha Tate as a vice president and brand ambassador and flirtations with free agent Sage Northcutt have elevated the profile of the Singapore-based promotion in the western hemisphere like never before. Yet One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong claims this is just the preamble, as he aims to gain a foothold in the American MMA market while pushing for even greater success in Asia.

“In the Western world, One Championship is not very well known because the MMA media coverage is from American companies,” Sityodtong told Sherdog. “But out here [in Asia], One Championship is significantly larger than the UFC.” One has seen monumental growth of late. Three years ago, One events averaged over 700,000 views across a variety of platforms and services. Sityodtong claims that number has exploded to an average of 20 million viewers per event as the organization now airs in 138 countries. “In terms of scale, One Championship is already bigger than UFC and Bellator in viewers per event,” he said.

When an MMA promotion earns success at home, plans for expansion follow soon after. The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA -- the two biggest MMA organizations in North America -- have taken their brands abroad to places like Russia, Italy, Brazil, Israel, the United Kingdom and China. One Championship is no different. Sityodtong claims his organization controls 90 percent of the MMA market share in Asia, so taking its talents to new destinations like the United States seems a reasonable next move. “I really want to create a global sports league. A global sports property,” said Sityodtong. “The first step is to sign global superstars.”

Sityodtong and One Championship did exactly that in October as they made waves by signing former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and “trading” for former UFC flyweight champion and pound-for-pound king Demetrious Johnson. One Championship also added former Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate as a vice president, to take on a range of duties including color commentary work.

All three moves were notable, but having Johnson join the roster was an exhilarating surprise for the organization’s leader. “I was ecstatic ‘DJ’ was interested in One Championship,” Sityodtong said. He had long been an admirer of Johnson, the man who holds the record for most title defenses in UFC history. He always appreciated how he carried himself as a professional and as a person. That the UFC would let a fighter of Johnson’s stature leave amazed him. “I was surprised UFC would let the greatest mixed martial artist in history go,” said Sityodong. “And he’s still the No. 1 pound-for-pound in my mind, on the planet today.”

That doesn’t mean that when the possibility of a historic talent swap between top organizations was offered, he didn’t have some reservations. Askren, who had recently retired as the reigning One welterweight champion, was the talent the UFC would receive in return for Johnson’s services. Sityodtong considers Askren a good friend, and claims the pair talk every week even to this day. Once he received approval from his fighter and friend, the deal was consummated, an agreement through which Sityodtong believes all involved gained. “I really don’t see anyone who lost here,” Sityodtong said.

In his mind, One obtained one of the best fighters alive while the UFC received a talented fighter excited to prove he’s the best welterweight in the world, which Sityodtong feels Askren will do. “I genuinely believe he’s going to steamroll everyone he faces in the UFC,” he said.

Sityodtong foresees success for both of his latest additions as they enter the lightweight and flyweight grand prix. However, he claims the challenges won’t get any easier for the pair of former champions, because he believes in the talent currently competing in the One cage. “I think ‘DJ’ and Eddie, while they are at the top of their game; I believe they are going to be facing some stiff challenges in One Championship,” Sityodtong said. “And I think it is going to be a great opportunity for American fans to have their eyes opened on how high the level is here in One Championship.”

One Championship now has two names that are very recognizable to American fans. Getting them onto American television screens is the next step, and should be coming very soon. “I’m just blown away by the lack of knowledge in America on One Championship,” said Sityodtong. “But that’s soon going to change once we announce our US TV deal with a major broadcaster.”

Sityodtong and One are seeking out a broadcast partner with some very specific goals in mind. “What I’m looking for is one of the major broadcasters that has the brand, the reach [and] the frequency in engagement of viewership in America. But I’m also looking for a partner that wants to make One Championship a priority and flagship product within their programming schedule,” Sityodtong said. One has had serious talks with three different broadcasters in recent months. However, one network has stood out above the rest, and a deal seems imminent. Sityodtong estimates an official announcement should come in December or early January. “We are very excited about the potential of having a major US TV broadcast partnership,” he said.

Specifics of this prospective deal are still being finalized, but plans are for One events to air live and on tape delay, which is very different from the current arrangements the UFC and Bellator have for televised broadcasts of international cards. A designated night for One events has not yet been decided, but Sityodtong assumes they will go head-to-head with the UFC, Bellator and Professional Fighters League events on certain dates.

One Championship’s promotional ideologies are immersed in the tenets of traditional martial arts. “When I look at DJ and Eddie coming on board, I do think about the US fan base now appreciating what I call authentic martial arts coming out of Asia. And instead of all the trash talk and controversy, what One Championship provides is the very best martial artists on the planet who genuinely embody martial arts, its integrity, humility, honor, respect, discipline and compassion,” Sityodtong said. He believes this approach to fight promotion will be a fresh alternative to many fans in America.

Since the signing of Johnson and Alvarez, Sityodtong claims the floodgates have opened from Western fighters showing interest in One. He maintains that more notable signings are on the way. “I think what we’re going to see going forward is One Championship is going to sign -- I already know within the pipeline -- many more stars from the West,” he said.

However, Sityodtong claims that fighters looking to join his promotion will be evaluated on comportment as well as talent, meaning that if brash trash talkers like some who dominate headlines in Western MMA were interested in signing with One, the interest would not be mutual. “Someone like Conor McGregor [or] Colby Covington has zero chance of ever getting signed by One Championship. Even if they were free agents [and] wanted to compete in One Championship for $1, we would say no,” Sityodtong proclaimed.

For the athletes that do fit the mold of a One fighter, Sityodtong believes his history as a martial artist makes him different than most leading MMA promoters. He has practiced muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu for over 30 years. “When people ask me what is the major difference between One Championship and other major global promotions, my simple answer is love,” said Sityodtong. “I never have said anything negative publicly -- or privately for that matter -- about our athletes. I never say anything in the press conference. I always say positive things. And the reason why is because I have been a student, a fighter, a coach, an instructor, a manager and now a CEO. I have a lot of empathy and compassion for athletes because I view them [like] I am one of them, and they are me.”

A unique element of recent US television negotiations was the idea of One events taking place on US soil. While it may occur one day, Sityodtong claims it is not in One’s immediate plans, and for a specific reason. “We have left the option open [to bring shows to the US], but we are inclined not to do so for now because Asia is so big. We’re trying to rally four billion people here to become fans of One Championship,” he said. While expansion is a mission for the organization in the years to come, Asia is One’s home and a region still filled with great potential. “There’s so much more work to be done out here in Asia,” he said. Sityodtong admits his goal is to increase their average of 20 million viewers per event to 100 million in the next three years.

For over 5,000 years, martial arts have been a part of Asian culture. It is a tradition deeply embedded in the region, more than baseball or football in America. “Martial arts is not a niche sport like it is in America. In Asia, martial arts are American football. Martial arts are Asia’s greatest cultural treasure,” Sityodtong said. For that reason, One does not only specialize in MMA but also showcases boxing, muay Thai, submission grappling and more, to cater to the varied tastes of a region with a large and diverse population of martial arts enthusiasts. “There are several 100 million martial artists here in Asia. Just on One Championship’s roster we have a 104 [former and current] world champions, out of 450 athletes,” he said.

Sityodtong believes another key aspect of One’s continued surge in Asia will be the addition of eSports to its repertoire of content. In November it was announced that the organization will launch an eSports division with Johnson -- a hardcore gamer who has made money from his Twitch stream for years and once had an Xbox sponsorship -- as an ambassador. “80-percent of our fan base is millennials. And if you look at eSports out here in Asia, 80-percent of their fan base is also millennials,” Sityodtong said. “In Asia, one in three people are serious gamers. Two in three people are casual gamers. So, Asia has a much bigger base of gamers and eSports enthusiasts.” The CEO believes combining these two formats under one roof will give One the chance to become the largest producer of live sports for millennials in the world.

With a move into eSports, the question of whether One Championship will have its own video game was asked. “We will be launching a video game,” he said. Currently, they are deciding on a partner for the game, and Sityodtong expects it to reach gaming systems a couple of years after that decision is made.

As he prepares to bring One Championship to the Western Hemisphere, Sityodtong is aware of the differences between his philosophy and the one that drives the UFC, and he sees the difference as an advantage. “I think what One Championship is doing, is diametrically opposed to what UFC does in every way. It’s black and white,” Sityodtong said. He feels difference shows in One’s investment in eSports and its exchange of a champion who is savvy in social media trash talk for a legendary fighter the UFC felt underachieved in ratings and pay-per-view buys.

“The way I think about One Championship, yes we’re the largest global sports media property coming out of Asia; but we’re a platform in which we produce world-class events, world-class broadcast distribution around the world to 138 countries, [and] world-class storytelling and hero building,” Sityodtong said.