CEO Chatri Sityodtong sees ONE potentially being bigger in Japan than Pride FC

Chatri Sityodtong
Chatri Sityodtong

One of the most highly-anticipated stops on ONE Championship’s 2019 schedule will be their maiden trip to The Land of the Rising Sun, Japan.

The Singapore-based martial arts promotion is coming off a 2018 which saw them hold over 20 events across multiple countries in Asia including Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila.

In 2019, ONE has scheduled 30 more events, which includes new stops like Japan and South Korea.

Japan, of course, is one of the biggest markets in the world in terms of martial arts, but ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong believes that the mixed martial arts scene in the country is a far cry from what it used to be.

ONE will make their first trip to Japan in 2019, holding two shows in Tokyo on March and October.

“Japan is at an all-time low in terms of martial arts, MMA,” said Sityodtong on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show. “Since the Pride days, it’s literally gone south, and it’s because of the whole mafia connection that used to run the martial arts scene here.”

Pride FC was an ultra-popular mixed martial arts promotion that operated mainly in Japan.

From 1997 to 2007, Pride was one of the world’s top mixed martial arts organizations and was home to a number of would-be legends in the industry.

Just four years after Pride ceased operations, ONE Championship was born, and has since taken over the Asian mixed martial arts scene.

Now, comparisons between the two promotions have been made, but Sityodtong believes that ONE has the power to surpass its predecessor.

“My goal is to make it bigger than Pride ever was in Japan,” he stated. “We’re already much much bigger than Pride ever was in terms of, if you look at our viewership numbers and stuff like that, we’re far bigger than Pride ever was, but I’m talking about Japan, specifically. I believe we have the chance to be much bigger than Pride ever was.”

More importantly, Sityodtong sees ONE’s arrival in Japan as a way to breathe new life into the country’s martial arts scene.

“For me it’s an opportunity for a revival, a renaissance if you will, and we ignite Japan. If you look at Japan, every child in Japan is dealing with Karate, Kendo, Aikido, Judo, that’s teaching kids values.”

“I think it’s a huge opportunity, if done in the right, authentic way, to bring back martial arts and make it the most popular sport again,” Sityodtong added.

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Edited by Raunak J