Chatri Sityodtong says ONE Friday Fights is a global hit: "We delivered numbers not just in Thailand but all over the world"

ONE Friday Fights took over the martial arts sphere last year with one blockbuster card after another, and ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong remains certain that will still be the case as the promotion's weekly spectacle inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium targets another breakout year in 2024.

In slightly over a decade, ONE, headquartered in Singapore, has evolved from an MMA promotion to the world's largest martial arts organization, being home to world champions across the all-encompassing sport of MMA, kickboxing, submission grappling and Muay Thai.

The promotion has hosted 46 editions of its ONE Friday Fights cards across 2023 inside the Mecca of Muay Thai, alongside several ONE Fight Night cards that have featured epic world title matchups.

Thus far, ONE has added 13 more Friday Asian primetime spectacles this year, the latest being ONE Friday Fights 58: Superbon vs Grigorian II, which took place last Friday, April 5.

Reflecting on how far the promotion has come since the inaugural edition of the show got underway on January 20 last year, Chatri Sityodtong told South China Morning Post:

"Last year, after I was invited to come to Lumpinee and be its largest promoter, I was so focused on [that]. My team has done a phenomenal job laying the foundations of ONE Lumpinee — it's the most-watched show in the history of the country, and it's the most-watched show on Friday night out of any content stack."

Chatri Sityodtong continued:

"I think of it as chapters in a book. Last year was the chapter of making sure we had the world's greatest striking product at Lumpinee, and we did that. We delivered numbers not just in Thailand but all over the world."

---

Chatri Sityodtong promises 'more numbered events' for 2024

Though ONE Friday Fights has continued to be a gift that keeps on gifting, there seems to be a more balanced approach to the striking-focused card, the ONE Fight Night spectacles, and numbered events this year, per the promotion's upcoming events tab on onefc.com.

For his part, Chatri Sityodtong agrees that has been ONE's approach for 2024, as the organization looks to tap into new regions and strengthen its presence in Japan and the United States.

The lifelong martial artist added:

"The next chapter is going back to our roots, which is martial arts. Having the best MMA fighters, kickboxers, the best Muay Thai fighters, the best grapplers...so you are seeing more numbered events."

ONE returned to Tokyo, Japan, in January with a successful ONE 165 card headlined by a striking showdown between two of the best kickboxers today, Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Takeru Segawa.

Then, in March, ONE 166 marked the promotion's debut in Qatar, which featured three epic MMA world title rematches inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

Furthermore, Chatri Sityodtong has also confirmed two numbered bills, ONE 168: Denver on September 6 and ONE 170 on November 8 in Atlanta, that will mark the world's largest martial arts organization's second and third on-ground events in the United States, respectively. Both events will broadcast live in U.S. primetime.