“The sky is the limit” – Chatri Sityodtong keen to bring ONE Championship back to Qatar after monumental ONE 166

Following the successful staging of the promotion’s first-ever live on-ground event in Qatar, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said they are keen on coming back and doing another show in the Middle Eastern country.

ONE 166: Qatar took place on March 1 and was warmly received by fight fans at the Lusail Sports Arena. It was part of ONE’s push to bring its brand of world-class martial arts action to more people in different parts of the world this year.

Given the reception that ONE 166 had in Qatar, Chatri Sityodtong shared during the post-event press conference that a return to the Middle Eastern independent state is something they would highly consider. He said:

“The sky is the limit. I’ve been to Saudi Arabia many times and our very first event was in Dubai, so you never know. We’re open to everything and we have multiple discussions going on. Let’s see what happens but I definitely want to come back to Qatar. Our athletes, my team, my staff, we absolutely love it here. Visit Qatar tourism, 100 percent visit Qatar. Everyone should visit Qatar.”

Check out what he had to say below:

ONE 166: Qatar was a 10-fight offering headlined by the all-champion title clash between ONE middleweight MMA king Reinier de Ridder and double ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

Malykhin won by TKO in the third round, making history as the first ONE champion to hold three world titles simultaneously.

A replay of ONE 166 is available for free to North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.

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Chatri Sityodtong says U.S. shows this year loaded with superstars

Apart from taking their brand of martial arts action to new grounds, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said they are also girding for improved offerings for their scheduled shows in the United States this year.

ONE Championship is set to have two events in the U.S. in the second half of 2024. The first is in Denver, Colorado, on September 6, and Atlanta, Georgia, on November 8.

The events follow the first-ever U.S. event of ONE Championship in Broomfield, Colorado, in May last year, which was played to a sold-out crowd.

During the post-event press conference for ONE 165 in Japan in January, Chatri Sityodtong shared their plans for their U.S. shows this year, including gathering the promotion’s superstars for the events.

The ONE executive said:

"I think American fans just love watching the best of the best. So, if you look at our Denver show last year, who got the loudest audience, you know screams and all that? And even on our digital metrics we saw, Rodtang and Stamp by far were the most popular fighters, right?

“I think Americans have never seen striking at that level, you know, elite, the very best of the best. In American organizations, you have pretty watered-down striking.”

Watch the press conference below:

ONE’s Amazon cards are available live in the U.S. primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.