A new year is here and that means it’s time for Combat Press to take a look back at the best of MMA in 2022. In the coming days, Combat Press will announce its award winners in multiple categories, covering everything from the action in the cage to the biggest stories surrounding the sport.
A lot of things go into making a mixed martial arts promotion successful. Fighters get the bulk of the recognition, and for good reason, because they are the ones putting their health on the line. Without a good executive leading the show, however, a promotion has no chance of success. 2022 was a unique year across the globe as sports organizations learned on the fly how to deal with a post-COVID-pandemic world.
The UFC is widely regarded as the premier mixed martial arts organization, and it is led year-in and year-out by Dana White. There may not be a true rival organization anywhere on the globe, but ONE Championship is quickly making a name for itself under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Sityodtong drew eyeballs to his organization in 2022 by putting together 32 total events that comprised a plethora of combat sports from MMA to Muay Thai to kickboxing to submission grappling. The year saw its first two submission grappling divisions crown champions as Mikey Musumeci became the flyweight world champion and Kade Ruotolo became the lightweight world champion. In addition to adding new champions, perhaps the biggest news of the year for ONE was their broadcast agreement with Amazon Prime Video.
The organization held five events on the streaming service, all in primetime in the United States. There were numerous grand-prix-style tournaments, and the organization successfully held their Road to ONE series with 12 events across the world.
The Singapore-based ONE Championship had a banner year, and, at the core of that success, is its Chairman and CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, which earns him the Combat Press 2022 MMA Award for Executive of the Year.