ONE Fight Night 10 was an absolute hit last Friday, May 5. ONE Championship arrived on-ground in the U.S. and delivered a memorable night inside Denver, Colo.’s 1stBank Center that could end up being the best event of 2023.
And ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong couldn’t contain his enthusiasm at the post-event press conference.
“I just want to thank the fans all over the States. You’re really [great]. I’m so full of gratitude and appreciation. Like I said, America gave me the opportunity to escape poverty and live the American dream. To come back here, it just blows my mind, and the energy today in the stadium. I know we’re trending on Twitter. I think No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No.5, depending on the moment of the night. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart to the American fans,” Sityodtong said.
“It’s mind-blowing to me that we have so many fans. The fans were rabid. It was clear in the stadium that the fans have been following our athletes like they knew the story. It wasn’t like new-timers like ‘oh let me check out ONE Championship’. It was like hardcore rabid fans. I mean, I was shocked.”
The story for ONE has been about promoting the true essence of martial arts. It is part of their mission statement, and Sityodtong continued to echo that after the event.
Even during the broadcast, the lifelong martial artist announced that ONE would join Tom DeBlass with the Buddies Over Bullies program, offering free martial arts training for any child getting bullied.
“That’s the thing, in The Home of Martial Arts, we really want to be a platform to inspire everyone, to dream more, do more, and be more in life. I know it sounds corny, but that’s truly what I believe in my heart that these are superheroes. Their journeys, their [overcoming] adversity can inspire anybody,” Sityodtong said.
“It’s not like I want everybody to become fighters or martial arts. But I want them to draw inspiration, like ‘I want to be a doctor, I want to be an engineer, or I failed my first college exam’. Whatever it is, right? And that’s why I’m very proud that we announced our Buddies Over Bullies program, in conjunction with Tom DeBlass. You look around the whole world, in the United States, especially, young kids committing suicide and stuff like that. You know social media has done a lot of harm. There’s a lot of good in social media, but there is a lot of harm. So there are a lot of things I want to do with this platform, with our superheroes.”
That inspiration can be seen with the athletes who competed at the show. In what Sityodtong credited as the most impressive performance of the night, Sage Northcutt overcame serious injuries to return after four years and score a first-round submission victory over Ahmed Mujtaba.
But the stories of the athletes that resonate with the public go beyond just one man.
“I’m so inspired by them. If you look at their journeys, Stamp was dirt poor. She was living on less than a dollar per day. When she was a child, she got bullied and picked up Muay Thai. In Thailand, girls don’t do Muay Thai. She really bucked a trend. They weren’t even allowed to compete, until recently, in major stadiums like Lumpinee and Rajadamnern. Only because of ONE Championship and Stamp, she became a superstar that the walls for women broke down in Thailand,” Sityodtong professed.
“And then you look at Mikey. He’s a kid who’s been super nerdy his whole life. It’s true, he’s a wonderful sweetheart with a heart of gold, but he didn’t have the easiest childhood. He has suffered from depression all his life. So anyone suffering from depression, if Mikey can do it, you can do it.”
ONE’s leader closed the press conference by showing how gracious he was to the American audience who sold out the arena, and those who tuned into Prime Video, where the event is available for free replay.
With strong momentum after ONE Fight Night 10, Sityodtong is ecstatic about what the future may hold.
“We are now at take-off velocity. We struggled for many years, many years. Actually, during COVID our numbers skyrocketed. And then, I get this data across all our platforms from countries all around the world and I just feel like we’re hitting our stride and crossing these major inflection points in popularity, across many different countries simultaneously. It’s just happening,” he said.
“I just want to thank all the American fans who showed up to support not just here in Denver, Colorado but also on Amazon Prime. I predict we will break viewership records on Amazon as well. Truly from the bottom of my heart, everywhere around the world, thank you so much for supporting. This is the beginning of ONE in America and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”