“A once in a lifetime moment” – Chatri Sityodtong on the impact of Demetrious Johnson vs Rodtang super fight on martial arts

ONE Championship has truly come into its own over the past few years, separating itself from the competition by becoming known as not only a mixed martial arts-focused promotion, but a three-hundred and sixty degree martial arts product which includes pure disciplines such as kickboxing, Muay Thai, submission grappling, and the like.

Eventually, the lines between combat disciplines began to blur, and ONE Championship stumbled on a goldmine when it decided to introduce mixed rules fights to its fans.

According to the promotion’s chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, the highest point of this product remains the 2022 showdown with reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion ‘The Iron Man’ Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X.

That fight consisted of four rounds that alternated between Muay Thai and MMA rule sets. Johnson got through the first round, surviving Rodtang’s explosive striking onslaught, and then went on to choke ‘The Iron Man’ out in the second.

Speaking to BJPenn.com, Sityodtong talked about that fight and what it meant to ONE Championship and martial arts.

He said:

“I think what DJ and Rotang did was truly exceptional, truly extraordinary. It was a once in a lifetime moment where you get the greatest mixed martial artist of all time and arguably the greatest striker at this time to go head to head. The rule set was insane, I mean it's just, you know, hats off to DJ. He could have gotten his head blown off and I think that added to his GOAT status, his legendary status. Again, it goes back to being ONE Championship, being the home of martial arts, authentic martial arts.”

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Chatri Sityodtong excited for ONE Championship’s return to the US

ONE Championship is back in the United States this year when the promotion hits Denver and Atlanta in Q4.

Sityodtong said in the same interview:

“We're super pumped. Obviously, America is the world's largest sports market,. Our fan base is growing there, it's a rapid fan base. They love ONE, they love our athletes, we’re so very pumped to be back. It took a little bit longer than we anticipated just because we want to get the our ducks in a row because we're now in some major stadiums."

He added:

"These are the home I think in Denver it's the home of the Nuggets and then Atlanta the home of the Hawks, so you know we are playing the in the big stadiums. I think these are 15-20,000 seaters.”