Chatri Sityodtong bringing back numbered events to go with current lineup

The absence of ONE Championship’s numbered events this year has been noted by the Singapore-based promotion’s fans, and Chatri Sityodtong has taken notice.

In the aftermath of ONE Fight Night 11 earlier this month, the ONE Chairman and CEO shared some exciting news about bringing back the numbered events in the second half of 2023, to add to its two existing formats.

Sityodtong shared in an interview with The South China Morning Post:

“It's a number. So we have three products right now. The number, which we haven't done in a few months. The Fight Night product is our mid-range product. And then ONE Friday Fights which is our kind of entry-level product where people are vying to get into ONE Championship. The two main products, much like the UFC actually, is they have a fight night product and they have a numbered product.”

Numbered events, of course, have been a staple to ONE Championship over the years, usually airing back-to-back with its Amazon Prime Video cards, launched last year.

This year, though, the largest martial arts organization in the world seemingly shelved the numbered cards in favor of its weekly spectacle at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium, ONE Friday Fights.

The last numbered card of the promotion was ONE 164 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines last December. Here, Jarred Brooks dethroned hometown hero Joshua Pacio to become the new ONE strawweight world champion.

Meanwhile, the return of the numbered cards is indeed great news for fight fans across the globe, as it means more exposure for the promotion’s talented roster across multiple combat sports.

While there’s no timetable and location for it yet, Qatar and Japan are the rumored frontrunners, among other prime destinations.

Watch Chatri Sityodtong’s full interview: