Chatri Sityodtong on Hawaiian MMA legend BJ Penn: “I’m a huge fan of BJ”

ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is a huge fan of MMA legend and former UFC champion ‘The Prodigy’ BJ Penn.

The two recently caught up in an online interview on Just Scrap Radio. Sityodtong was on the call to discuss all things ONE Championship, when Penn dropped in for a surprise visit.

The ONE head honcho immediately showered Penn with praise, showing respect for one of the all-time greats.

Sityodtong said:

“I'm a huge fan of BJ, like, you know, cause I do jiu-jitsu, right? Everyone's like, whenever I ask who's the most talented guy you've ever known in jiu-jitsu? BJ Penn three years from white to black. It blows my mind, bro. Like, I've been doing jiu-jitsu for 16 years and I'm still a brown belt. I'll probably get my black in the next year or so. But I'm like how the hell did you [do it in three years].”

Sityodtong was referring to Penn’s incredible feat of achieving his black belt in jiu-jitsu in such a short amount of time, which is of course, an impossible feat in and of its own.

Penn showed equal respect to Sityodtong and what the Thai-Japanese martial arts pioneer has done in building the world’s largest martial arts organization from the ground up.

Needless to say, Sityodtong and Penn have mutual admiration for each other.

Could we see ONE Championship in Hawaii next? The ONE CEO says it’s certainly possible.

Meanwhile, ONE Championship returns with ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Prime Video this Friday night, August 4th, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 13 live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for all the news and updates on the event.