Chatri Sityodtong renews call for cross-promotion event between ONE and the UFC

ONE Championship and UFC have enjoyed the lion’s share of the world’s attention when it comes to mixed martial arts.

While the two have existed apart from each other for much of their lives, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong called for an event that would ultimately settle which promotion is the best.

During the press conference for ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video, Chatri Sityodtong said that he hopes to see a mega event that would pit the two massive organizations against each other.

Chatri Sityodtong said:

“The world has become a global duopoly. If you look at the popularity of UFC in the west and you look at the popularity of ONE in the east, it's basically the same. But I will tell you, our fighters are better, and I'll tell you that I'd love to see one day a ONE versus UFC event, a mega event to see who truly is the best in the world.”

The UFC started life in 1993, while ONE Championship held its first event in 2011, nearly 18 years after the American organization.

Nevertheless, ONE Championship has captured worldwide acclaim not just through MMA, but also through Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling.

The organization even held a boxing match when Srisaket Sor Rungvisai defended the WBC super flyweight world title against Iran Diaz in October 2018 at ONE: Kingdom of Heroes.

Chatri Sityodtong added that he has a deep respect for the UFC and believes the two can still coexist in the overall sporting world:

“I have a lot of respect for UFC. They are obviously a giant in the west. But I also think that there's enough room globally for two big giants... Our viewership numbers are bigger than UFC’s globally, but at the same time, I do think their popularity in America is massive, so it's neither here nor there.”

ONE Fight Night 8 is ONE Championship’s third Amazon card of the year and will be available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.