Chatri Sityodtong says ONE in Hawaii is possible, says BJ Penn turned it into a ‘fighting island’

ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong said that the island of Hawaii is still very much part of their plans of places to hold their world-class martial arts offering.

The ONE executive shared this in a recent interview session with Just Scrap Radio on BJPenn.com.

Asked by Hawaiian mixed martial arts legend BJ Penn, who briefly jumped in to join the conversation, what ONE’s plans are for Hawaii, Chatri Sityodtong said that they are continuously working on bringing events to the island while also paying homage to Penn for what he has done for MMA in his home state.

Chatri Sityodtong said:

“We've been talking to the Hawaii Athletic Commission for some time now for the last few years. [They] are excited to have ONE as well.”

The ONE official added:

“I know we have a fan base in Hawaii, man. Because, you know, the Hawaiians are crazy, the Hawaiians are crazy. It's a fighting island and BJ you started it all off, man. The whole ‘Let's scrap’, you know.”

Check out the interview below:

ONE Championship has been actively taking their world-class martial arts offering to areas beyond its traditional markets in Asia the past few years.

Back in May, it held a historic first-ever live on-ground event in the United States. The landmark U.S. show was headlined by the trilogy title fight of American MMA legend and ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson and Brazilian rival Adriano Moraes. It was played to a sold-out crowd at the 1stBank Center in Colorado.

Recently, it was announced that at least four live events are set to be played in the United States 2024.

Later this year, ONE Championship is also set to descend in Qatar.