ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong admitted he was left pleasantly surprised with the reception received at the promotion’s United States debut several months ago.
May 5, 2023 signalled the date for ONE Championship‘s first appearance on US soil. ‘ONE Fight Night 10‘ was a highly anticipated event which took place at Denver’s 1STBANK Center, headlined by a flyweight title clash between sport icon Demetrious Johnson and three-time world champion Adriano Moraes.
Many wondered beforehand how an American crowd would take to a ONE event. Sityodtong himself was full of uncertainty leading up to the card, despite discussing the possibility for many years prior.
The 52-year-old was under no illusion, however, regarding the importance of ONE‘s ongoing Amazon partnership. The promotion streams all its events through the service, making it easier for fans to access the fights globally.
On BJPenn.com’s ‘Just Scrap Radio’, Sityodtong said: “Our partnership with Amazon has been huge.
“Amazon and ONE, we are super happy with our partnership, it has exceeded all expectations for Amazon and us. I think the proof is in the pudding with the May 5 US debut in Denver that was a sold-out show weeks in advance and I was generally shocked that we created the buzz and there was a big fanbase for ONE.
“We had record-breaking viewership on Amazon and we trended number one on Twitter for sports.”
Chatri Sityodtong on US Return
Sityodtong recently announced ONE will return to the US four times in 2024 following its successful debut.
Dates and locations of said events have since been announced. The original statement did not confirm these, but the Thai entrepreneur has now revealed that multiple Athletic Commissions have reached out to bring ONE to their respective states.
Sityodtonog said: “Definitely. Those discussions are ongoing and we have had a few States that have already approved the global ruleset. State by state working through it and bringing ONE here.
“I believe it is the most exciting promotion on the planet. We have the highest finish rate, almost a 70% finish rate. Whereas the other promotions have about 30 or 40% and fans love finishes.”
ONE Championship‘s ever-dedicated fanbase will be eagerly awaiting confirmation of dates and times for future US events. For now, Chatri Sityodtong will remain focused on finalising these deals and emerging as a top promotion within the country.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
