ONE Championship

ONE Championship is a Singapore-based combat sports promotion that has grown into Asia's largest martial arts organization. It stages live events featuring mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling, with over 200 events held across the region since its founding in 2011. The promotion's unique format brings multiple disciplines under one roof, allowing fighters to compete in the rule set that best suits their skills.

What sets ONE apart from other promotions is its deep roots in Asian martial arts culture. Founder Chatri Sityodtong, a lifelong Muay Thai practitioner, built the organization around the philosophy of uniting Asia through martial arts. The promotion has expanded from a single event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to a near-weekly schedule that includes ONE Friday Fights from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, monthly ONE Fight Nights on Prime Video, and major numbered cards like ONE 174 and ONE 175.

ONE Championship has attracted top talent from around the world, including MMA legend Demetrious Johnson, former UFC champion Arjan Bhullar, and Muay Thai stars like Jonathan Haggerty and Stamp Fairtex. The promotion's reach extends to over one billion homes in more than 70 countries, with broadcast partners including Amazon Prime Video, Globo in Brazil, and beIN Sports across the Middle East and North Africa. As of 2026, ONE plans to stage more than 70 events, marking a dramatic expansion from its early years. [edit]

ONE Championship was founded on July 14, 2011, by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Sityodtong, a Harvard Business School graduate and former hedge fund manager, used his own savings along with contributions from Harvard classmate Saurabh Mittal to launch the promotion. The first event, ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion, took place on September 3, 2011, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and sold out completely.

The promotion initially operated under the name ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) before rebranding to ONE Championship in January 2015. In the early years, Sityodtong struggled to find broadcast partners, with no major network willing to air the events. That changed as the promotion built a loyal fanbase across Asia, eventually securing deals with networks like Beijing TV in China and later Amazon Prime Video.

ONE Championship has raised $346 million in funding from investors including Sequoia Capital and Temasek Holdings, reaching a valuation of over $1 billion by mid-2020. The promotion expanded its offerings in 2023 by launching ONE Friday Fights, weekly events from Lumpinee Stadium that have become a staple of the schedule. In 2026, the company announced plans for more than 70 events, including a return to the United States with ONE: Denver at Ball Arena. [edit]

ONE Championship has positioned itself as a vehicle to unite Asia through martial arts, holding events in Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Japan, and Dubai. The promotion helped grow women's combat sports in the region by featuring the first female MMA bout in March 2012. Sityodtong's vision is for ONE to become part of the fabric of society in Asia, and the promotion has built a dedicated following by celebrating local martial arts traditions alongside modern MMA. [edit]

ONE Championship's rules allow knees to the head of a grounded opponent, a technique banned in most other MMA promotions. This required special approval from Colorado's Office of Combative Sports for the promotion's 2026 event in Denver. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of events from March through June 2020, with the promotion resuming on July 31, 2020 in Thailand. [edit]