MMA
Georges St-Pierre, Renzo Gracie, Ben Askren To Serve As Special Guest Stars On ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition’
When ONE Championship’s take on the ‘The Apprentice’ airs in early 2021, viewers will be treated to special guest appearances from three legends of the martial arts world.
ONE recently revealed that Georges St-Pierre, Renzo Gracie, and Ben “Funky” Askren will join the promotion’s Chairman and CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, and help test the show’s 16 contestants through a variety of physical and business challenges.
“It is my absolute honor to announce that mixed martial arts legend Georges St-Pierre, master Renzo Gracie, and former ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren will join me in guiding 16 young entrepreneurs who will compete in the boardroom to become ‘The Apprentice’ and work by my side at ONE Championship,” Sityodtong said in a press release.
“Bar none, this edition of The Apprentice will be the toughest edition in history. It is definitely NOT your grandfather’s edition of The Apprentice. It is a completely new, crazy, and intense edition with lots of jaw-dropping surprises and adrenaline-filled challenges,“ he continued in a social media post.
The three martial arts icons will be joined on the show by six current ONE Championship superstars, whose participation was previously announced:
- ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera
- ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee
- ONE Flyweight Grand Prix World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
- ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan
- Indian Wrestling Champion Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat
- Karate World Champion “Super” Sage Northcutt
“I am beyond excited to fly to Asia to be part of ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.’ Chatri is a great leader and entrepreneur, and it is an honor for me to guest star alongside him on the show and learn everything that I can,” St-Pierre said.
“I hope to share my insight and knowledge in business, as well as how it is to be an elite athlete, with the contestants and help them become successful.”
Gracie is already familiar with ONE, having competed for the promotion in 2018, but he’s just as excited about his return to Asia and his opportunity to help Sityodtong mentor the show’s contestants.
“Chatri is a personal friend, and I’ve seen him build ONE Championship into an immensely successful business today,” Gracie said.
“I have tremendous respect for the way Chatri leads and runs his company, and I am truly honored to be able to join him in discovering 'The Apprentice’ on one of the biggest reality TV shows in history. I can’t wait to meet the contestants and work with them on any challenge.”
Askren, another ONE alumnus, will certainly add some entertainment value to the show.
“It feels great to be able to be back working with ONE Championship again, although this time, it will be outside of the ONE Circle,” the former ONE Welterweight World Champion said.
“I can’t wait to bring the 'Funky’ into the boardroom and share some of my experience in business and athletics with the participants. I am sure we will have so much fun on the show.”
In the meantime, watch ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX on 30 October on meWATCH or the ONE Super App at 8:30 p.m. Singapore Standard Time (SGT). Also, Channel 5 will cut into the live broadcast at 10 p.m.
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