As major sporting leagues around the world attempt to restart, Asian based mixed martial arts promotion ONE Championship has plans of its own to return this year.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the temporary suspension of all regional events, ONE has been diligently discussing, planning, and negotiating the next steps needed for a return to action.
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In an interview with the Associated Press, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong indicated that the promotion would soon return to action.
Sityodtong and his team have been in talks with government officials and health experts to determine the best and safest way back to hosting events.
While there are other promotions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the United States that have already resumed events, ONE has opted to proceed with caution to protect the safety of athletes, staff, and fans.
“Of course I give mad respect to Dana White for having the courage and the vision to pull off events in such a tricky time,” Sityodtong said. “At One Championship, we have the same level of intensity, but I would say we are a little more prudent, because safety is our highest priority.”
“We are not in a rush to come back just for the sake of coming back due to our financial commitments to broadcasters and brands and whatnot. We want to come back in an environment where we are sure that we can do it safely for all parties involved.”
ONE’s large presence in Asia (they hosted events in nine countries last year) has also proven to be a multi-faceted challenge.
In order to facilitate a full-fledged return, ONE will need to satisfy each country’s health and safety protocols, athlete visas, travel restrictions, and regulatory bodies.
“Different governments have different policies on their borders, as well as their lockdown policies, so that’s been a little bit tricky in getting everything up and running,” Sityodtong said. “But my team and I have been working on it nonstop, and we feel pretty good about it.”
The last card, ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE, held in February in Singapore, was the first of its audience-free closed-door events.
Although there has been no firm date yet on resuming events in Singapore, Sityodtong said the company is working with government officials to secure special access to the country for athletes.
There is also little concern about falling behind the UFC during this period.
Recently released data from Tubular Labs showed that ONE Championship raked in 5.6 billion cross-platform views in 2019, making them the fourth most-watched sports property in the world in terms of online viewership. The UFC came in fifth with 3.8 billion views.
For now, Sityodtong is focused on finalizing plans for events to resume in China, Thailand, and Singapore. Once that is done, the company aims to speed up ONE’s calendar to hold as many events as possible in 2020.
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