<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11098421" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sage-northcutt">Sage Northcutt</keyword> ruled out of <keyword id="3170175" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="One-Championship">One Championship</keyword>'s April 28 event on US cable TV because of COVID.</li><li>It would have been the American fighter's first bout since a first-round knockout loss in 2019.</li><li>One founder <keyword id="3492993" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="chatri-sityodtong">Chatri Sityodtong</keyword> told Insider that the 25-year-old can still become a global mega star.</li></ul><p>American fighter Sage Northcutt has been ruled out of his <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/one-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Championship</a> bout this month because of lingering effects of the coronavirus, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/31242529/sources-sage-northcutt-one-championship-bout-vs-shinya-aoki-due-covid-19-effects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN reported this week</a>.</p><p>The chiseled 25-year-old was supposed to fight <keyword id="11098422" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shinya-aoki">Shinya Aoki</keyword> at the Singapore-based <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> firm's April 28 event on US cable network TNT, its fourth of the month.</p><p>Aoki will still compete at the One on TNT show but will instead fight Eduard Folayang for the third time, the company tweeted Monday.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-ONE Championship  (@ONEChampionship) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1381615590796853248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Northcutt, meanwhile, will be made to wait for his first contest in two years as he continues his recovery from COVID-19.</p><p>"Sage Northcutt is not cleared by his doctors to compete on April 28," One Championship confirmed in a statement.</p><p>"This is disappointing for One, Turner, but most importantly Sage and his family as they were looking forward to this and spent months preparing.</p><p>"Sage had COVID a few months ago and was doing his best to get himself in a good place but late last week the doctor, during his final checks, could not clear him."</p><p>Northcutt was once considered one of the most exciting prospects in <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword> when the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> signed him as a teenager in 2015.</p><p>He left the UFC in 2018 after six wins and two losses for the Las Vegas promotion.</p><p>Northcutt then joined One Championship. He fought his only fight for Chatri Sityodtong's company in 2019, but was beaten by Cosmo Alexandre by first-round knockout in May of that year.</p><p>"Sage still has the potential," Sityodtong told Insider recently.</p><p>"He has all the likability in the world, he's an incredible martial artist, and I could see him being a mega global star with just a few marquee wins."</p>

America's Sage Northcutt ruled out of first One Championship bout in 2 years after COVID complications

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3170175" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="One-Championship">One Championship</keyword> holds its 12th event of the pandemic era on Friday.</li><li>With four championship belts on the line at the behind-closed-doors Singapore event, this is the Asian <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword> firm's most ambitious event of 2020.</li><li>If it weren't for the coronavirus pandemic, One Championship would have made its American debut by now, the CEO <keyword id="3492993" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="chatri-sityodtong">Chatri Sityodtong</keyword> recently told Insider.</li><li>And the One founder said at an October press conference that his company's end-of-year schedule and 2021 plans will soon be confirmed, which could include fights for two former UFC champions.</li></ul><p>One Championship would have debuted in the US if it weren't for "strange" times around the world, its boss told Insider ahead of its biggest and most exciting pandemic-era event, which takes place in Singapore on Friday.</p><p>Like many of the major <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> leagues and organizations, One Championship was affected by the worsening coronavirus pandemic from March, and canceled all events in that month, April, and May.</p><p>One Championship, led by founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, restarted operations in June with two events in Shanghai, before a four-event residency in Bangkok, a standalone show in Tokyo, a two-event run back in Bangkok, and now an October series in Singapore.</p><p>Sityodtong told Insider recently that if it were not for the coronavirus, his MMA firm would likely have made its US debut already.</p><p>At a press conference earlier this month, he added that the political situation and modern day race relations in America mean the country is going through an extraordinary period.</p><p>Regardless, a future date on American soil remains "definitely in our plans," Sityodtong said.</p><h2>One Championship is on the cusp of its greatest show of the year</h2><p>Sityodtong told Insider that he misses the atmosphere generated by fight fans at live shows, having now held 11 events in the coronavirus era of combat sports.</p><p>"Obviously the biggest difference for us is doing empty stadium, audience-free events," he said.</p><p>"Fighters fighting in quiet environments is a different feeling. Of course, they're giving it their all, chasing their dreams [but] when you have 10,000 or 20,000 screaming fans it really does change the environment in the arena, on the broadcast, and it inspires the athletes. I do miss that.</p><p>"But, at the same time, I'm grateful we're back," he told us. "We were down in March, April, May, and came back in June. Now we are gaining momentum and coming back with our big global stars and our international events."</p><p>Sityodtong said one of the more challenging things has been getting athletes into territories where borders had closed to stop the spread of COVID-19 by restricting travel. This was particularly true in much of Asia, where many of One's fighters come from.</p><p>However, he said he has been working with governments to hold events and said his firm has been the first sports league to hold a show in Singapore since lockdown.</p><p>Friday's event, imaginatively termed "Inside the Matrix," is the third such event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang.</p><p>But what makes this event different is the championship quality on offer, with four title fights on the card.</p><p><strong>Here they are:</strong></p><ol><li style="list-style-type: none;"><ol><li><keyword id="10190750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aung-la-nsang">Aung La Nsang</keyword> (c) vs. Reinier de Ridder — One middleweight championship</li><li><keyword id="9130294" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christian-lee">Christian Lee</keyword> (c) vs. Iuri Lapicus — One lightweight championship</li><li>Martin Nguyen (c) vs. Thanh Le — One featherweight championship</li><li><keyword id="10190751" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="xiong-jingnan">Xiong Jingnan</keyword> (c) vs. Tiffany Teo — One women's strawweight championship</li></ol></li></ol><div type="image" title="One Championship, Inside the Matrix" height="1350" width="1080" msid="78936138" hostid="261"></div><p>It is One Championship's most ambitious event in the pandemic to date, and the first of 2020 to have four titles on the line.</p><p>Aung La Nsang is on a seven-fight win streak and was last seen in a One ring knocking out Brandon Vera for the light heavyweight title, becoming a two-weight champion in the process.</p><p>Elsewhere on the bill is Christian Lee, a fighter Sityodtong has great confidence. </p><p>Sityodong believes the 170-pounder could beat any other fighter in any other MMA organization, and even told us earlier this year he'd have tipped the 21-year-old to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov retired Saturday from the UFC with a flawless 29-0 record.</p><p>Martin Nguyen, meanwhile, has held the One featherweight title since August, 2017, and has three championship defenses to date. His fourth arrives Friday.</p><p>Finally, Xiong Jingnan moves on from a two-fight rivalry (one knockout win and one submission loss) to Angela Lee, by taking on Tiffany Teo for the strawweight title.</p><h2>Sityodtong will announce his end-of-year schedule, and will soon give his US fighters competition</h2><div type="image" title="Aung La Nsang, One Championship" height="1206" width="2000" msid="78936145" hostid="261"></div><p>One Championship attracted worldwide headlines in recent years when it signed a number of US-based athletes like Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Sage Northcutt.</p><p>At October's press conference, Sityodtong said athletes such as Johnson and Alvarez, both formerly champions in the UFC, will soon have fight dates in One.</p><p>"You know, we are solving those issues as we speak. And again … we are working with multiple governments internationally to be able to create the same situation that we have in Singapore.</p><p>"So knock on wood that things come to fruition. But yes, I'm eager to get DJ and Eddie back in action ASAP," he said.</p><p>Sityodtong subsequently told Insider that holding an event in the US remains a priority for his company.</p><p>"It's still in our plans," he said. "We were anticipating our debut in the US before the pandemic hit, so obviously that put things on hold.</p><p>"[But] I'm hoping to revisit that, and see when's the right time. The United States is going through its own difficult times right now with COVID, but also the riots and protests which have been violent.</p><p>"It's a very tricky time in US history. We have an eye on that. It's not just the COVID thing, but I would love to have an event in the US."</p><p>At the press conference, he noted: "I don't want to commit to a date of when we will go to the United States, but it's definitely on our plans. The US is in a very strange place right now as well."</p><p>As for the end-of-year schedule and plans for 2021, Sityodtong said: "We hopefully will be able to announce the initial calendar for 2021 in the near future as we also plan out for the rest of the year."</p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/why-the-next-khabib-nurmagomedov-could-head-to-one-championship-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Championship's relationship with Dominance MMA means the next Khabib Nurmagomedov could head to the Asian fighting firm instead of the UFC</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/one-championship-would-love-to-recruit-headbutt-expert-dave-leduc-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asia's biggest MMA firm would love to recruit head-butting Lethwei 'monster' Dave Leduc once the coronavirus pandemic slows</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-juan-romans-knockout-was-so-awesome-the-commentator-swore-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Juan Roman's spinning kick knockout was so impressive that a TV commentator couldn't help but swear live on air</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-challenged-to-a-fight-vs-christian-lee-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A 21-year-old champion is already good enough to dethrone UFC king Khabib Nurmagomedov, MMA promoter says</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/demetrious-johnson-is-greatest-ever-mma-fighter-says-chatri-sityodtong-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Demetrious Johnson is the greatest MMA fighter in history, but has it tough against a Jon Jones-esque opponent, his promoter says</a></p>

One Championship would have debuted in the US if it weren't for current 'strange' times, but is one day away from its greatest pandemic-era event anyway

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9c85929386bc47e80015db-2000/chatri sityodtong one fc ceo.jpg" border="0" alt="Chatri Sityodtong, ONE FC CEO" data-mce-source="ONE Championship" /><p class="source"><span>ONE Championship</span></p><p class="caption">ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li style="text-align: left;">Chatri Sityodtong, the founder and CEO of Asia's $1 billion fight firm ONE Championship, has entered the American market and competes against the UFC.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Sityodtong's vision for how mixed martial arts should be promoted differs wildly from what we are accustomed to with the UFC boss Dana White.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Sityodtong is inspired by the Olympics and the way it presents athletes as people who overcome adversity.</li><li style="text-align: left;">He says his ONE Championship fighters are scandal-free, family-friendly superheroes. Unlike athletes like Conor McGregor, who have attracted controversy throughout the year.</li><li style="text-align: left;">This taints MMA, Sityodtong said.</li><li style="text-align: left;">ONE Championship has a huge event, it's 100th show, on October 13 - and it will be shown live in the US.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>ONE Championship, Asia's $1 billion MMA firm, is exporting its "wholesome" image to the US, where it will compete with the UFC, a company it says controversially promotes fights using "anger, hatred, and violence."</p><p>The 48-year-old entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong, the founder and CEO of ONE Championship, told Business Insider his firm prides itself on having scandal-free, family-friendly athletes on its roster.</p><p>ONE Championship promotes events by presenting these fighters as superheroes, which is a contrast to the way UFC hypes fights and fighters.</p><p>Sityodtong says the UFC and its president Dana White chooses to build events using bad blood and violence. This, he told us, is at odds with the martial art traditions that developed in Asia for 5,000 years.</p><p>He told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeR7Gb9hO7E" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA Fighting earlier in the year</a> that the west has tainted what martial arts should be.</p><p>For example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf8o_gcju8g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the UFC used footage of a crime scene</a> in the build-up to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor's lightweight title fight at UFC 229. They showed multiple angles of the Irishman finding a metal dolly in a parking lot, picking it up, and throwing it at a bus carrying UFC athletes. The dolly smashed a window, injuring people on board. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-charged-with-three-counts-of-assault-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McGregor was charged with criminal mischief and assault</a>.</p><p>McGregor went on to conclusively lose to Nurmagomedov but remains a controversial figure today.</p><p>The New York Times said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-sexual-assault-accusation-investigation-2019-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish police investigated him regarding a sexual assault allegation</a>, he posted an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-announces-ufc-return-apology-tweet-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Islamophobic" tweet</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-conor-mcgregor-punch-whiskey-proper-twelve-2019-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared to throw a punch at an older man</a> in a pub.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: '<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nurmagomedov-vs-mcgregor-somebody-might-get-shot-ufc-fighter-says-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Somebody's going to end up hurt or shot' if the Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor rivalry escalates, UFC fighter says</a></em></p><p>More recently, <a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-charlie-ward-entourage-bottle-service-girl-2019-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McGregor's entourage has been accused of forcing a nightclub bottle service girl into their car</a> after a booze-fueled evening in Los Angeles.</p><p>Sityodtong famously said last year that McGregor would be a failure in Asia, and not as popular an athlete as he is in Europe and the States. "Some of the things that he did … a lot of companies here would take serious, serious issue," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-would-be-a-failure-in-asia-2018-12?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he told Ariel Helwani on ESPN</a>. "I have a lot of respect for Conor … he's just not a guy for ONE Championship or Asia."</p><h2>Sityodtong is only interested in promoting scandal-free superheroes</h2><p>Sityodtong told Business Insider: "When I have company meetings with my staff, I always say our success is measured when a child puts a poster of one of our heroes on his or her bedroom wall. I want parents to know that their children are safe in the hands of our heroes.</p><p>"We celebrate values of integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion. We unleash heroes who inspire and unite countries and tell their stories of impossible triumphs over improbable odds.</p><p>"We haven't a single scandal in the newspaper for any of our top stars. They are only in the headlines for winning world titles or for helping underprivileged children. You don't see any of the trash-talking or any kind of criminal offences or behavior you see in other promotions. ONE Championship is filled with good human beings who are also good martial artists."</p><p>But how can Sityodtong ensure his athletes remain scandal-free? Well, his answer is simple - it's the law of attraction at work.</p><p>ONE Championship attracted headlines globally when it signed a hat-trick of former UFC athletes considered world-class athletes, or with world-class potential.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9d00103b33a72ada47d2fe-2000/demetrious johnson.jpg" border="0" alt="Demetrious Johnson" data-mce-source="ONE Championship" /><p class="source"><span>ONE Championship</span></p><p class="caption">Demetrious Johnson is one of three big-name athletes ONE Championship signed from UFC, last year.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In 2018, the two-time Bellator lightweight champion and one-time UFC champion Eddie Alvarez, the wildly dominant former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, and the 23-year-old karate prospect Sage Northcutt all joined ONE Championship.</p><p>Sityodtong says his company purposely recruits and employs competitors like this. "It's all about the selection process, right? If you just look at athletes who came over from the west, Demetrious Johnson, Sage Northcutt, Miesha Tate as an executive … the commonalities of the western athletes who come over are not only the best in the world at what they do. They are outstanding role models and good human beings with wholesome values. That's just the law of attraction at work.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-luke-keeler-challenges-ufc-fighter-to-stay-sober-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An Irish boxer is challenging Conor McGregor to 'stay sober' long enough so they can end their war of words and fight for a world title</a></em></p><p>"ONE Championship promotes good values. People know we represent a celebration of Asia's greatest treasure, which is martial arts; we attract those martial artists who exemplify our values and who share our DNA."</p><p>Though Demetrious Johnson was never appreciated in the UFC because of his professionalism, Sityodtong considers the American wrestler to be the best fighter of all time.</p><p>"You're in an environment where all your peers are trash-talking, promoting violence, and outrage. He knows he does not belong in that environment. Whereas here, with ONE Championship, he gets to promote his family values, his love of martial arts, sportsmanship, honor, respect. We are different to our global competitors."</p><h2>America's political climate has created an opportunity for ONE, Sityodtong says</h2><p>ONE Championship promotes the biggest and most ambitious event of its eight-year history at the famous sumo wrestling arena, the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, on October 13.</p><p>It is ONE Championship's 100th show, one stacked with title fights featuring prominent athletes like Johnson, Angela Lee, and Xiong Jingnan.</p><p>The ONE Century show will be broadcast to American audiences via BR Live and TNT.</p><blockquote class="pullquote">I don't recognize the America I see today when I see the divisiveness and hatred … the US market is waiting for something fresh, refreshing, and uplifting.</blockquote><p>Sityodtong once said McGregor, who is MMA's biggest box office attraction in that territory, would flop in Asia. However, how can he be sure his product, ONE Championship - with its comic book approach to life and sport - will excel in the States?</p><p>He told us it is because of two reasons.</p><p>First, controversial athletes like McGregor have ushered mixed martial arts into a post trash talk era. Sityodtong believes fight fans now want something else - something purer.</p><p>Second, the political climate of divisiveness and hatred seemingly instigated by current US President Donald Trump opens the door for ONE Championship's "refreshing" values of "heroes, values, and stories."</p><p>Sityodtong said: "The US market is waiting for something fresh, refreshing, and uplifting. The American audience is tired of all the negativity, anger, controversy, not just in combat sports but the political landscape. I lived in America for 18 years, and I don't recognize the America I see today when I see the divisiveness and hatred.</p><p>"America is going through a difficult period in its history, and ONE Championship is going to be very refreshing and will be very welcome in terms of the way we celebrate heroes, values, and stories."</p><h2>ONE Championship sees itself as UFC's equal, but it has a long way to go</h2><p>The UFC dominates the mixed martial arts landscape.</p><p>There is the UFC, with its transcendent stars like Georges St.Pierre, Ronda Rousey, and McGregor. Below that, there is a three-firm layer consisting of Bellator MMA with its investment into Europe, the Professional Fighters League, which is a season-based promotion in line with the NFL or NBA, and also ONE Championship with its base in Asia and growth plans in the States.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bellator-exploiting-market-seemingly-neglected-by-the-ufc-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA firm Bellator wants to exploit a market that has been largely neglected by the UFC, and Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh is a crucial part of the plan</a></em></p><p>But Sityodtong says he sees ONE Championship as the UFC's equal. "In the world of combat sports, it's really become a global duopoly," he told Business Insider.</p><p>"UFC controls an 80% market share of the western hemisphere, but ONE Championship controls 90% of the market share in the Eastern hemisphere. And we're the two big 800-pound gorillas in the industry.</p><p>"But we're a different formula because we're a celebration of Asia's greatest cultural treasure, martial arts. The UFC's approach involves controversy, anger, hatred, or some sort of violence to promote their event."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9d00ed122bd52bfb618162-2000/a one championship event.jpg" border="0" alt="A ONE Championship event" data-mce-source="ONE Championship" /><p class="source"><span>ONE Championship</span></p><p class="caption">What a ONE Championship event looks like.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Sityodtong said there are only three sports brands in Asia with valuations above $1 billion. The Indian Premier League in cricket is worth $5 billion, he said, while the Chinese Super League in soccer "is around $1 billion." Sityodtong added: "ONE Championship is in that range as well."</p><p>The UFC was sold in 2016 and cost the talent agency WME-IMG $4 billion. That's four times ONE Championship's current valuation.</p><p>But regardless of whether or not it has broken through any <a href="https://variety.com/2018/biz/asia/billion-dollar-valuation-for-one-championship-as-media-empire-1202803047/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">billion-dollar valuation barrier</a>, that does not mean it is profitable.</p><p>The MMA <a href="https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2018/10/17/17976862/one-championship-look-finances-mma-one-fc-losses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economics reporter John S.Nash at Bloody Elbow</a> said ONE Championship balance sheets for the three years from 2015 to 2017 showed "an annual eight-figure loss." Losses by the end of 2017 were the equivalent of $67 million," Nash said.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2019/9/9/20851990/what-we-now-know-about-the-ufc-finances" target="_blank" rel="noopener">same reporter at Bloody Elbow</a> was able to put the UFC's finances under the microscope recently. Although 2015 was the most recent year Nash had data for, it was a period that still showed a net income of $119 million.</p><p>When Business Insider met the Bellator MMA president Scott Coker in London earlier this year, we discussed the business models of the various fight firms that make up the combative sports industry. Coker said he's always curious how brands like Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, Professional Fighters League, and, perhaps, ONE Championship can make money and survive.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kayla-harrison-says-ronda-rousey-comparison-unfair-as-shes-better-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A PFL fighter being hailed as the next Ronda Rousey says the comparison is unfair because she's actually way better</a></em></p><p>Sityodtong told us that his brand, ONE Championship, has been able to rely on blue-chip institutional investors like Sequoia Capital, Temasek Holdings, and Greenoaks Capital.</p><p>ONE Championship, founded in 2011, is also where it is today because of the rise of technology, social media, and smartphones, Sityodtong said. It is "perfect for the millennial audience in terms of fast, short, edge-of-the-seat content that grabs your attention."</p><p>In the eight years it has been running, Sityodtong has overseen broadcast deals in 140 countries. He told us that a ONE Championship show in Tokyo earlier in the year hit viewership numbers of 41.9 million around the world. "We're on free-to-air TV across the whole continent of Asia, so our viewership numbers are so much larger [than the UFC]."</p><p>Even UFC boss White said ONE Championship is a <a href="https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2018/10/17/17976862/one-championship-look-finances-mma-one-fc-losses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"monster"</a> in Asia, but now Sityodtong wants to take his beast away from the east and into the States.</p><p>"Asia is our base," he told us. "All of Asia is very important to us … four billion people live here. That being said, we also see a big opportunity in the US because of our partnership with Turner Sports."</p><p>Sityodtong expects ONE Championship to experience exponential growth in the months and years ahead. "We're in the very beginning of the journey, and I'm excited."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9d0f5f3b33a739f17f1885-2000/one championship athlete angele lee.jpg" border="0" alt="ONE Championship athlete Angele Lee" data-mce-source="ONE Championship" /><p class="source"><span>ONE Championship</span></p><p class="caption">The 23-year-old Canadian mixed martial artist Angela Lee.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The next step in that journey is ONE Championship: Century, a two-part event taking place on October 13.</p><p>Atomweight women Angela Lee and Xiong Jingnan fight for the ONE Championship in the main event supported by Demetrious Johnson and Danny Kingad's bout in the flyweight Grand Prix final.</p><p>In the second part of the event, Sityodtong highlighted the $1 million kickboxing featherweight Grand Prix final between Giorgio Petrosyan and Samy Sena as one to watch.</p><p>"Wow, I'm so excited for Jingnan against Angela Lee. Jingnan is dropping down a weight class to challenge for Angela Lee's atomweight world title," Sityodtong said.</p><p>"I'm excited for the world Grand Prix finals and also the $1 million kickboxing final between two of the world's greatest strikers. We have 28 world champions across various martial arts, whether that's Muay Thai or MMA or grappling, the list goes on. The fans are in for a real treat, the best in the world competing at this mega event."</p><p>After that, the journey continues. And, for Sityodtong, that involves incorporating the formula of the Olympic Games, one which "celebrates the very best of humanity," and applying that to MMA.</p><p>"Why does the Olympics get a billion viewers as the most-watched sporting event in the world? It's because they celebrate the very best of humanity," he said. "Not only the best of sports but humanity in terms of sportsmanship, honor, and respect.</p><p>"In terms of kindness of the human spirit prevailing over incredible odds. They very much have the same values as ONE. Our genre might be martial arts, but our platform is humanity."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-biggest-secrets-mob-football-2016-1">5 things about the NFL that football fans may not know</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/AyeVIc0o-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Asia's $1 billion fight firm is exporting its 'wholesome' image to the US to take on UFC, a company it says taints MMA by promoting 'anger, hatred, and violence'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bb9e52d8053837809538782-2000/conor mcgregor ufc 229 rematch.jpg" border="0" alt="Conor McGregor, UFC 229 rematch" data-mce-source="Photo by Harry How/Getty Images" data-link="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/conor-mcgregor-of-ireland-is-sits-on-the-mat-in-the-octagon-news-photo/1046912588" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/conor-mcgregor-of-ireland-is-sits-on-the-mat-in-the-octagon-news-photo/1046912588">Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</a></span></p><p class="caption">Conor McGregor.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Conor McGregor would be a failure in Asia, says powerful fight promoter Chatri Sityodtong, the CEO of ONE Championship.</li><li>Sityodtong says men "of character" who possess "values" succeed in ONE, a mixed martial arts firm based in Singapore.</li><li>McGregor has a history of outlandish actions and of making outrageous comments, which is at odds with the values Sityodtong admires.</li><li>ONE's next event is the "Destiny of Champions" show at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on December 7.</li><li>Meanwhile, McGregor's next UFC opponent is unclear as he is awaiting the results of a disciplinary hearing regarding his involvement in the post-fight brawls that marred UFC 229.</li></ul><p>Conor McGregor is one of the biggest names in the fight game, but his career would be a flop if he were competing in the Asian market rather than the UFC.</p><p>That is according to one of the most powerful promoters in the business, Chatri Sityodtong, who believes the Irishman's abrasive personality is at odds with the values he looks to instil at his firm ONE Championship.</p><p>"I don't think he would do well in Asia," Sityodtong said on <a href="https://twitter.com/i/events/964202978675605505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN</a>.</p><p>Based in Singapore and founded in 2011, ONE promotes mixed martial arts events and is regarded by Forbes as <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/06/08/one-championship-and-singapore-have-partnered-to-create-asias-largest-global-sports-media-property/#153140dd301b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asia's largest global sports media property</a>.</p><p>A number of prominent fighters have competed in a ONE cage, including the UFC grappler Ben Askren and the UFC heavyweight Andrei Arlovski. Additionally, ONE has made three groundbreaking signings recently as it recruited Eddie Alvarez, Sage Northcutt, and Demetrious Johnson, all from UFC.</p><p>It is the signing of Johnson, a wildly dominant flyweight who struggled to win fans in UFC, that has specifically pleased Sityodtong, and this is because he says the wrestler's core values mesh perfectly with his own, with ONE's, and with Asia's.</p><p>Sityodtong said Johnson "will never be the trash talker or the guy who disses people" like McGregor - the UFC's marquee attraction. He added that Johnson is "a man of character" who will be valued and "much happier" than he ever was at UFC.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c07d920cc0f47038268f419-2000/chatri sityodtong is ceo of one championship.jpg" border="0" alt="Chatri Sityodtong is CEO of ONE Championship.JPG" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-link="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2018%3Anewsml_RC1C70E102F0%3A684496348&amp;share=true" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2018%3Anewsml_RC1C70E102F0%3A684496348&amp;share=true">Reuters</a></span></p><p class="caption">Chatri Sityodtong.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Sityodtong said the signing of Johnson is more suited to his company, than if he were to recruit McGregor.</p><p>McGregor, of course, was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-charged-with-three-counts-of-assault-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged with assault and criminal mischief</a> when he was seen on video throwing a trolley through a bus window in an incident that left two fighters requiring hospital treatment earlier this year. He called UFC 229 opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-predicts-a-ko-over-dagestani-rat-khabib-nurmagomedov-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"smelly Dagestani rat,"</a> mocked Nurmagomedov's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-khabib-nurmagomedov-ufc-229-press-conference-whiskey-putin-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accent and slugged his own branded whiskey</a> at a media event in September, and even called Nurmagomedov's manager Ali Abdulaziz a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/khabib-nurmagomedovs-manager-reacts-to-the-conor-mcgregor-violence-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"snitch terrorist."</a></p><p>And that is just this year.</p><p>Previously, McGregor attracted negative headlines when he said he was not racist because he's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/floyd-mayweather-conor-mcgregors-half-black-ufc-boxing-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"half black from the bellybutton down."</a> He called Nate Diaz a <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/ufc/story/nate-diaz-proud-of-ethnic-background-community-work-conor-mcgregor-mocked-030316" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"cholo,"</a> and before he faced the Brazilian fighter Jose Aldo, he said: "If this was a different time, I would invade his favela on horseback and <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/ufc/gallery/10-of-conor-mcgregor-s-best-verbal-jabs-at-jose-aldo-120515" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kill anyone who wasn't fit to work."</a></p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-rogan-says-conor-mcgregor-trolls-are-out-of-their-minds-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Rogan says critics of Conor McGregor's 4th-round tap-out are 'out of their f---ing minds'</a></em></p><p>For Sityodtong, this type of behaviour causes problems with sponsors in Asia. "Some of the things that he did, already done… a lot of companies here would take serious, serious issue," he said.</p><p>"With any organization or company, there are going to be companies for x, y, and z type of people and companies for a, b, c type of people. I think what you see now with companies like UFC, ONE Championship and Bellator, an athlete can choose where he or she is best represented or most feels at home for core values."</p><p>He added: "I have a lot of respect for Conor and what he's done, he's just not a guy for us, ONE Championship or Asia, He's just not the right guy."</p><p>ONE's next event is the "Destiny of Champions" show in Kuala Lumpur on December 7, but it is not yet clear who McGregor's next opponent is in UFC.</p><p>This is because he is currently awaiting the result of a disciplinary hearing regarding his involvement in the post-fight brawls that marred UFC 229.</p><p>McGregor lost when he was submitted in the fourth round because of Nurmagomedov's tight neck crank. While McGregor contemplated defeat on the canvas, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conor-mcgregor-result-who-won-ko-khabib-nurmagomedov-10-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nurmagomedov mounted the fence and charged at McGregor's cage-side friend Dillon Danis.</a></p><p>While that was going on, members of Nurmagomedov's team invaded the cage and exchanged punches with McGregor.</p><p>McGregor and Nurmagomedov have been instructed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to attend a disciplinary hearing on December 10. They could get <a href="https://mmajunkie.com/2018/12/nsac-grants-conor-mcgregor-continuance-in-ufc-229-brawl-hearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slapped with a $250,000 fine, and banned from fighting</a> in Las Vegas forever.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-it-called-black-friday-2017-11">The true story behind the name 'Black Friday' is much darker than you may have thought</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/4XXGYOui-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

You Searched For "sage northcutt" and got 4 results

America's Sage Northcutt ruled out of first One Championship bout in 2 years after COVID complications

Alan Dawson

One Championship would have debuted in the US if it weren't for current 'strange' times, but is one day away from its greatest pandemic-era event anyway

Alan Dawson

Asia's $1 billion fight firm is exporting its 'wholesome' image to the US to take on UFC, a company it says taints MMA by promoting 'anger, hatred, and violence'

Alan Dawson

One of the biggest fight promoters in the world says Conor McGregor would be a failure in Asia

Alan Dawson