SUMMARY
- Forbes has valued ONE Championship as the fourth largest combat sports property.
- The MMA promotion is valued at $1.3 billion by Forbes.
Forbes Magazine has released its latest report into the combat sports industry, and one inclusion in the top five has wowed fans. ONE Championship has come in at fourth on the list. Led by Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, ONE’s valuation is up to $1.3 billion, with an estimated turnover of $140 million, according to the report.
The UFC remains the biggest combat sports promotion, having been at the forefront of mixed martial arts since its inception in 1993. The Las Vegas-based organization now boasts a valuation of $11.3 billion, presumably aided by its high-profile merger with the WWE.
Its estimated revenue stands at an equally impressive $1.29 billion. Sandwiched in between the martial arts powerhouses are professional wrestling promotions WWE and AEW. WWE, which is associated with the UFC under the Endeavour umbrella, is now valued at $6.8 billion and boasts an estimated turnover of $1.33 billion.
With Tony Khan at the helm, AEW’s valuation has skyrocketed to $2 billion, while its estimated revenue stands at $250 million. Matchroom leads the charge for the sport of boxing at number five. Eddie Hearn’s promotion is valued at $850 million, with an estimated revenue of $134 million.
Chatri Sityodtong forecasted big moves for ONE Championship in December
Chatri Sityodtong foretold ONE Championship’s big increase in revenue late last year. Speaking to SCMP MMA in December, the ONE boss opened up on the reasons for his optimistic outlook for 2024.
“We have very good visibility that our revenues will be north of $100 million this year. We have very high visibility for 2024 because of all these different deals we are doing, and right now we are on track for $200 million in revenue in 2024,” he said.
“We are broadcast in 190 countries, so we have deals that are expiring and renewing any given month across the world and as these deals re-roll and renew, sometimes with existing partners or new partners. Our price points have continuously gone up, and that is part of the beauty of this business model.”
ONE has signed landmark broadcast deals with a slew of streaming giants such as Amazon Prime and Sky Sports in recent years, bringing its events to more than 190 countries.
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The martial arts giant made its hugely successful debut in the lucrative United States market in 2023, with two more events set to take place on American soil this year.
ONE’s impressive valuation can largely be attributed to these significant recent strides, in addition to its commitment to showcasing multiple martial arts such as MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling.