SUMMARY
- ONE Friday Fights has provided underprivileged fighters the chance to make a name for themselves.
- ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong is optimistic about the platform producing the next big superstar.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has outlined his efforts to unearth the next superstar from his home country.
He recently made a collective 20-million-baht (approximately $550,000) donation to 40 Muay Thai gyms across Thailand. Sityodtong recently revealed the reasons for the gesture.
“So [last year and this year], me and my team wanted to give a hand to the fighters, gym owners, and small promoters all over the country. Not only in the Bangkok area. ONE and I invest all over the country for Muay Thai, because if I don’t do it, who will?”
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“This is very important because Muay Thai is our heritage. It has a long history in our country, and it would be a shame if no one helped or invested in our gyms and fighters. It’s not just an investment for today, we have to think in the long term.”
While the donation will help ailing gyms survive and provide the necessary means to train their athletes, the byproduct could be a new wave of stars who emerge from the Muay Thai hotbeds of rural Thailand.
Chatri Sityodtong is optimistic about ONE Friday Fights platform producing new superstars
Chatri Sityodtong hopes that the ONE Friday Fights platform, known as ONE Lumpinee in Thailand, will unearth the next ONE Championship superstar. The promotion puts out weekly shows at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and Sityodtong wants it to provide a pathway for fighters to strive for.
“When ONE Lumpinee started, this event provided inspiration to boxers and gyms across the country because it is the pathway to escape poverty,” he said.
“We have great stories like Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Superlek Kiatmoo9, Tawanchai PK Saenchai, or Stamp Fairtex, Phetjeeja. These are the stories of world-class Thai heroes. I want to make ONE Lumpinee the platform to find the next superstar. It gives the gyms a purpose and gives fighters a purpose for success in their lives.”
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“You don’t need to become the best, because we have ONE Lumpinee events every week. You don’t have to be an elite fighter to fight in there. I want to make ONE Lumpinee to be a platform to find the next superstar.”
“I want to meet someone who has the potential to be the best and help them develop their skill and earn more money. It gives the gym a purpose and gives fighters a purpose for success in their lives.”
Athletes who impress on ONE Friday Fights can be awarded a $100,000 full-time contract with ONE Championship, a figure that represents unprecedented earnings for many fighters.
Some of the beneficiaries so far have been ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Phetjeeja, Thai favorite Seksan Or Kwanmuang, and Malaysian teenage phenom Johan Ghazali.