ONE Championship: Asia-based sports platform growing at breakneck pace

MANILA, Philippines — An Asian-grown sports platform is making a buzz in business as it has rapidly risen to unicorn status – a term given to startup companies valued at over $1 billion – from its humble beginnings in 2011.

Founded by Muay Thai practitioner Chatri Sidyodtong, ONE Championship has grown to become the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization and could join the elite circle of multi-billion sports businesses such as the NFL, NBA and F1 in five to 10 years, Sidyodtong, its chairman and CEO, said.

Named by Fox Sports last year as Asia’s third most powerful person in sports, Sidyodtong said their top line has “literally exploded 10 times every year” and right now, “my biggest worry is, since we have seven offices and adding our eighth, we’re hiring at a breakneck speed that if we don’t get the best people, we might fail.”

While a public offer of its shares is in the pipeline, Sidyodtong said it is not as much a priority as expanding their reach further. Right now, ONE Championship bouts are seen in nearly two billion homes across 136 countries.

He said based on its growth metrics, ONE Championship is already “the fastest-growing global sports media property in history” in terms of viewership, TV ratings and broadcast hours.

While the Philippine market is still small compared to their exposure in Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, Sidyodtong said their fights are competing neck-and-neck with the Philippine Basketball Association – undoubtedly the most popular sports platform in the country.

“Definitely there’s room for growth because ONE Championship is what it has always been – a celebration of Asia’s greatest cultural treasure. We’re showcasing Asian heroes on the global stage with deep rooted values in an exciting entertainment format,” he added.