Chatri Sityodtong Says MMA Will Be “Back in Full Force” in 2024 After Monumental Year for Muay Thai

Mixed martial arts will again take the spotlight at ONE Championship’s events next year, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has revealed. In a record-breaking 2023, the world’s largest MMA put on 60 events. Moreover, it included ONE Championship’s debut in North America, Muay Thai took center stage thanks to the promotion’s weekly ONE Friday Fights shows.

The organization’s final show on U.S. primetime this year is ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts on Friday, December 8. The event will feature an all-Muay Thai card and stand as its first striking-only affair.

ONE Championship is going new places, Chatri Sityodtong reveals

This year, only three events were held outside Bangkok, Thailand. Further, most were held inside the Thai capital’s iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. While it has been a bit of a norm to broadcast from the same place since the pandemic, Sityodtong says they are looking to book more venues next year.

“You’re going to see MMA back in full force. We have our U.S. stadium shows, we have Qatar, Japan. In the Philippines, we have one or two shows,” he said. “ONE Friday Fights and the Muay Thai product are very much on a firm footing now,” he revealed.

“We’ve laid the groundwork and feel very comfortable it’s running on autopilot, and now we’re able to scale up. We’ve firmly established we have the No. 1 striking property on the planet. The focus will be sharply back onto mixed martial arts,” the ONE Championship boss revealed.

Recent achievements of ONE Championship

ONE Championship’s focus on promoting different combat sports has yielded positive results. In 2022, the promotion put a spotlight on submission grappling and introduced prodigies like the Ruotolo brothers and Mikey Musumeci to its global audience. Since then, the sport has seen a rise in mainstream popularity.

This year, it produced the most eagerly anticipated matchup in Muay Thai history when striking superstars Rodtang Jitmaungnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 clashed at ONE Friday Fights 34. That show broke viewership records across Thailand and trended worldwide on YouTube.

The success of both sports can’t solely be credited to ONE. However, the organization’s effort to put a shine on sports other than MMA has undoubtedly helped push audiences toward them. Especially, since it broadcasts to 190 countries across the globe.

Read More – Chatri Sityodtong Confirms ONE Championship’s Debut in the Middle East With ONE 165 in Qatar

With plans to return to Japan and the United States and conquer new territories in the Middle East and Europe, fans and fighters alike can expect another huge year for ONE Championship in 2024.