”If you have PRIDE and you still DREAM, then there is only one place for Asian MMA and that is ONE FC.”
Those were the words of legendary ring announcer Lenne Hardt as she introduced the crowd to ONE Fighting Championship at their last show in just last Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Indeed the organization founded by entrepreneur Victor Cui has high hopes for being the successor to PRIDE and DREAM as the flagship MMA promotion in the Asian region. Headquartered in Singapore and launched less than one year ago in July 2011, ONE FC has already made considerable headway into making that goal a profitable reality with four events completed in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
They’ll be hitting the Philippines next with ONE FC: ‘Pride of a Nation’ planned for the Araneta Coliseum in Manila this upcoming August 31st.
Considering the feverish passion Filipinos has for all things combat sports-related, that show will likely be a sellout with ONE FC officials expecting a capacity crowd of 16,500 to pack the same stadium that hosted Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ in 1975. Knowing first-hand what it’s like in the Philippines’ capital city, this writer would say they might expect even more than that with fans climbing over every railing and light post to catch a glimpse of the action. That event will be a good time.
For the Canadian-born, Chinese-Filipino descended CEO of the ONE FC organization, his promotion represents the region’s next great MMA hope after the sale (PRIDE) and collapse (DREAM) of the last few big organizations. Looking to grow organically through strategic partnerships with players from all around Asia, ONE FC seems to be doing things the right way by bringing Asia together as opposed to competing for market space. To date, they’ve already associated themselves with other MMA promotions like URCC (Philippines), ROAD FC (Korea), DARE Championship (Thailand), and many other leagues and teams. They’ve also signed a landmark exclusive broadcast deal with ESPN Star Sports (the major cable network for sports in the region) that offers the security and a long-term commitment in their success.
The goal with all things strategy is simple – to ensure the long-term viability of Mixed Martial Arts in the region with ONE FC at the forefront.
“For lack of a better analogy, One Fighting Championship is the UFC of Asia, but with a focus on the best Asian fighters,” said Cui in a recent interview. “I have a simple philosophy: I just want the best Asian fighters in Asia on our show. I don’t care if it’s a guy or a girl. If you’re a world champion martial artist and you want to let it all hang in the cage, then I want you. If you are the baddest fighter in your country in Asia, then I want you. If you think you’re the best MMA fighter, then I want you. One Fighting Championship is about the best Asian fighters competing on the biggest Asian stage.
“In the next 12 months, One Fighting Championship will be in Singapore, Macau, Jakarta, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo,” he said, also adding Thailand and the Philippines to the mix. Zuffa (UFC / Strikeforce) has been very successful doing shows in all the major cities in North America and some in Europe. I’m not a rocket scientist, but I’m just going to follow that roadmap, except applying it to Asian cities only.”
With a market base of 3.9 billion people living in the region and 5,000 years of martial arts history behind them, it’s safe to say there is plenty of potential for ONE FC to fulfill its vision.
Looking ahead: ONE FC: ‘Pride of a Nation’
Fresh off their last event (ONE FC 4) in Malaysia last weekend that saw Brazilian Zorobabel Moreira soccer-kick the heck out of Roger Huerta and Renato Bababu Sobral win by armbar over Tatsuka Mizuno, ONE FC is already busy putting together their next event scheduled for next month in Manila.
For starters, they’ve picked up to of the more prominent former champions from the dream organization in Bibiano Fernandes and Shinya Aoki. Both have signed exclusive contracts with the organization and are expected for the card in Manila.
Speculation for others expected to fight on the card include Renato Sobral along with potentially as many as three members of the Gracie family – Igor, Rolles, and Gregor. Of course top Filipino prospects would be included as well with Legacy Gym’s Ole Laurson (also of Boracay MMA) and Team Lakay’s Roy Docyogen, Kevin Bellingon, Honorio Banario, and Eduard Folayang all expected to participate in the event.
Stay tuned for more on this event and ONE FC here on TXMMA as we expand our global coverage to include the fast-growing Asian fight scene.