ONE Championship to have Philippine league | Inquirer Sports

ONE Championship to have Philippine league

/ 04:30 AM November 02, 2019

Chatri Sityodtong, One Championship’s top honcho, vowed to make his milestone of a show in Tokyo, Japan, earlier this October, look like “a speck” compared to his plans for the future.

And Filipinos will again play a central part in that.

“Next year, or maybe later this year, we’re going to launch One Heroes Series Philippines,” he told the Inquirer in an exclusive interview recently.

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“It’s basically our local league. It’s the Philippine Basketball Association’s equivalent of One,” he added.

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Sityodtong, a former Wall Street trader who also made a stop at the famed Silicon Valley, founded the mixed martial arts promotion eight years ago in Singapore.

Its inaugural show included many-time national athlete and Team Lakay skipper Eduard Folayang.

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Just recently, One has made its reach as far as the United States following multiple marquee signings that included Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez and Miesha Tate.

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Asked about the details of his next endeavor with the Filipino audience, Sityodtong said the promotion is still threshing out details but went on to hint on its format.

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“It’s going to be a local league in search of the next Filipino superstar. It’s going to be Filipino versus Filipino,” he said.

There are currently 26 Filipinos signed with One.

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Last year, the Philippines had five champions across its 10 weight classes: Brandon Vera (heavyweight), Folayang (Lightweight), Kevin Belingon (bantamweight), Geje Eustaquio (flyweight) and Joshua Pacio (strawweight).

“I want to continue investing in the Filipino market. I believe in the Filipino fans. The place has been incredible to us,” Sityodtong said.

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“I’ve always been so grateful to the Philippines for embracing One,” he added. “I see a huge future with the country.”

TAGS: Chatri Sityodtong, Mixed Martial Arts, One Championship, Sports

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