Chatri: A man with hands-on experience
It’s no secret that One Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong loves martial arts.
The Chon Buri native spent years training and competing out of Sityodtong Gym in Pattaya under Muay Thai grandmaster Yodtong Senanan before moving to America to study and build his entrepreneurial skill set.
When he returned to Asia from America, he founded Evolve MMA in Singapore, where he eventually earned his brown belt under Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Renzo Gracie.
Altogether, Chatri has 35 years of martial arts experience, which he believes is unrivalled by Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White.
So, when One Championship shared an Instagram post of Chatri hitting pads at Evolve with the caption “Who wants to see Chatri vs Dana?” its chairman and CEO jumped right in.
“Send me location,” Chatri responded. It’s not the first time he’s agreed to battle his American counterpart.
Not long ago, White criticised One for scheduling a hybrid rules Muay Thai and MMA superfight between topranked flyweight Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of the United States and One flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon.
Although Chatri respects White’s ability to run the UFC, he didn’t hold back on his thoughts about the American’s passion for martial arts.
“Dana is a good businessman,” Chatri said in a previous interview, “but he does not know anything at all about martial arts. I don’t even assume he is aware of how to toss a leg kick.
“He talks like it with his athletes, but I’d enjoy to see an online video of him throwing a leg kick.”
“I do not consider him even skilled enough to talk about Muay Thai,” added the One Championship chairman.
Talks of a One versus UFC event have been floating around for years, and fans would love to see the best of the East battle the best of the West. If the two organisations’ head honchos are part of that card, all the better.