NICE ONE! ONE chief donates B20mn to Muay Thai gyms
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has donated B2 million to Muay Thai gyms in the southern and northeastern parts of Thailand.
Sityodtong has given B500,000 to 40 camps in the two regions, hotbeds for producing Muay Thai fighters yet areas where the sport is plagued with poverty.
“Last year, I travelled all over the country to meet gym owners and athletes. I felt very sorry for them. They made low income, everyone was at a loss,” Chatri said.
“So me and my team wanted to give a hand to the fighters, gym owners, and small promoters all over the country. Not just in the Bangkok area. ONE and I invest all over the country for Muay Thai, because if I don’t do it, who will?
“This is very important because Muay Thai is our heritage. It has a long history in our country, and it would be a shame if no one helped or invested in our gyms and fighters. It’s not just an investment for today, we have to think in the long term.”
ONE has changed the landscape of Muay Thai in Thailand, with the promotion now airing the highest-rated weekly Muay Thai event - ONE Lumpinee - on Thai television from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
“You can fight in ONE Lumpinee and maybe go on to ONE Championship. But [we] must invest first, and now almost every gym is losing money,” he said.
“Many gyms received 500,000baht donations, better gear, better food for fighters, so they could afford to pay for trainers. We help them with many things.”
ONE’s roster is now home to a range of top Thai talent, each with their own unique “rags to riches” story.
Chatri hopes that by nurturing up-and-coming talent at the grassroots level, he can unearth even more stars capable of achieving more fame and fortune on a global scale.
“When ONE Lumpinee started it provided inspiration to boxers and gyms across the country because it is the pathway to escape poverty and gives fighters a purpose for success in their lives,” he said.
USA RETURN
Chatri’s donation followed confirmation that ONE Championship is making its eagerly anticipated to the United States on Sept 7 with ONE 168: Denver with two of Thailand’s most famous mixed martial arts world champions featuring as the headline acts.
Atomweight champion Stamp Fairtex will step up a division to challenge ONE strawweight MMA world champion Xiong Jing Nan, while two-sport ONE bantamweight world champion Jonathan Haggerty will put his Muay Thai strap on the line against flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Xiong has reigned over the women’s strawweight MMA division since its inception in 2018, successfully defending her title on seven occasions to make her the longest-reigning women’s world champion in ONE history.
There are few challenges left for the Chinese superstar in her weight class, but there is another history-making athlete in the division below her that is moving up for another shot at greatness.
Stamp became the first combat sports athlete ever to win world titles in three separate sports in 2023, claiming the ONE atomweight MMA world title to add to her ONE atomweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world titles.
Superlek has also got his wish for a shot at another belt fulfilled.
‘The Kicking Machine’ has held the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title since January 2023. But after his latest defence against Takeru Segawa earlier this year, he mentioned Haggerty as a man who was in his crosshairs.
‘The General’ shocked the world when he crushed longtime bantamweight Muay Thai divisional ruler Nong-O Hama inside one round last April. The Brit then won the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title with a scintillating two-round demolition of Fabricio Andrade in November.
Haggerty will be looking to keep his unbeaten run in the bantamweight division alive when he takes on Superlek in Colorado in September.
LEGENDS COLLIDE
Another huge fight on the card is the match-up between British Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang.
‘The Hitman’ faces Seksan in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest with Harrison eager to cap off his legendary career with a bang against one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.
The 38-year-old has teased retirement in recent times after a career that has netted him three Muay Thai world titles across 117 fights.
Harrison has been involved in some of the most memorable fights in Muay Thai history, not least the one-round slugfest against Muangthai PK Saenchai at ONE 156 where the Brit recovered from two early knockdowns to record three of his own and a stunning TKO victory.
Known as ‘The Man Who Yields To No One’, Seksan earned his moniker on the Thai stadium circuit for his all-action fighting style that earned him multiple Muay Thai world titles across 270-plus fights.
He was considering retirement before ONE gave him an opportunity he couldn’t refuse last year.
Eight memorable victories followed, earning the 35-year-old several performance bonuses and a B3.5 million contract with the Asian powerhouse promoter.