Chatri Sityodtong open to having Indian Muay Thai fighters in ONE Championship

LockerRoom Team

26 Sep 2024

During the ONE Friday Fights 81: Superbon vs. Nattawut Virtual Press Conference, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong expressed a strong interest in having Indian Muay Thai fighters to the promotion's roster. Answering a question from LockerRoom's Renjith Ravindran, Sityodtong outlined the platform's commitment to identifying and nurturing future world champions.

"ONE Friday Fights is a platform in search of rising talent who can be world champions in the future," said Sityodtong. He emphasized that the competition already features a high caliber of fighters, including Lumpinee champions, Rajadamnern champions, and WMC world champions, primarily competing in ONE Lumpinee and ONE Friday Fights series.

Sityodtong added, "But yeah, the minute we spot talent from India that can thrive in the ONE Friday Fights environment, we definitely would sign them, for sure." This statement underscores ONE Championship's ongoing efforts to expand its global athlete roster by tapping into emerging markets like India, where combat sports are rapidly gaining popularity.

A long list of Indian MMA fighters like Ritu Phogat, Puja Tomar, Asha Roka, Rahul Raju, Kantharaj Agasa, Balkrishna Shetty, and Roshan Mainam among others have already competed in ONE Championship. Recently India’s Sumit Bhyan even secured a win at ONE Friday Fights making him the first Indian MMA fighter to do so.

Meanwhile, a long list of Indian Muay Thai fighters has been making waves in the Thai Muay Thai circuit with many securing knockout wins as well.