Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending Once FC’s first Press Conference in Japan. It was a great presentation with 12 panelists that ranged from the new blood of MMA to MMA Royalty.
Chairman and Entrepreneur, Chatri Sityodtong, was there to tell us all about the business model they have adopted. In short, their business model has made One FC the fastest growing sport promotion on the planet. They are getting 11 million views on their events with streaming and playing to a market of over 2 billion potential customers in a similar time zone. Their growth potential looks amazing. They hope to be surpassing the NFL (US Football) in the near future.
Their business model has set them up to be very successful in terms of monetary gains but what sets them apart is their commitment to Bushido, the way of the warrior. Chatri Sityodtong said that his mother’s side of the family is descendent of Samurai. He therefore cherishes the Bushido tradition of discipline, humbleness, and honor. That simply means that One FC is committed to taking care of their fighters. Honoring those who they build their brand off of. They are committed to to making Heroes rather than flash in the pan, here today and gone tomorrow fighters. They plan on investing into the local communities to build Martial Artists from the ground up.
That is a commitment we have not see in a long time. The focus goes into making heroes and building communities and celebrating Martial Arts rather than trying to milk every bit you can get off the backs of fighters and abandoning them when they no longer make money. We are seeing an evolution! This is very exciting for us as fans and as Martial Artists. This really gives the fighters a chance to have a way to feed their families and create a long career.
During the course of the Press Conference we learned that One FC is scheduling 2 shows in Tokyo for 2019. The first show will be in Spring of 2019. The first show will feature many amazing fighters. This includes everyone of the fighters on the Press Conference. The second show will be in October and the details are still being worked out for the later show. However you may want to know who you can expect to see in March? Here is a list of who was in attendance.
Mei V.V. Yamaguchi, Ken Hasegawa, Gary Tonon, Nong-o Gaiyanghadao, Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito, Giorgio Petrosyan, Bibiano Fernandes, Renzo Gracie, Shinya Aoki, Angela Lee, and Brandon Vera.
In addition to these amazing fighters in attendance was also former Pancrase and UFC fighter Daiichi Abe who joined the fighters on stage for a final photo session. He was also joined former Pancrase fighter Yuya Wakamatsu on stage as well.
One FC is committed to producing more events in Japan in the upcoming years. It will grow a little more each year. The first year, 2 show. The next year 4 shows, and so on. Eventually they want to have up to 12 shows a year in Japan. This is very good for Martial Arts fans. Other promotions in Japan are shrinking and putting on smaller and less shows these days. It is refreshing to see a promotion that wants to come in and invest in more shows for the fans and fighters.
It’s our prediction that One FC will quickly become the top promotion in Japan. It will be interesting to see their approach and respect for the Bushido way will change the MMA scene in Japan. Stay tuned! We will keep you up to date with the latest news.
