A big congratulations goes out to ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for earning his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt. Sityodtong announced through his social media channels yesterday, 9 September, that he had finally reached the next level of his BJJ journey.
Of course, everyone knows that Sityodtong is one of the most powerful men in martial arts today. Running a billion-dollar martial arts organization like ONE Championship, we can’t imagine could be easy and the schedule must be preposterous. Kudos to Chatri for finding time to fit training into his hectic day-to-day.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise anyhow, as Sityodtong is a lifelong martial artist. He actually started training in Muay Thai as a young boy growing up in his native Thailand. He then later studied other arts to round out his skillset. How many businessmen are true martial artists? Our guess is not a lot. Sityodtong is legit.
Here’s what he had to share on his social media accounts:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2L_DwUgQyW/
“I got the biggest surprise today from my brother, Leandro Brodinho,” Sityodtong wrote. “I am embarrassed to admit that I received my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu over 10 years ago at Renzo Gracie Academy NYC when I lived in New York City. When I moved to Singapore, I ended up training only in No-Gi, especially over the last several years. However, I promised myself earlier this year that I would return back to training properly 5-6x a week in the Gi. With my crazy work schedule, it has not been easy. However, it has been worth it.
Thank you to all of the professors who have given so much to me as a martial artist and human being over the last 10+ years: Renzo Gracie, Rafael Gordinho Lima, Leandro Brodinho, Alex Silva, Teco Shinzato, Almiro Barros, Eduardo Rigatto Novaes, Gamal Hassan El Amin, Guli Kozama, and so many others,” Sityodtong continued. “Without you, I would not be here today. Each of you gave me a piece of your game and generously shared your love of the gentle art with me. I am eternally grateful for all of the lessons on and off the mats. I have no talent, but my love is pure for the beautiful art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. OSSS!!!”
What Sityodtong is doing with ONE Championship is remarkable. The promotion’s next big show takes place this 13 October in Tokyo, Japan where they will hold ONE: CENTURY — their historic 100th live event.
