ONE Championship looking to hold fight cards outside Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines – Mixed Martial Arts fans in other parts of the Philippines may not have to travel to the Metro Manila area to catch a ONE Championship event in person soon.

The Singapore-based MMA company has held 9 events at either Smart Araneta Coliseum and SM Mall of Asia Arena, but the company’s chairman Chatri Sityodtong says he has looked at “various stadiums” around the country, and mentions Cebu City as a possible destination for the company’s events.

“We’ve scouted places that could meet our standards in terms of size and quality. I will not be surprised if in the future, we will see more events in the Philippines, not just Manila but in other cities,” said Sityodtong in a company release.

Those sentiments echo ONE CEO Victor Cui’s wishes from a 2015 interview with Rappler, where he said “I would really like to go out to Cebu because the SM Group is building a new venue out there. But right now, there is no infrastructure.”

Also mentioned is Baguio City, the hometown of the Team Lakay stable and Eduard Folayang, the ONE lightweight champion and company Fighter of the Year for 2016.

“We are open to all options definitely. I don’t want make any announcement or prediction right now, but there is a possibility,” said Sityodtong. 

ONE will hold its tenth event in the Philippines on April 21 when Folayang defends his title against an opponent to be announced at Mall of Asia Arena. The company will also hold a show on November 10 at the same venue.

“The Philippines is one of our biggest markets because the fans in the country are just so passionate about mixed martial arts,” said Sityodtong. 

“The country is a very important market for us. I truly believe that ONE Championship can become mainstream where every single Filipino is enthralled with what ONE Championship has to offer.” – Rappler.com