MMA, esports, The Apprentice – Chatri’s options in pandemic
One Championship fighting on
SINGAPORE, March 26, (AP): He survived the Asian financial crisis, which wiped out entire economies and tore his family apart.
As his mixed martial arts promotions go audience free, One Championship founder Chatri Sityodtong says he’s finding ways to thrive during the coronavirus pandemic that is shutting down sports around the globe.
Experiences seared into his psyche in the 1990s have equipped him to think outside the ring.
His esports promotions are, Chatri says, a blessing. Then there’s a new TV venture – The Apprentice: One Championship Edition. He bought the rights, and he’s scanning the globe now for contestants. He politely fends off questions about getting any tips from Donald Trump, the long-time host of the American version.
Regardless, just as Chatri’s style of promotions differs in tone from the USbased UFC, his spin on The Apprentice will be unique – a blend of mental and physical, character-testing challenges, a mix of fellow CEOs helping out as judges and his One Championship world champions involved at various stages.
“I argue that this Apprentice will be the toughest in history because you have to pass all the business challenges, so you have to be super smart, but at the same time you have to pass all the physical challenges, which means you have to be super fit,” he said in a telephone interview from Singapore. “It should be fun.”
That show is for later in the year, though. For now, he’s focusing on the MMA events in Singapore on April 17, 24, May 1 and 8, followed by promotions in the Philippines on May 29 and “Legendary Warriors” in Shanghai, China on June 20. The athletes aren’t all in Singapore yet, but he’s expecting to have everything ready to go ahead in an empty stadium to meet safety regulations amid the pandemic. The first of the so-called closed-door events went ahead late last month in Singapore, with Janet Todd dethroning atomweight kickboxing champion Stamp Fairtex in a split decision.
“We operate in so many different countries – every country is different in terms of its state of the coronavirus, government policies and containment.” he said. “From what we can see right now, there should be no interruption to our schedule. The next couple of months are going to be tricky, but beyond – what we’re seeing now – there are a lot of countries in Asia that have really contained it. I think, again, there’s going to be a lot of opportunity.”
Chatri lived in Thailand with his parents before the Asian financial crisis changed their lives, including the breakdown of the the marriage.
“Watching how it tore apart my family and put us in poverty. Those lessons that I learned are, fully ingrained in my memory and in my psyche,” he told The Associated Press. “A lot of (those) lessons I apply to the business world.”