# ONE Championship
**ONE Championship** (formerly ONE Fighting Championship, or ONE FC) is a Singapore-based combat sports promotion, founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur [Chatri Sityodtong](https://www.edgepedia.org/chatri-sityodtong) and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, that stages mixed martial arts, [Muay Thai](https://www.edgepedia.org/muay-thai), kickboxing, and submission grappling under one banner[1](https://www.mmafullcontact.com/one-championship-history/) • [2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/). The company operates through Group ONE Holdings and describes itself as the world's largest martial arts organization, with athletes from more than 80 countries competing across its disciplines[3](https://www.onefc.com/press-releases/prime-video-announces-new-multi-year-agreement-with-one-championship-for-exclusive-live-coverage-of-martial-arts-events-in-the-us-and-canada/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 14 July 2011, Singapore, by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui[1](https://www.mmafullcontact.com/one-championship-history/) |
| Disciplines | MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling, each under its own Global rule set[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/) |
| Weight classes | Ten divisions from Atomweight (105–115 lb) to Heavyweight (225–265 lb)[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/) |
| Weight-cutting policy | Combined hydration test and weigh-in 24 to 48 hours before each event; hydrated means urine specific gravity ≤1.025[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/) |
| US/Canada broadcast | Multi-year Prime Video agreement (April 2022) for 12 live events annually, exclusive in the United States and Canada[3](https://www.onefc.com/press-releases/prime-video-announces-new-multi-year-agreement-with-one-championship-for-exclusive-live-coverage-of-martial-arts-events-in-the-us-and-canada/) |
| Valuation | At least US$1.35 billion after an October 2024 round in which Group One Holdings raised at least $50 million from investors including Qatar Investment Authority[4](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/private-equity/qatar-fund-increases-backing-of-ufc-rival-worth-1-35-billion) |
| Revenue | 2025 revenue approaching US$200 million, up from $148 million the previous year[5](https://www.thephuketnews.com/archive/11-07-2025.pdf) |
| 2026 calendar | More than 70 live shows planned, including numbered events, weekly ONE Friday Fights, monthly ONE Samurai events in Japan, and Prime Video ONE Fight Night cards[6](https://www.onefc.com/jp/press-releases/one-championship-announces-first-wave-of-2026-events/) |
## History
ONE Championship was formally founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong, a Thai-born entrepreneur and Muay Thai practitioner, together with Victor Cui, who served as the promotion's first chief executive[1](https://www.mmafullcontact.com/one-championship-history/) • [7](https://mmahit.com/orgs/one). From the outset the promotion emphasized Asian markets, signing regional fighters and securing broadcast deals across Asia, in contrast to the North American-centered model of established promotions such as the UFC[7](https://mmahit.com/orgs/one).
The promotion scaled its output quickly, putting on a promotional record of 42 events in 2019[8](https://asianmma.com/one-championship-put-on-a-promotional-record-of-42-events-in-2019/). A turning point in athlete safety came in December 2015, when 21-year-old Chinese contestant Yang Jian Bing died while cutting weight for ONE's 35th event; the promotion subsequently banned weight-cutting by dehydration and built its competition around a competitor's hydrated weight[9](https://sitefinitypublicblobs.blob.core.windows.net/prod-blob/docs/default-source/sport-and-recreation/combat-sports-commission/contestant-safety-strategy-to-address-rapid-weight-loss-%28weight-cutting%29-by-dehydration.pdf?sfvrsn=7d896d6_2) • [10](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/b56a4b14-f526-4ba8-9581-de11f6b097a8/downloads/93517684247.pdf).
## Rules, weight classes, and hydration testing
ONE runs four distinct rule sets. Its MMA bouts use the Global Mixed Martial Arts Rule Set, which blends Asian and non-Asian practices; all athletes wear 4-ounce gloves, non-title bouts run three five-minute rounds, and world championship bouts run five. Judges score the bout in its entirety rather than round by round, using criteria ordered from near-knockout or near-submission, through damage, striking combinations and generalship, takedowns or takedown defense, to aggression[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/). Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts run three three-minute rounds (five for titles), scored round by round under the 10-point-must system, with knockdowns, damage, clean strikes, and aggression as the judging criteria[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/). Submission grappling bouts are a single ten-minute round judged on catches, meaning legitimate submission attempts[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/).
The promotion's ten weight classes run from Atomweight (105 to 115 lb) to [Heavyweight](https://www.edgepedia.org/heavyweight) (225 to 265 lb)[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/). What distinguishes them from other organizations is the weigh-in system: all athletes take a combined hydration test and weigh-in 24 to 48 hours before the event, submitting a urine sample tested with a refractometer, where hydrated means a urine specific gravity of 1.025 or lower. An athlete who passes hydration must weigh in immediately; one who passes hydration but misses weight may retry within a three-hour window, and one who fails both may still negotiate a catchweight bout, provided both athletes are within 105 percent of each other's official hydrated weight, surrendering part of their purse to the opponent[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/). The program was designed by ONE's medical and competition teams, including Dr. Warren Wang, Dr. James Okamoto, Matt Hume, and former UFC middleweight champion [Rich Franklin](https://www.edgepedia.org/rich-franklin)[2](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/).
## Event formats
ONE's calendar combines several series. Numbered events such as ONE 173 and ONE 175 are the promotion's flagship cards; ONE 175 was announced for 29 April 2026 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo[6](https://www.onefc.com/jp/press-releases/one-championship-announces-first-wave-of-2026-events/). ONE Friday Fights, launched in January 2023, are weekly shows at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok scheduled for Asian primetime; they are now broadcast to 195 countries[5](https://www.thephuketnews.com/archive/11-07-2025.pdf). ONE Fight Night cards are built for United States primetime on Prime Video, which means the live action in Bangkok starts early in the morning local time; the 2026 schedule ran from ONE Fight Night 39 in January through ONE Fight Night 49 in December, all at Lumpinee Stadium[6](https://www.onefc.com/jp/press-releases/one-championship-announces-first-wave-of-2026-events/) • [11](https://mail.lumpineestadium.com/fights/one-fight-night-18-july-2026).
In February 2026 the promotion launched ONE Samurai, a Japan-focused series of monthly events with a stated plan of 60 events over five years; the first installment featured the retirement match of Japanese kickboxer Takeru against [Rodtang Jitmuangnon](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodtang-jitmuangnon) in a flyweight kickboxing interim world title fight, broadcast nationally on the Fuji TV network[12](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000132638.html) • [6](https://www.onefc.com/jp/press-releases/one-championship-announces-first-wave-of-2026-events/). The 2026 plan announced in December 2025 called for more than 70 live shows in the year, including a Denver event at [Ball Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/ball-arena) in Colorado[6](https://www.onefc.com/jp/press-releases/one-championship-announces-first-wave-of-2026-events/).
## Broadcasting and reach
In April 2022, Prime Video and ONE Championship announced a multi-year agreement for Prime Video to broadcast 12 live ONE events annually, exclusively in the United States and Canada[3](https://www.onefc.com/press-releases/prime-video-announces-new-multi-year-agreement-with-one-championship-for-exclusive-live-coverage-of-martial-arts-events-in-the-us-and-canada/). ONE also distributes through broadcasters including Star Sports, Beijing TV, iQIYI, Abema, Thairath TV, Mediacorp, and Dubai Sports, among others[3](https://www.onefc.com/press-releases/prime-video-announces-new-multi-year-agreement-with-one-championship-for-exclusive-live-coverage-of-martial-arts-events-in-the-us-and-canada/).
Reach figures come largely from Nielsen Sports studies. A 2021 Nielsen report cited by Sityodtong put ONE's global unique TV reach at 406 million viewers against 259 million for the UFC, with Bellator at roughly 2 to 3 million and PFL at about 1 million[13](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/4/28/23700296/chatri-sityodtong-one-championship-would-only-co-promote-with-ufc-other-brands-just-not-big-enough). A separate Nielsen 2022 report found ONE earned more than double the UFC's total digital video views and a higher global cumulative TV reach in 2021[14](https://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/one-championship-third-party-data-comparing-promotion-reach-compared-to-global-rivals-including-ufc).
## Business
Group One Holdings, the company behind the promotion, has raised repeated funding rounds. In October 2024 it raised at least $50 million from investors including [Qatar Investment Authority](https://www.edgepedia.org/qatar-investment-authority), giving a valuation of at least $1.35 billion, similar to its 2021 post-money valuation in a round led by QIA with Guggenheim Investments[4](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/private-equity/qatar-fund-increases-backing-of-ufc-rival-worth-1-35-billion). In July 2025 the promotion moved its global production operations to Bangkok and reported 2025 revenue approaching US$200 million, up from $148 million the year before[5](https://www.thephuketnews.com/archive/11-07-2025.pdf). The company has also expanded its digital ecosystem, including pay-per-view numbered events such as ONE 170, ONE 172, and ONE 173, and a subscription product called The Inner Circle[15](https://www.thephuketnews.com/one-championship-introduces-broadcast-changes-99189.php).
Partnerships extend beyond broadcasting: ONE renewed a three-year partnership with Visit Qatar in 2025 with a Qatar event planned for 2027, announced a partnership with Migu to broadcast at least 60 live events annually in China, and entered an exclusive multi-year broadcast agreement with ESPN for Australia and New Zealand[3](https://www.onefc.com/press-releases/prime-video-announces-new-multi-year-agreement-with-one-championship-for-exclusive-live-coverage-of-martial-arts-events-in-the-us-and-canada/).
## References
1. [ONE Championship: A Detailed Look at Asia's Top MMA Promotion, MMA Full Contact](https://www.mmafullcontact.com/one-championship-history/)
2. [Martial Arts – ONE Championship](https://www.onefc.com/martial-arts/)
3. [Prime Video Announces New Multi-Year Agreement With ONE Championship, ONE Championship press release (28 April 2022)](https://www.onefc.com/press-releases/prime-video-announces-new-multi-year-agreement-with-one-championship-for-exclusive-live-coverage-of-martial-arts-events-in-the-us-and-canada/)
4. [QIA Increases Backing of UFC Rival Worth $1.35 Billion, Bloomberg Law (15 October 2024)](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/private-equity/qatar-fund-increases-backing-of-ufc-rival-worth-1-35-billion)
5. [The Phuket News, Friday 11 July 2025 edition](https://www.thephuketnews.com/archive/11-07-2025.pdf)
6. [ONEチャンピオンシップ、2026年大会スケジュールの第1弾を発表, ONE Championship press release (11 December 2025)](https://www.onefc.com/jp/press-releases/one-championship-announces-first-wave-of-2026-events/)
7. [ONE Championship – History, Champions & Top Fighters, MMAHIT](https://mmahit.com/orgs/one)
8. [ONE Championship put on 42 events in 2019, Asian MMA](https://asianmma.com/one-championship-put-on-a-promotional-record-of-42-events-in-2019/)
9. [Contestant Safety Strategy to Address Rapid Weight Loss by Dehydration, Combat Sports Commission](https://sitefinitypublicblobs.blob.core.windows.net/prod-blob/docs/default-source/sport-and-recreation/combat-sports-commission/contestant-safety-strategy-to-address-rapid-weight-loss-%28weight-cutting%29-by-dehydration.pdf?sfvrsn=7d896d6_2)
10. [Unified Rules of MMA Weight Classes](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/b56a4b14-f526-4ba8-9581-de11f6b097a8/downloads/93517684247.pdf)
11. [ONE Fight Night 45 – 18 July 2026, Lumpinee Stadium](https://mail.lumpineestadium.com/fights/one-fight-night-18-july-2026)
12. [武尊のラストマッチが地上波で！「ONE SAMURAI 1」, PR Times](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000132638.html)
13. [Chatri Sityodtong: ONE Championship would only co-promote with UFC, MMA Fighting (28 April 2023)](https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/4/28/23700296/chatri-sityodtong-one-championship-would-only-co-promote-with-ufc-other-brands-just-not-big-enough)
14. [ONE Championship releases third-party data analyzing promotion's reach, MMA Underground](https://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/one-championship-third-party-data-comparing-promotion-reach-compared-to-global-rivals-including-ufc)
15. [ONE Championship introduces broadcast changes, The Phuket News](https://www.thephuketnews.com/one-championship-introduces-broadcast-changes-99189.php)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › Bellator and PFL*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license