Bringing mixed martial arts to the Olympics

Chatri Sityodtong - founder and CEO of ONE Championship, Asia's largest sports media property with a valuation of US$1bil as of 2018

LAST week, we showed the world how ONE Championship really does have the power to shape culture, inspire nations and change the world.

ONE Championship has partnered with the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (Gamma), the independent governing body for the sport of mixed martial arts worldwide, with a seven-figure, multi-year partnership to elevate the sport of mixed martial arts and prepare it for entry into the Olympics.

Based in Amsterdam, Gamma is a non-profit organisation founded in 2018 made up of thought leaders and pioneers in mixed martial arts across five continents with decades of experience in the sport. Gamma is headed by its president, Alex Engelhardt, and its members are made up of national federations across 60 plus countries.

Many more countries are joining this fight, and I expect this number to surpass 100 plus countries over the next several months. Alex and I are both lifelong martial artists who want to see the sport of mixed martial arts represented in the right way with the right values on the global stage of sports.

I have always said that ONE Championship has the world’s best martial artists who embrace and live by the principles of integrity, humility, honour, respect, courage, discipline and compassion.

Our martial artists are men and women whose skills are judged inside the cage. These are fighters who truly live honourable and courageous lives. In chasing their dreams and following their hearts, they bare their souls to the world with every triumph and every failure.

ONE Championship is way beyond a commercial enterprise. It is our passion to unleash human potential and make the world a better place that has ignited the following we have today,

And it is with this philosophical foundation, that I will do everything in my power to lead our sport into the Olympics.

Idealistic you think?

Is there really such a thing as win-win?

Don’t politics and money come to play? Don’t the powerful and rich only continue to maintain their standing through being single-minded and putting their needs first? Is it really possible to achieve greatness without being ruthless and selfish to some extend?

Well, many of my friends call me foolish, but I truly believe that people are inherently good. If there is one belief that has been reinforced throughout my life, it is this one. I have experienced so much kindness, love and support from family, friends, teammates, athletes, acquaintances, clients, partners, fans and strangers on my crazy adventure to build Asia’s first multi-billion dollar global sports media property.

Don’t let the bad apples from your past taint your belief in humanity. Humans are good. There really is goodness in everyone. I think it is important to remember that everyone was once a baby. And babies are innocent and pure (and awesome).

No one is born to hate, to lie, to steal, to cheat or to kill.

My assumption with everyone I meet for the first time is that they are good. I always try to put my best foot forward with everyone I meet until I am proven wrong. Without a doubt, the biggest driver of my success in life is my win-win philosophy.

I do my best to treat others as I want to be treated. I do my best to think about how I can help others. I do my best to take care of everyone who works with me.

That being said, I have certainly had my fair share of bad apples in life.

Over the course of my career, I have had people lie to me, steal from me, cheat me, badmouth me, backstab me, deceive me, undermine me, betray me, and more. It is easy to become jaded, but I refuse to let these bad apples taint my belief in humanity and dampen my desire to do good in the world. Every new relationship is an independent, fresh start to do something great together. If you choose to see the good in others, your world will open up in incredible ways. You’ll be surprised. I know because it has happened to me all of my life.

I am truly blessed to live the life of my dreams today because of the countless number of people who have helped me along the way. I don’t believe it is a coincidence. When you choose to see the good in others, they will behave accordingly. When you put your best foot forward with open arms, people can feel it. When you do good, people know it.

Protect your inner child. Believe in people. Chase your greatness. Dream big. Do good. And never let your faith in humanity be stripped away.

Life might be full of suffering and tragedy, but it is also full of beauty and love.

I want to live in a world where positivity trumps negativity, love conquers hatred, and good defeats evil. Together, we can change the world through values, heroes, and stories.

Chatri Sityodtong is the founder and group CEO of ONE Championship. He is a former New York-based hedge fund manager with over 30 years of martial arts experience as a student, fighter and coach.