ONE Championship CEO open for mega-card promotion with UFC

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Can you imagine if the top mixed martial artists from ONE Championship trade blows in the octagon against the superstars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)?

We may soon see that dream become a reality as ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong confirmed that he is open to the possibility of staging such a prized event.

“I would definitely welcome a ONE vs UFC mega event. If it comes to fruition, it’s certainly going to be a treat for MMA fans as it would certainly pit some of the top fighters in the globe,” posted Sityodtong in his Twitter account.

Sityodtong’s ONE league is currently the top MMA home in the whole of Southeast Asia while Dana White’s UFC holds the entire North American audience.

If ever the crossover dream event will take place, ONE’s strawweight champion Xiong Jing Nan will have the chance to challenge UFC’s Rose Namajunas.

Another highly-anticipated matchup is between ONE’s Christian Lee and UFC’s Charles Oliviera who are both the lightweight champion in their leagues.

The power-packed heavyweight showdown between ONE’s Arjan Bhullar and UFC’s Francis Ngannou is also a must-watch.

“UFC vs. ONE Championship, I think, would be phenomenal. I think the whole entire world would watch it. And I’d love to see world champions vs. world champions. So definitely, for sure, I’m open to it,” Sityodtong added.

However, White and the UFC are yet to respond to Sityodtong’s proposal and will not be an easy call to make especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.