History of ONE Championship in Timeline
ONE Championship is a major combat sports promotion established in 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Starting with mixed martial arts (MMA), it has expanded to include muaythai, kickboxing, and submission grappling. The inaugural event took place on September 3, 2011, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. ONE Championship has hosted over 200 events throughout Asia, solidifying its presence in the combat sports landscape.
July 2011: Chatri Sityodtong Found ONE
In July 2011, Chatri Sityodtong founded One Fighting Championship to unite Asia's martial arts scene, basing it in Singapore due to its strategic location.
July 2011: ONE Championship Founded
In July 2011, One Championship was founded by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui, aiming to establish a Pan-Asian martial arts promotion.
September 2011: First ONE Event
On September 2011, ONE Championship held its first event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
September 2011: Inaugural Event Held
On September 2011, ONE Fighting Championship held its inaugural event, ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
January 2012: ESPN Star Sports Deal
In January 2012, ONE signed a 10-year deal with ESPN Star Sports and made its PPV debut at ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Kings.
March 2012: First Female MMA Fight
In March 2012, ONE FC: War of the Lions featured the promotion's first female MMA fight, with Nicole Chua defeating Jeet Toshi.
October 2012: First Champions Crowned
On October 2012, at ONE FC: Rise of Kings, Soo Chul Kim became the inaugural ONE Bantamweight World Champion, and Kotetsu Boku became the inaugural ONE Lightweight World Champion.
2012: Broadcast on GTV
From 2012, ONE fights have been broadcast by GTV in Indonesia.
February 2013: Inaugural Featherweight Champion
On February 2013, Honorio Banario defeated Eric Kelly at ONE FC: Return of Warriors to become the inaugural ONE Featherweight World Champion.
2013: Broadcast on Indosiar
From 2013, ONE fights have been broadcast by Indosiar in Indonesia.
March 2014: Inaugural Welterweight World Championship
On March 2014, Nobutatsu Suzuki defeated Brock Larson at ONE FC: War of Nations to win the inaugural ONE Welterweight World Championship.
May 2014: Rich Franklin Joins ONE Championship
In May 2014, former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin became a vice president of ONE Championship.
September 2014: First Flyweight World Champion
In September 2014, Adriano Moraes became the first ONE Flyweight World Champion after submitting Geje Eustaquio at ONE FC: Rise of the Kingdom.
November 2014: Inaugural Middleweight World Championship
On November 2014, Igor Svirid defeated Leandro Ataides at ONE FC: Battle of the Lions to win the inaugural ONE Middleweight World Championship.
January 2015: Name Change to One Championship
In January 2015, One Fighting Championship rebranded and changed its name to One Championship.
January 2015: Promotion Renamed
On January 2015, the promotion announced it would be changing its name to "One Championship".
May 2015: First Strawweight World Champion
On May 2015, Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke defeated Roy Doliguez at ONE: Warrior's Quest to become the first ONE Strawweight World Champion.
July 2015: First Lethwei Fight
On July 2015, ONE held its first Lethwei fight at ONE: Kingdom of Warriors in Yangon, Myanmar, featuring Burmese fighters.
December 2015: Inaugural Heavyweight World Champion
On December 2015, Brandon Vera knocked out Paul Cheng at ONE: Spirit of Champions to become the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Champion.
2015: Broadcast on RCTI and iNews
From 2015, ONE fights have been broadcast by RCTI and iNews in Indonesia.
May 2016: Two Inaugural Champions Crowned
On May 2016, at ONE: Ascent to Power, Roger Gracie became the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight World Champion, and Angela Lee became the inaugural ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion.
August 2016: First Grappling Tournament
On August 2016, ONE Championship held its first grappling tournament, One Grappling Challenge Macao, in Cotai, Macau.
2016: Broadcast on Thairath TV
From 2016, ONE fights have been broadcast by Thairath TV in Thailand.
November 2017: First Two-Division Champion
In November 2017, Martin Nguyen became ONE's first simultaneous two-division champion by defeating Eduard Folayang at ONE: Legends of the World.
2017: Broadcast on RCTI and iNews Ended
In 2017, ONE broadcasts on RCTI and iNews in Indonesia ended.
January 2018: Inaugural Women's Strawweight Champion
In January 2018, Xiong Jing Nan defeated Tiffany Teo at ONE: Kings of Courage to become the inaugural ONE Women's Strawweight World Champion.
May 2018: First Muay Thai Champion
On May 2018, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defeated Sergio Wielzen at ONE: Unstoppable Dreams for the inaugural ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship.
May 2018: Free Broadcasts on Apps and YouTube
Since May 2018, ONE events have been broadcast live and free on their apps and YouTube channel in select locations.
July 2018: First Kickboxing Champion
On July 2018, Kai Ting Chuang defeated Yodcherry Sityodtong at ONE: Battle for the Heavens for the inaugural ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Championship.
October 2018: Valuation Exceeds $1 Billion
In October 2018, ONE Championship reached a valuation of over $1 billion.
October 2018: First "Trade" in MMA History
On October 2018, ONE Championship and UFC finalized the first "trade" in MMA history, with Ben Askren going to UFC and Demetrious Johnson joining ONE.
December 2018: Broadcast Deal with Turner Sports
On December 2018, ONE announced a three-year broadcast deal with Turner Sports in the United States.
2018: Broadcast on SCTV and Vidio
From 2018, ONE fights have been broadcast by SCTV and Vidio in Indonesia.
2018: Miesha Tate Joins ONE Championship
In 2018, Miesha Tate became a vice president of ONE Championship.
February 2019: Inaugural Muay Thai Champions
In February 2019, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Stamp Fairtex claimed the inaugural ONE Bantamweight and Atomweight Muay Thai World Championships, respectively.
May 2019: Inaugural Flyweight Kickboxing Champion
In May 2019, Petchdam Petchyindee Academy defeated Elias Mahmoudi at ONE: Warriors of Light for the inaugural ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship.
September 2019: Broadcast on FITE TV
On September 2019, FITE TV broadcasted ONE's two-part, 100th numbered event, Century.
November 2020: Partnership with Facebook
In November 2020, ONE announced a partnership with Facebook to distribute content on Facebook Watch and IGTV.
2020: Broadcast on GTV and iNews (repeat only)
From 2020, ONE fights have been broadcast (repeat only) by GTV and iNews in Indonesia.
December 2021: $150 Million Investment Round
In December 2021, ONE raised an additional $150 million through an investing round, increasing the company’s valuation to $1.35 billion.
2021: Broadcast on GTV and iNews (repeat only)
From 2021, ONE fights have been broadcast (repeat only) by GTV and iNews in Indonesia.
2021: Miesha Tate Leaves ONE Championship
In 2021, Miesha Tate left ONE Championship to return to fighting.
April 2022: Youngest Champion Crowned
On April 2022, 17-year-old Smilla Sundell became the youngest champion in ONE history, defeating Jackie Buntan at ONE 156.
April 27, 2022: Distribution Deal with Amazon Prime Video
On April 27, 2022, ONE announced a five-year distribution deal with Amazon Prime Video for exclusive broadcast rights in the US and Canada.
September 29, 2022: Partnership with beIN Sports
On September 29, 2022, ONE announced an exclusive multi-year partnership with beIN Sports to broadcast live events across the Middle East and North Africa.
October 2022: Legal Domicile Changed to Cayman Islands
In October 2022, One Group Holdings changed its legal domicile from Singapore to the Cayman Islands.
October 2022: First Submission Grappling Belt Awarded
On October 2022, at ONE on Prime Video 2, Mikey Musumeci defeated Cleber Souza for the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship.
December 8, 2022: Partnership with Tero Entertainment
On December 8, 2022, ONE announced its partnership with Tero Entertainment to broadcast ONE Lumpinee from Lumpinee Stadium, Bangkok, via Thailand's Channel 7.
2022: Multiple Broadcast Agreements
From 2022, ONE fights have been broadcast by Moji (repeat only), SCTV (delayed), Vidio (live), Netverse (live), NET. (delayed), and BTV (repeat only) in Indonesia.
2022: Legal Operations Changed to Cayman Islands
In 2022, One Group Holdings, the parent company of ONE Championship, changed its legal operations from Singapore to the Cayman Islands.
2022: Victor Cui Leaves ONE Championship
In early 2022, ONE co-founder Victor Cui left the organization to become president and CEO of the Edmonton Elks.
January 20, 2023: ONE Lumpinee Broadcast
Starting January 20, 2023, ONE Lumpinee (ONE Friday Fights) began broadcasting from Lumpinee Stadium, Bangkok via Thailand's Channel 7.
March 16, 2023: Partnership with Seven Network
On March 16, 2023, ONE partnered with Seven Network, airing ONE Fight Night and ONE Friday Fights exclusively for 7plus in Australia.
May 2023: First Event in America
On May 2023, ONE held its first event in America, ONE Fight Night 10, at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
June 2023: Plans to Host Live Events in Qatar
On June 22, 2023, it was announced that ONE would be bringing live events to Qatar later in the year.
December 12, 2023: Partnership with Sky Sports
On December 12, 2023, ONE partnered with Sky Sports to become the exclusive home for ONE Fight Night and ONE Friday Fights in the UK and Ireland.
2024: Broadcast Updates
From 2024, ONE fights have been broadcast by Moji (repeat only, delayed), and Vidio (live) in Indonesia.
2024: Forbes Valuation
In 2024, Forbes valued One Championship at $1.3 billion, ranking it fourth among combat sports promotions.
