ONE FC came out of the gates slow in 2013, but Asia’s biggest promotion is about to roll into the new year with a bang.
ONE FC is targeting four events, one per month, including three previously unannounced, to close out 2013, ONE FC CEO Victor Cui told MMAFighting.com.
The Singapore-based organization has already inked blue-chip sponsorships with Kawasaki and Disney’s upcoming Thor sequel to promote the upcoming events throughout Asia.
In addition, ONE FC officials expect to maintain that pattern into 2014, staging a minimum of one event per month in the new calendar year, and doubling up for two events a month whenever possible, depending on venue availability.
“24 [events per year] has always been the goal,” Cui said. “That’s the bullseye. In an ideal world, that’s what I want to have.”
Included among the promotion’s big plans for 2014 is a potential trip to Japan, where Pride FC reigned supreme throughout the mid-2000’s but promotions such as DREAM have struggled to maintain a foothold in recent years.
“I love Japan. We’ve been looking at it very closely,” Cui said. “We’ve had several discussions with fighters and sponsors that want to be in that market.
“I’m very sure we’ll be there in 2014. We’ve got several things booked already. It’s just a matter of finding the right timing.”
Cui identified the legendary halls of Japan’s Saitama Super Arena as the “ideal place” to stage a ONE FC show in Japan, meaning soccer kicks and stomps would once again return to the former home of Pride FC.
Despite being founded in mid-2011, ONE FC quickly established itself as a major player in eastern mixed martial arts, securing a 10-year deal with ESPN Star Sports and partnering with major organizations and fight camps throughout Asia, including GLORY, DREAM, and Evolve, via the ONE FC network.
Now, after staging just nine shows in the company’s history, Cui believes the time is right for ONE FC to take the next step.
“There’s 3.9 billion people here, and we’re not done,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done here. The sport is still young, a lot of roads are still in their infancy. Yes we’ve been doing well, but it’s still early days.”