Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship, has orchestrated a huge change in the MMA landscape. In four years, ONE claims to have captured over 90 percent of the market share, making it Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization, as stated on its website.
ONE will bring MMA back to the Philippines on April 24 for ONE: “Valor of Champions.” The headlining bout will be Ben Askren defending his welterweight crown against Luis Santos, who is has 61 victories under his belt.
Cui spoke to Bleacher Report about how ONE has become a huge success in Asia, how it differentiates from the UFC and briefly…Manny Pacquiao.
Bleacher Report: ONE has a deal with Fox Sports, which also has a deal with the UFC. However, ONE hasn’t been promoted on Fox Sports in America. How do you plan on getting ONE onto the TV screens in homes and bars in America? Do you see ONE as having surpassed Bellator? If so, why do you feel that way? If not, what do you think needs to be done to get to that point?
Victor Cui: Like every business industry you see a natural duopoly emerge—Samsung versus Apple, Twitter versus Sina Weibo. I saw this natural duopoly, where a Western concept gets taken into Asia, brought by an Asian businessman, adapted for Asian tastes and becomes, in some cases, a bigger business than the original. Now, it’s the battle of ONE versus UFC, the emergence of two global superpowers in the world of MMA. ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in history to be based in Asia, and we are changing the way the world views sports content.
B/R: What other plans do you have, if any, to break into the American market? Do you have any plans on having events on American soil?
VC: ONE Championship has created a unique product that organizations all over the world want to partner with. We have received many offers from broadcasters, partners all over the world, including from the United States. Right now, our focus is to grow the potential multi-billion dollar market in Asia. Asia is home to more than half of the global population, and market penetration in Asia alone will be able to make us the largest sports media property in the world.
B/R: How do you plan on recruiting the top fighters in the world away from the UFC to ONE? Or why should these top fighters come fight for ONE instead of the American MMA organizations, especially the UFC?
VC: ONE Championship is home to some of the best mixed martial artists in the world. Ben Askren, Shinya Aoki and Bibiano Fernandes, Jadamba Narantungalag. These mixed martial artists are among the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artists in the world. They realize what ONE Championship brings. They get to compete under the global ruleset in front of 20,000 fans in Asia. The growth is explosive, and these world champions want to be a part of something special.
B/R: Can you go more into the “global ruleset” that ONE uses to differentiate itself from the UFC?
VC: The ruleset is another reflection of the philosophy of ONE. It’s a blend of the very best from the West, and the very best from the East. We didn’t simply take Western rules and drop it into Asia and say, “OK here, take this.” The global ruleset was adopted from the best elements of each era and region. It makes fights faster paced and more exciting, where mixed martial artists aren’t allowed to hide behind rules. This really captures back what the essence of mixed martial arts is all about, which is putting together the best martial artists against each other.
B/R: Where do you think the UFC has fallen short (in general…marketing, attracting fighters, communications, etc.) and how does ONE plan on being the main alternative to the UFC?
VC: Major sports organizations like NFL, MLB, NHL and many more have struggled to bring their sport to Asia. Asian fans are very selective with what they enjoy and taking what works in the West and directly importing it to Asia will not lead to long-term success. ONE Championship is based in Asia, features Asian heroes, and we know what appeals to each individual market. We combine that unique spin on world-class entertainment that is similar to the excitement and extravagance of a rock concert. That’s what helped us to fill 20,000 seat arenas across the continent and spur the exponential growth across Asia.
B/R: What are your thoughts on the UFC’s deal with Reebok and forcing all fighters to wear Reebok gear, instead of individual sponsors?
VC: Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, and you are seeing that major organizations from all over the world want to be a part of the growth. ONE Championship provides incredible value in reaching the target demographic and has attracted blue chip organizations like Canon, Facebook and Kawasaki as partners. ONE is also the first Asian sports property to form a partnership with social media giants Facebook.
B/R: Can you go into the details of Manny Pacquiao’s stake in ONE? And how do you think Manny Pacquiao will help grow MMA in Asia, despite him making his name in boxing? Will he become more involved after his showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr.?
VC: Manny Pacquiao’s deal with ONE Championship signifies ONE’s standing as the largest sports media property in Asia. ONE Championship continues to transcend sports, and you can see that with the sports superstars that show up at all the ONE Championship events across Asia.
B/R: What are your goals for the rest of 2015?
2015 is set to be the busiest year in the history of ONE Championship. We have 24 events lined up in major cities all across Asia. ONE Championship will be in the Middle East, in East Asia and in Southeast Asia this year, taking world-class mixed martial arts actions to more countries than ever before. ONE Championship will continue on its path of exponential growth in 2015 and beyond.
All quotes obtained firsthand, via interview, unless otherwise noted.
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