As the Master of Ceremonies and main Panel Moderator for the Asia Summit 2016, ONE Championship lead commentator and Fox Sports Presenter Steve Dawson was perfectly placed to give an overall recap of the three-day event.
During the morning break of ONE Championship’s third Asia MMA Summit last week from 21-23 September, the Director of a Media Corporation in Hong Kong came up to me, hand extended.
“It’s good to meet you,” he said. “I love this sport, but not many Hong Kong people know how to bring MMA to my country.”
“Speak to Victor Cui,” I told him. “He’s the guy in the light-coloured suit and black shirt.” He turned, walked earnestly, and just like that, our conversation was over.
The ONE Championship CEO was very much in demand that day at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. With a broadcast viewership of one billion people across 118 countries, the ONE footprint is set to get even bigger in the coming years. Victor Cui is likely to get even busier.
The focus, while not limited to Asia, was on making debuts in new territories. Korea, India, Japan, Vietnam, and Pakistan were all discussed excitedly by delegates, while expansion in China and the enhancement of ONE’s presence in existing markets were also palpable.
I chatted with Borneo Tribal Squad’s Emily Barner in the queue for lunch, as she lauded the opportunity to talk to like-minded people away from the pressure of a fight week. Bashir Ahmad gave me the uncensored horror stories (while I was trying to eat my vegetables) of having to make weight at short notice before ONE’s revolutionary weight-making system ended the nightmare, making it immeasurably safer.
On stage, we heard ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee speak of a day when there would be a women’s world champion at every weight. David Baxley, Vice President for Regional Entertainment at Sands China and the Marina Bay Sands, said how keen he is to host another Macau event. Dino Laurena, the Head of Integrated Sports at ABS-CBN Corporation, spoke of how the potent combination of social media, television and MMA will drive business growth in the near future.
Rich Franklin, former world champion and one of the sport’s most popular figures, shared how one could turn losing into a positive experience. ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera talked about respect, politeness, and honor leading the profile of MMA in Asia. Finally, ONE Chairman Chatri Sityodtong enthused on Asia’s incredible untapped potential in every aspect of the sport.
Underscoring all of this was the combination of former silat world champion Sheik Alau’ddin, Chairman of Team Lakay Mark Sangiao, and president of Martial Armour Sung Ming Yen all unequivocally backing the concept that traditional martial arts and mixed martial arts not only live together harmoniously, but feed each other every day.
To close the Summit, living legend Bas Rutten also gave an immensely entertaining perspective on the growth of MMA since the beginning, and how we are currently experiencing the Golden Age of the sport here in Asia.
However, if there was the one sentiment that summed up the entire feeling at Marina Bay Sands, it might have been when a panel of journalists was asked by moderator Loren Mack about their hopes for the sport over the next five years. Indonesia-based correspondent for the International New York Times Joe Cochrane simply replied: “More fights in Jakarta please.”
Just like that gentleman from Hong Kong and everyone else who wants to see more blockbuster MMA events in Asia, go ahead and look for that man in the light-coloured suit and black shirt, Joe.
Steve Dawson is ONE Championship’s lead commentator, a Fox Sports presenter and an author of sporting biographies. He can be found on Twitter & Instagram as @Gulasahi and on Facebook as Steve Dawson.
