ONE Championship CEO open to mega event with rival UFC

MANILA, Philippines — In the world of mixed martial arts, ONE Championship and UFC are two of the biggest names with a long list of elite athletes on their roster.

So it's no surprise that there has reportedly been "sustained interest" from fans of the sport to have the two heavyweight promotions clash in a mega event.

On the side of ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, he doesn't plan to shy away from the challenge.

A much younger organization than their Western counterparts, the Singapore-based promotion does not plan on backing down from the challenge.

ONE Championship lit the fire this week with a tweet from Sityodtong, where he reiterated his openness to such an event.

"I would definitely welcome a ONE vs UFC mega event," Sityodtong said in a tweet published by ONE Championship.

This was also his statement last year when he talked to media.

"UFC vs ONE Championship I think would be phenomenal," Sityodtong said.

"I think the whole entire world would watch it," he added.

A number of former UFC athletes who saw success in the Western franchise struggled when they came to ONE Championship, which Sityodtong takes as a sign that homegrown ONE Championship fighters can fight at pace — and emerge victorious — over their UFC counterparts.

Among former UFC stars who have met their matches in ONE Championship is UFC lightweight king Eddie Alvarez and 12-time former UFC Flyweight World Champion Demetrious Johnson.