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#814: Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of ONE Championship — From Dirt Poor to Top-10 Sports-Media Franchise, The $100M Breakfast, Dominating Social Media (30B+ Views/Year), Key Strategic Decisions, and The Moneyball of Fight Matchmaking

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Jun 4, 2025

Guest

Chatri Sityodtong

Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of ONE Championship, shares his incredible journey from poverty to leading a top-10 sports media franchise. He discusses the emotional preparation tactics used for athletes and the strategic growth fueled by ambitious social media engagement. Delving into the transformative power of martial arts, Chatri highlights how it shapes resilience and self-awareness, while also reflecting on the importance of authentic relationships in the sports business. Lastly, he addresses the challenges posed by AI and deep fakes in media authenticity.

02:38:37

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Episode notes

00:00 / 00:00

Year Three Crisis and Facebook Bet

ONE Championship's growth took 13 years of struggle with pushback from investors and broadcasters.
They bet everything on Facebook organic video to ignite viral growth and prove market demand.

00:00 / 00:00

Fuel Fighters with Deep Why

Inspire fighters by reminding them of their sacrifices and deep reasons for competing.
Help athletes tap into their 'why' to unleash unbreakable performance under pressure.

00:00 / 00:00

Combat Sports Fit Mobile Devices

Combat sports are highly suited for mobile devices due to clear, action-packed visuals.
This format helped ONE Championship and UFC dominate mobile sports content consumption.

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Journey Through Martial Arts: Growth and Global Impact

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Emotional Preparation and Strategic Growth

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Elevator Encounters and the Art of Investor Questions

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Reflections on Vision and Relationships in Sports Business

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The Rise of AI and Deep Fakes: Authenticity in Sports Media

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Navigating Sports Media Partnerships

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The Transformative Power of Suffering

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Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) is the founder and CEO of ONE Championship, one of the top-10 biggest sports-media properties in the world in terms of viewership and engagement (alongside the NBA, Formula One, Champions League, and Premier League), with a global broadcast reach to 195 countries.

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Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Start.

[00:06:49] Chatri Trisiripisal vs. Yodchatri Sityodtong

[00:08:35] My own experience with Muay Thai.

[00:10:05] Chatri’s introduction to Muay Thai.

[00:10:58] Chatri processes the strained relationship with his father.

[00:17:28] Fight Porn and my introduction to ONE.

[00:18:56] A pep talk in Japanese.

[00:23:00] Chatri’s secret life in a Harvard dorm with his mother on $4 a day.

[00:30:11] How Chatri made the money to fuel his martial arts ambitions.

[00:35:19] Why wealth has never provided Chatri with a sense of security.

[00:38:43] The moment Chatri began to fulfill one his mother’s prophecies.