ONE Fighting Championship Reveal Plans for Asian Domination

With all the online coverage that ONE FC has been getting, it was easy to forget that the new promotion which aims to be the biggest and best in Asia, hasn't launched. That all changed the other day with the official press conference in Singapore at which the true extent of the ambition of the organizers was revealed.

The main news to emerge was that ONE FC plans on putting on shows all over Asia, and they plan on doing it in the next three years.

This is the three year schedule for live events which was announced:

Year 1: Singapore, Macau, Seoul, Jakarta, Shanghai, Bangkok

Year 2: Singapore, Macau, Seoul, Jakarta, Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, KL

Year 3: Singapore, Macau, Seoul, Jakarta, Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, KL, Mumbai, Shanghai

It seems that the 12,000 capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium where the first show will be taking place on September 3rd is simply the launch pad. After putting on a show or two in this venue, the biggest indoor arena in South Asia, the promotion will be heading on a tour of major Asian cities. The stated aim of CEO/President Victor Cui has been to being the sport to a new generation of fans and he obviously intends to do that by putting on cards in countries which remain relatively untouched by the international MMA explosion such as as Indonesia and Thailand.

The buzz that ONE FC has already generated in Singapore is so great that VIP and cageside tickets sold out within an hour of going on sale and the press conference yesterday was packed to the rafters. Getting in the mainstream media is the challenge for any major MMA organization and setting up a roped off VIP area where journalists could sip expensive champagne while they waited for official proceedings to begin was probably a good way to go about it.

The fighter entrance was also pretty impressive as a series of world champions were introduced one by one. A list of names was also released and it is as eclectic as it is impressive:

-Anuwat Kaesamrit: 6x Muay Thai World Champion

-Eduard Folayang: Wushu and MCFC Champion

-Bao Li Gao: Sanda World Champion

-Kwang Hee Lee: Spirit MC Champion

-Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn: 6x Muay Thai World Champion

-Eddie Ng: Total Combat FC Champion

-Adam Kayoom: Malaysia Champion and XFC Champion

-Zhao Zhi Long: Sanda World Champion

-Zorobabel Moreira: BJJ World Champion

-Kevin Bellingon: URCC FC Champion

-Yodsanan Sityodtong: WBA Boxing World Champion

-Ole Laursen: Muay Thai World Champion and K1 Veteran

-Soo Chul Kim: Risingon FC Champion

-Mitch Chilson: 2x MCFC Champion

-Leandro Issa: BJJ World Champion and MCFC Champion

-Eric Kelly: URCC FC Champion

-Orono Wor Petchpun: 5x Muay Thai World Champion

-Ba Teer: Sanda World Champion

-Gregor Gracie: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion

-Yoddecha Sityodtong: Muay Thai World Champion

-Rolles Gracie: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion

-Malik Arash Malawyi: Afghanistan Champion and MCFC Champion

-Igor Gracie: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion

The 'champion vs champion' theme has created some genuine excitement in the MMA world. The concept of seeing fighters who are genuinely the best in the world in their particualr discipline is one which fans will love. One FC already looks like the natural successor to Pride.

One major difference is that, apart from two moderately successful excursions onto US soil, Pride was exclusively Japanese. ONE FC, by contrast, is going to be promoting events all over Asia and should be able to develop serious local interest.

Almost every single fighter on that roster is at the start of their MMA career and has a lot of potential. Although many of them are decorated martial artists, their MMA careers are in their infancy and it will be exciting to see how these fighters develop. Eddie Ng has already made a name for himsel fighting at a relatively high level in the UK and having a fighter of this caliber could really help develop interest in MMA in Hong Kong. If Ng can string together a series of wins he is pretty much guaranteed to headline the Hong Kong card when it happens.

Ole Laursen, Eduard Folayang, and Mitch Chilson are proven ticket sellers in Singapore and are all set to fight on the opening event. With Eric Kelly and Kevin Belingon on the roster, as well as Folayang, ONE FC could sell out a show in the Philippines tomorrow and fighters like Malaysian Adam Kayoom and Thai boxing superstar Yodsanan Sityodtong will definitely add to the event's international appeal.

We won't really be able to judge until September 3rd when the show, which will hopefully be streamed live, happens. ONE FC is ticking all the right boxes in the build up and 'Asian domination' looks well within their reach.

This was a guest post by James Goyder. You can follow him on twitter for fight news from Thailand.