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 (#814)

The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss June 05, 2025 By Tim Ferriss
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Interview with Chatri Sityodtong of ONE Championship!

The post 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 (#814) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

“Suffering is a path to our greatness.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) is the founder and CEO of ONE (you might know it as 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. 

The largest sports-media property in Asia, ONE is also a celebration of Asia’s great cultural treasure martial arts. Chatri himself has more than 40 years of martial arts experience. He is a certified senior Muay Thai instructor under the legendary Kru Yodtong Senanan, and he holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Master Renzo Gracie. In 2019, he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame.

Chatri holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Tufts University.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is brought to you by AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement; Helix Sleep premium mattresses; and Wealthfront high-yield cash account.

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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

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront is a financial services platform that offers services to help you save and invest your money. Right now, you can earn 4.00% APY—that’s the Annual Percentage Yield—with the Wealthfront Brokerage Cash Account from its network of partner banks. That’s nearly ten times more interest than a savings account at a bank, according to FDIC.gov as of 03/17/2025 (Wealthfront’s 4.00% APY vs. 0.41% average savings rate). It takes just a few minutes to sign up, and then you’ll immediately start earning 4.00% APY interest on your short term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account today, they can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more. Terms & Conditions apply. Visit Wealthfront.com/Tim to get started. 

APY as of 03/17/2025 and is subject to change. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here.

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

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Want to hear another episode with someone who appreciates a good scrap? Listen to my conversation with former mixed martial artist Bas Rutten in which we discussed martial arts tradition in the Netherlands, bullies, Pancrase, fighting Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki, underrated Japanese fighters, pranks, self-defense for beginners and bouncers, street fighting, breathing with the O2 Trainer, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Connect with Chatri Sityodtong:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

  • Connect with ONE Championship:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | YouTube | TikTok

Companies, Institutions, and Organizations

Books and Magazines

Martial Arts Disciplines

Events & Competitions

People

Places

Relevant Resources

SHOW NOTES

  • [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.
  • [00:41:08] “To unleash your greatness, you must be surrounded by greatness.”
  • [00:44:56] Witnessing Yamato-damashii: the Japanese warrior spirit.
  • [00:48:43] Moving to Singapore and starting Evolve.
  • [00:51:59] Overcoming ONE’s initial financial challenges.
  • [01:03:06] Building ONE with Bushido-grade excellence.
  • [01:08:25] How ONE maintains quality and quantity fights and fighters.
  • [01:16:05] Leveraging social media to bring compelling human stories to ONE’s forefront.
  • [01:26:40] Chatri’s $100 million breakfast with Sequoia Capital.
  • [01:41:42] Making deals with CAA’s Fabian Stechel.
  • [01:45:13] A serendipitous meeting that resulted in investment from Qatar.
  • [01:47:51] Changing lives and building relationships across generations with martial arts.
  • [01:51:35] Recommended reading and admirable storytellers.
  • [02:01:03] A gracious invitation.
  • [02:02:39] Where in the world is ONE enjoyed most?
  • [02:07:14] Dealing with AI development and deep fakes.
  • [02:08:45] Global broadcasting business from behind the scenes.
  • [02:16:31] Funds raised and the competitive benefits of being early in the game.
  • [02:19:30] Fond regards for Renzo Gracie.
  • [02:23:49] Legendary fighters we would love to witness in their prime.
  • [02:26:27] High marks for Marcelo Garcia.
  • [02:29:23] How I learned what Chatri calls “flawless” Japanese.
  • [02:31:16] Chatri’s billboard and parting thoughts.

MORE CHATRI SITYODTONG QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Suffering is a path to our greatness.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“You never know what is good luck or bad luck until many years later, when you discover what the lessons were of that experience.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“If you’re fighting for yourself — you’re fighting because you want a six-figure salary, you’re fighting because you want to buy a nice car — it’s very easy to quit. But when you’re fighting for something bigger than yourself, it’s impossible to quit.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“I truly believe my grandmaster, Kru Yodtong Senanan, who used to always tell me — I never really understood it until much later in life — ‘To unleash your greatness, you must be surrounded by greatness.'”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“In society I’m a CEO, but when I’m in training, I’m a nobody. These guys beat on me, but it levels me up. It’s a daily reminder to me that I’m here to learn, grow, and evolve, and be the very best martial artist I can be.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“Love, pain, and suffering. That combination can work magic in terms of unleashing human potential. You will discover things about yourself that you never even knew existed in you.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

The post 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 (#814) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

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