After the recent ONE Fight Night 14, their CEO came out and criticized organizations like the UFC and Bellator for having subpar fighters and strikers. Chatri Sityodtong argued that many other fighting experts would share his opinions.
This critique followed the recent success of UFC Fight Night 14, which featured some intense battles and left fans emotional after the legendary champ Angela Lee retired from the sport. Surprisingly, many combat sports fans agreed with that opinion.
Chatri Sityodtong swipes at UFC, Bellator
Chatri Sityodtong had a lot to say when he came out to speak to media after the fight night, “I think most fans will say now that ONE is the most exciting promotion, especially if you watch ONE Friday Fights. That is some insane stuff and I think Joe Rogan even came out yesterday or the day before and was saying, ‘ONE has the most exciting product,’ and I agree”.
“What you see in, let’s say the UFC, is very sloppy, mediocre-ish striking because they’re not strikers. A typical UFC fighter is a D-1 college wrestler, 7-0 in the minor leagues and then they do a little bit of striking then they enter the UFC. At ONE, all these are world champions before they arrive and they’re already multiple [time] world champions at their peak of their career when they arrive.”
“That’s what makes us different. If you look at our roster, I think UFC has about 700 athletes and so do we. You go to a UFC or a Bellator, it’s like maybe 20, 30 maximum. That’s why you see a lot of sloppy jiu-jitsu, sloppy low-level striking in those organizations whereas in ONE you see the very, very best on the planet in each of their disciplines and of course, MMA as well.”
Even Francis Ngannou was going to join ONE, but then did not proceed with the move. But Chatri Sityodtong felt Francis would have a tough time in ONE.
Sityodton praises Stamp Fairtex show
Sityodtong had nothing but praise for the new women’s champion of ONE, Stamp Fairtex. The interim champ went on to claim the title as the former champ Angela Lee announced her retirement from the sport.
Emotions ran high as Angela Lee handed the belt over to Stamp after Stamp defeated the veteran fighter Ham Seo Hee. It was an emotional but classy victory as Fairtex stopped the veteran in the third round, making her the new women’s champ.
To know more about this, do read this article.
