ONE Championship Just Pulled 25 Million Viewers

[Bobby Boulders]

Source: Forbes

ONE Championship’s signing of WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and its first interpolation of boxing into its product was a smashing success.

Per a press release from the promotion, which referenced data from Nielsen, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, ONE: Kingdom of Heroes at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand generated 25 million viewers. It also set a record for TV ratings share in Thailand with 58.5%. ONE reports the show did similar numbers across the region in Asia.

Srisaket successfully defended his title with a unanimous-decision victory over Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz. The challenger put up a valiant effort, but in the end, the hometown hero had too much power and punching accuracy.

Srisaket, who is one of Thailand’s biggest athletic stars was clearly the primary draw. However, Stamp Fairtex of Thailand thrilled the partisan fans by winning the ONE Super Series Atomweight kickboxing championship with a decision victory over Kai Ting Chuang. There were a total of six Thai martial artists on the card and they combined to go 5-1 at the event. ONE Championship events aren’t available on TV in the United States, however, the promotion launched a new app earlier this year that gives fans across the world access to the shows for free

Promoting boxing was pure genius for ONE, and especially getting the SE Asian World Champion from Thailand on their roster. Even while most people tuned in for the boxing match, other forms of martial arts got enormous exposure, and this is only a boon for ONE.

They're doing things the right way, by becoming a martial arts org and not just an MMA org. The ceiling is high, and they're going to grow in popularity more and more, whether they break into the Western market or not.

Some believe you need exposure in the States to be legitimate, and it simply isn't true (re: PRIDE). The market ONE is growing a lock on dwarfs the American market, and is a market the UFC has been unable to successfully break into (which is why they rarely hold shows there). With ONE ready to bust into the Japanese market, we are going to witness some exciting shit in the near future.

Bellator is taking a similar approach, and is obviously studying ONE's game, by breaking into the European market, and claiming a portion of the world that the UFC doesn't have locked down.

I, for one, hope they both succeed in becoming global competitors to the UFC.

 

[RODNEY83]

And Scott Coker can't pull 500,000 average live viewers for Bellator.

 

[Deleted member 549255]

And Scott Coker can't pull 500,000 average live viewers for Bellator.

Scott Coker is making 33 million a year with DAZN.

 

[RODNEY83]

Scott Coker is making 33 million a year with DAZN.

And still can't draw. DAZN saved his a_ _ because Coker Vision has taken Bellator backwards.

 

[Deleted member 549255]

And still can't draw. DAZN saved his a_ _ because Coker Vision has taken Bellator backwards.

Coker Vision = 33 Million a year

 

[Kudo]

And Scott Coker can't pull 500,000 average live viewers for Bellator.

What's your deal with Coker? You seem to bitch about him in every thread.

 

[RODNEY83]

What's your deal with Coker? You seem to bitch about him in every thread.

So what? You can bitch about what you want to and I can bitch about a clown who isn't giving the fans good matchups. A heavyweight tournament without heavyweights Bobby Lashley, Cheick Kongo, Justin Wren, and Sergei Kharitonov isn't a heavyweight tournament. It's a FARCE and the results have proven that to be the case.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

So what? You can bitch about what you want to and I can bitch about a clown who isn't giving the fans good matchups. A heavyweight tournament without heavyweights Bobby Lashley, Cheick Kongo, Justin Wren, and Sergei Kharitonov isn't a heavyweight tournament. It's a FARCE and the results have proven that to be the case.

Literally no one but you and Justin Wren wants Justin Wren in that tourney, and your logic is backwards and makes no sense and plain sucks.

"Coker can't get an audience! RARW!!! Where the fuck is Justin Wren to bring in the viewers?!?! GRRRR!!!!"

GTFO with this dumb shit.

 

[RODNEY83]

Literally no one but you and Justin Wren wants Justin Wren in that tourney, and your logic is backwards and makes no sense and plain sucks.

"Coker can't get an audience! RARW!!! Where the fuck is Justin Wren to bring in the viewers?!?! GRRRR!!!!"

GTFO with this dumb shit.

So that means Coker can't build stars. Everyone is a nobody until a promoter gives them a chance then they become somebodies that people like you all of a sudden wants to watch. So having no Bobby Lashley, no Cheick Kongo, no Justin Wren, and no Sergei Kharitonov in a Bellator Heavyweight Tournament makes zero sense and the results have proven that to be the case.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

So that means Coker can't build stars. Everyone is a nobody until a promoter gives them a chance then they become somebodies that people like you all of a sudden wants to watch. So having no Bobby Lashley, no Cheick Kongo, no Justin Wren, and no Sergei Kharitonov in a Bellator Heavyweight Tournament makes zero sense and the results have proven that to be the case.

Justin Wren has literally no chance of becoming a star. Ever. Lashley is old, can only wrestle, and wants more money than he is worth, hence he pro wrestles. He is also signed to WWE and they're not gonna let him fight like they will Brock, bc they don't get Ronda and Cain like they do from UFC. Kongo could have been in the tourney, but doesn't have anywhere close to the name the actual fighters in the tourney have (bc, you know, they're trying to build an audience). Sergei literally has no name value in the States.

They are using names that are familiar to the audience they already have on Paramount, formerly Spike. Hence TUF (on Spike for years) alums Bader and Meathead. Chael has a name on his own. Rampage does too and was a TUF coach. Fedor had an entire Breakfast With Fedor New Years Special on Spike.

Again, your logic is terrible.

 

[BlancoDiablo828]

So what? You can bitch about what you want to and I can bitch about a clown who isn't giving the fans good matchups. A heavyweight tournament without heavyweights Bobby Lashley, Cheick Kongo, Justin Wren, and Sergei Kharitonov isn't a heavyweight tournament. It's a FARCE and the results have proven that to be the case.

Found dfw's bitch ass

 

[EXOICHO]

I did want Wren in the HW GP but Coker is doing a good job

 

[Mentallooser]

Coker put together the best names he could to bring eyes to the tourney. Subsequent tournaments would logically contain more prospects. Kind of like how the other tournaments contain prospects.

The guy who put on DC, Woodley, Ronda, Jacare...

 

[Meathead Jock]

Coker put together the best names he could to bring eyes to the tourney. Subsequent tournaments would logically contain more prospects. Kind of like how the other tournaments contain prospects.

The guy who put on DC, Woodley, Ronda, Jacare...

You'll be adding Ed Ruth to that list after he shocks the WW tournament.

 

[Falconkick]

Love ONE and love this news

 

[Asurah]

Forbes is known to shill for ONE, any article about ONE on there is paid for PR

 

[Pakman]

So what? You can bitch about what you want to and I can bitch about a clown who isn't giving the fans good matchups. A heavyweight tournament without heavyweights Bobby Lashley, Cheick Kongo, Justin Wren, and Sergei Kharitonov isn't a heavyweight tournament. It's a FARCE and the results have proven that to be the case.

every fighter that fought in the tournament is a better fighter than the ones you listed that didn't make it in, and Sergei is an alternate. So...what the fuck are you bitching about?

Bellator has consistently put on good fights and good cards over the last 8 months or so and improved their product along the way.

Lol at saying you want a real HW tourney and then mention Bobby Lashley, who's never had a fight against a top 20 fighter in his career.

MMA fans are a stupid bunch.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Forbes is known to shill for ONE, any article about ONE on there is paid for PR

I know, but Forbes is more legit than BJPenn.com. This info was reported by multiple sites. It isn't a stretch either. The boxing champ defending in the main event and five other Thai fighters on the card makes it sound very legit.

 

[Kingz]

That’s awesome. Hopefully they get better distribution here. I think ONE can inspire some positive change to MMA in North America with their weight class system.

Haven’t the in fight rules kinda trended less JBG though?

 

[Bobby Boulders]

every fighter that fought in the tournament is a better fighter than the ones you listed that didn't make it in, and Sergei is an alternate. So...what the fuck are you bitching about?

Bellator has consistently put on good fights and good cards over the last 8 months or so and improved their product along the way.

Lol at saying you want a real HW tourney and then mention Bobby Lashley, who's never had a fight against a top 20 fighter in his career.

MMA fans are a stupid bunch.

I truly believe that he is a gimmick account for a fighter who wasn't pushed by Coker in the past.