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Sityodtong open to holding One event outside Pasay

Brandon Vera captured his first major MMA title at MOA Arena. Now, he may be defending his belt outside the said venue. (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—One Championship chairman Chatri Sityodtong revealed that he is open to staging an event outside of the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

“Our operations team has looked at various stadiums across the Philippines. We’ve scouted places that could meet our standards in terms of size and quality. I will not be surprised if in the future, we will see more events in the Philippines, not just in [Pasay] but in other cities,” he stated.

One first stepped foot on Philippine soil through an event at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City and has since called the MOA Arena its home.

But now, Sityodtong is considering Cebu as a future site of a One fight card.

"We're looking at Cebu City as a possible future destination," he quipped.

The Waterfront Hotel there has been used as a venue for boxing events.

Meanwhile, Sityodtong said that they are also looking at Baguio as host for a One event.

“We are open to all options definitely. I don’t want make any announcement or prediction right now, but there is a possibility,” he stressed.

Baguio is known as the "war room" of the renowned Team Lakay stable, which has produced world MMA champions in former One champ Honorio Banario and current One lightweight title holder Eduard Folayang, who is set to defend his belt on April 21 right in front of his fellow Filipinos.

In conclusion, Sityodtong is happy that the Philippines has embraced One so well.

"The Philippines is one of our biggest markets because the fans in the country are just so passionate about mixed martial arts,” he said. “The country is a very important market for us. I truly believe that One Championship can become mainstream where every single Filipino is enthralled with what One Championship has to offer.”

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