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| ONE Championship founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong and Globe Group President and CEO Ernest L. Cu reaffirm their long-standing commitment to develop world-class Filipino athletes. (Image Source: Manila Standard/Globe Group) |
As the world emerges from unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, there’s a collective hunger for stories of victory. In the Philippines which saw one of the longest and strictest pandemic lockdowns in the world, millions are in need of a reason to cheer, be inspired, and continue to hope. The partnership between the Globe Group, the country’s leading digital solutions platform, and ONE Championship (ONE), Asia’s largest global sports media company, is looking for a new breed of Filipino Champions who will wave the Philippine flag on the world stage. As a pre-holiday offering, Globe and ONE brought Filipino fight fans one of the biggest international sporting events in the country since the global COVID-19 pandemic, ONE 164, held last December 3, 2022 at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
ONE 164 featured nine Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters who have been competed in their respective fights against top-tier and promising athletes across Asia and the globe. ONE Championship's return to Manila since early 2020 saw former ONE Heavyweight World Champion and global MMA star Brandon "The Truth" Vera formally announced his retirement from the sport and eventual focus on his showbiz career following his loss to Iranian Amir Alikbari via first round TKO plus notable victories from Filipino fighters Drex Zamboanga, Jeremy Pacatiw, and Mark Jhonlo Sangiao. In the main event of ONE's last event of 2022, American Jarred Brooks was able to pick up a unanimous decision win over Joshua "The Passion" Pacio to become the new ONE Strawweight World Champion after five rounds of epic hard-hitting action witnessed by Filipino fight fans inside the MOA Arena.
In a press event at The Theater in Solaire three days prior to ONE 164, ONE Championship Founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong spoke of the enduring partnership with Globe, including the production and airing of the ONE Warrior Series. The recently concluded 12-part reality competition featured the journey of 16 Filipino fighters who battled for a six-figure ONE Championship contract and the opportunity to compete on the global stage. ONE Warrior Series winner Adonis Sevilleno made his official ONE Championship debut in a losing effort against Drex Zamboanga. Chatri Sityodtong called Globe a very important partner in pursuing the shared goal of producing Filipino world champions from the grassroots.
Globe Group President and CEO Ernest Cu shared how Globe has always provided support for Filipino athletes in various sports, from soccer and rugby to tennis. Athletes supported by Globe include Filipino tennis star Alex Eala, who Cu described as “a picture of what Filipino success can be in sports". “Our partnership is borne out of Globe’s desire to help the Filipino athlete. We desire to have a Filipino world champion and there’s no other great partnership than with ONE Championship,” Cu said at the event. Even with the recent conclusion of the ONE Warrior Series, Cu said Globe will continue to support Filipino athletes towards global success. “We don’t stop at identifying a fighter who wins a reality TV series. We want to give this fighter an opportunity to play on the world stage,” Cu said.
