“We will sell out very soon” - Chatri Sityodtong says ONE 168: Denver has been an instant hit
ONE Championship's Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is excited for the promotion's scheduled return to the United States in September and was happy to report that reception to the event this early has been positive.
The Home of Martial Arts will play the U.S. once again on Sept. 6 with ONE 168: Denver. It will take place at Ball Arena in the Mile High City.
It will be the second live on-ground show of the promotion on U.S. soil after ONE Fight Night 10 in May last year, which was played to a soldout crowd at 1stBank Center also in Colorado.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, Chatri Sityodtong gave an update on ONE 168, including on ticket sales, which he said have been doing well.
The ONE executive said:
"Yeah, you know, last year, we were also in Denver, but we were in the 1stBank Center which is about a 7,000-seater while the Ball Arena, I think is about a 20,000-seater, it's the home of the Denver Nuggets."
He added:
"And we are right now, a little over half sold and we've spent zero on marketing. We still have four months to go. And I think, based on the way it's trending, we will sell out very soon in the near future."
Watch Chatri Sityodtong's interview below:
ONE 168: Denver will air live and for for free on U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Tickets, meanwhile, are already available on Ticketmaster.
Chatri Sityodtong says U.S. show this year will feature the promotion's big stars
The card for ONE 168: Denver in September is still being assembled but ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said the plan is to bring the promotion's big stars to give American fans something to bask in once again.
Chatri Sityodtong shared this in an interview with Thicc Boy with Brendan Schaub earlier this year as the promotion started planning for its U.S. push, saying:
"All the big stars will be coming out, and, you know. We actually haven't sat down yet with the matchmaking team and figured out what the cards are going to look like, but yeah, I mean there's no way we're going to come in with a small card."
Currently, four matches have already been booked for the marquee United States event happening at the Ball Arena in Denver on Sept. 6.
ONE women's strawweight MMA world champion Xiong Jing Nan of China will defend her title against challenger and Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex.
Also on tap is double ONE world champion Jonathan Haggerty, who will stake his bantamweight Muay Thai gold against flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9 in an all-champion title clash.
Meanwhile, lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo will defend his title against the sport's flyweight top dog Mikey Musumeci in an all-American showdown.
Apart from the three world title fights, also rostered is the catchweight (140 lbs) Muay Thai duel between veterans Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang.